HMD Global has, on several occasions, slapped a fresh coat of paint on old Nokia devices. For example, the company re-introduced the Nokia 8110 4G “banana” feature phone in 2018 and is planning to launch revamped Nokia 8000 4G and Nokia 4300 4G phones soon. Another critically acclaimed Nokia phone —the Nokia N95— was billed to come with a revamped design and current-gen hardware, but HMD Global scrapped the project for unknown reasons. Thankfully, the company sent a non-functional prototype of the Nokia N95 to popular YouTuber Michael Fisher aka MrMobile. Although it is unlikely that the concept will ever come to fruition, we now have a glimpse into what HMD Global had in store for us with the new Nokia N95.
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The new Nokia N95 was meant to retain the original’s slider mechanism. Two selfie cameras and stereo speakers replace the media control buttons and keypad from the original design. The unique form factor meant that the Nokia N95’s screen was without interruptions. According to HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas, the company toyed around with several slider ideas before zeroing in on the side slider design.
We may never know what hardware the new Nokia N95 would run, but the prototype shows that it was set to feature a triple-camera array. The ring surrounding the cameras could also double up as a kickstand, allowing the phone to double up as a media powerhouse, an alarm clock, and even a rudimentary smart display. While a lot of users would buy the new Nokia N95 out of nostalgia, that alone would not be enough to drive sales, and that’s probably why the smartphone never saw the light of day
