Nokia & Zeiss back together to make great smartphone cameras

When a partnership goes back to the early 2000’s you know there’s something to it.  Sadly, the Nokia phone brand disappeared under Microsoft’s ownership and with it went the Zeiss partnership for lenses and camera technology.  Under new owners HMD, Nokia phones are back, and today they’ve announced they’re buddies again with Zeiss.

In an exclusive partnership, no other smartphone will carry the Zeiss name on it’s camera – but for fans of the new Nokia 3, 5 and 6 smartphones, the deal doesn’t come into place yet.

Those new phones are in the market worldwide already, what HMD/Nokia are working on with Zeiss is a next generation phone.

No word from Zeiss and HMD as to when that will be, but the smart money is on the latter part of this year, at worst, something to crow about at Mobile World Congress in 2018.

It’s described as a “Long term agreement” and being exclusive, HMD and Zeiss representatives told EFTM it meant an open collaboration and strong trust was possible.

Zeiss’ consumer business is a tiny part of what they do – something like 5%, with the bulk of their business in B2B applications like semi-conductors, so this is a great toe back in the water for consumer as well as a great branding exercise.

Arto Nummela, CEO, HMD Global said  “Collaborating with ZEISS is an important part of our commitment to always deliver the very best experience for our customers. Our fans want more than a great smartphone camera, they want a complete  imaging experience that doesn’t just set the standard but redefines it. Our fans expect it and, together with ZEISS, we’re delivering it – co-developed imaging excellence for all.”

Over at Zeiss, Dr. Matthias Metz, Member of the Executive Board went on to say “The collaboration of HMD Global with ZEISS for Nokia smartphones will again enhance consumers holistic imaging experience based on excellence and innovation. Our partnership is built on a solid foundation. Together, we look forward to an exciting journey into the future of sophisticated smartphone imaging.”

The N Series Nokia was the first to carry a Zeiss lens, some 12 years ago, let’s hope for big things from the duo in the years ahead.