Nokia and Zeiss Split Up
It’s not uncommon for smartphone manufacturers to partner with well-known camera companies, whether it be for a bit of brand-strengthening, or new innovations with mobile camera hardware and software – we’ve seen it before from the likes of OnePlus and Hasselblad, Huawei and Leica (now Xiaomi and Leica), and Nokia and Zeiss, to name a few.
For Nokia and Zeiss in particular though, it seems that things are now headed in a new direction as far as both companies are concerned. A report from the folks over at Nokiamob reveals that the long-time partnership between the two companies apparently ended in 2021, with both Nokia and Zeiss agreeing not to prolong the collaborative effort. As per Zeiss’ official statement:
“After long and successful collaboration, in 2021 ZEISS and HMD Global have mutually agreed not to prolong their non-exclusive partnership which included collaboration for imaging technologies of “Nokia” branded smartphones with ZEISS as consulting and development partner.”
Additionally, Zeiss’ “Brand Partnerships” section on its website no longer includes the Nokia brand. There’s no formal word yet from Nokia on whether or not it will partner with a different camera brand for future products.
The Nokia and Zeiss partnership goes way back, when the phone manufacturer was still working on its Lumia smartphones which ran on the Windows Phone OS. This was revived when HMD Global took over Nokia’s smartphone business.
Source: Nokiamob