Nokia’s low-cost feature mobile phones, made in India, have made a comeback nearly two years after the company’s plant at Sriperumbudur was shut down in November 2014.

A few days back, some Nokia branded models, priced between ₹1,599 and ₹3,869, hit shop shelves, said a salesman at a retail shop. These basic models — Nokia 130, Nokia 215, Nokia 222 and Nokia 230 — are manufactured by Rising Stars Mobile Pvt Ltd at the Sri City Integrated Business City in Tada, Andhra Pradesh.

Microsoft Corporation bought Nokia’s handset division from Finnish major Nokia Corporation in September 2013 in a global deal. But the production unit near Chennai was left out of the Devices & Services deal with Microsoft signed in 2014. The factory stopped production from November 1, 2014.

However, Microsoft continued to sell Lumia series phones under the Microsoft brand.

“Sales of the low-cost Nokia phones are slowly picking up, especially among first-time buyers. Nokia is now giving good competition to some Indian brands in the low-cost range. There is a replacement guarantee of one year in case of any problem with a device,” said a retailer.

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