Nokia’s comeback a big hit; new phone sells out in minutes

Finnish handset maker Nokia may have lost out in the smartphone revolution, but the brand name clearly continues to carry a lot of weight among consumers. Seeking to claw back some of its once dominant position in the mobile phone market, its latest offering launched in China was snapped up in minutes flat.

The company released an android smartphone it's calling the Nokia 6 in China late last week and the new device reportedly sold out in mere minutes.

The flash 24-hour sale was restricted to Chinese e-commerce site JD.com and saw all the available units sold instantly. The number of devices sold has not been made public but more than a million people had registered their intent to buy the phone on JD.com prior to the sale, according to Gadgets360.

Unconfirmed reports put the number of devices sold at 100,000.

The launch of the phone marked the first mobile device to carry the Nokia name since 2014 when Microsoft had ownership of the Nokia brand.

It may be a Nokia phone by name but it is actually produced by HMD Global, a Finish company with the rights to use the Nokia name for its mobile devices. The licensing deal lasts for the next ten years and is ostensibly a bid by the company to capitalise on the brand familiarity and nostalgia of the Nokia name.

The phone costs a fairly hefty $300 and comes with a 5.5in FullHD Gorilla Glass 2.5D display, and an all-metal body.

But compared to some of the other smartphones available today, the guts of the handset are a little bit underwhelming say some reports. The Nokia 6 has a Snapdragon 430 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

At this stage the phone will only be released in China. However a leaked document has revealed the company may have plans to release the phone in Europe.

''The decision by HMD to launch its first Android smartphone into China is a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world ... it is a strategically important market,'' HMD said in a statement prior to the sale.