Nokia 5, Nokia 6 launch delayed as the retailers brace up for GST

Just a few weeks ago, HMD Global announced the launch of Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 Android phones in India. However, the launch, earlier scheduled for June 13, was postponed. Although Nokia 3 went on sale from June 16 in India, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 will not be available in the Indian market until the middle of July. One of the chief factors at play behind the delay in launch of these phones is GST, the new system of tax on goods and services that will come into effect from July 1.

Although GST is not the only factor affecting the launch of the new Nokia Android smartphones, Nokia had to struggle to get the retail channels well stocked with Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 due to GST roll out. According to the company representatives, Nokia has told its retail partners to start with a clean slate in the GST regime which starts from July 1. The representatives also made it clear that the company will begin to stock the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 smartphones only no sooner than the second week of July.

With the sale of Nokia 6 already having reached a satisfaction level of 97% in China, Nokia is expecting a same response from its Indian customers. Powered with Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 128 GB, Nokia 6 also flaunts a special art-black version which shares its appearance with iPhone 7 Jet Black variant. The phone has 16 MP rear and 8 MP front camera. A powerful 3000 mAh battery coupled with dual amplified speaker makes Nokia 6 the most anticipated launch of the entire Nokia Android series.