HMD sold 21 million phones in Q3

HMD Global released its first device with the Nokia branding early this year, signaling the return of the universally-loved Finnish brand, albeit under the umbrella of a mostly different company. The Nokia brand has been successful since its return, with devices like the Nokia 8 proving to be one of the most solid flagship offerings for the year, and the company's software update policy placing it among the top echelon of Android manufacturers.

All of that counts for nothing if sales don't meet up, though, so it's a pleasant surprise to learn that HMD actually sold a grand total of 21 million phones in Q3 2017, making it the eight largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world. Of course, there's a difference between mobile phones and smartphones. The former is comprised of both feature phones and smartphones. According to the source, of the 21 million total sales, about 3.4 million were smartphone sales, with the rest being feature phones.

3.4 million smartphones sold in a quarter is impressive, no matter how you look at it, especially since consulting service Tomi Ahonen estimates the company's total smartphone shipments for the year to be about 10.6 million. 10.6 million shipments may not be able to match with the industry's top dogs but it's still a lot better than what other young brands—Essential, for example—are putting up.