Feature phones getting an AI assistant sounds like a mismatch on paper, but HMD Global has gone ahead and done exactly that. The company has launched four new Nokia-branded keypad phones, each with a dedicated AI button built right into the keypad.
The new lineup covers four models: the Nokia 200 4G, Nokia 210 4G, Nokia 215 4G 2nd Edition, and Nokia 235 4G 2nd Edition. Every one of them ships with the same core idea, a physical AI button that puts voice commands one press away, without digging through menus on a phone that doesn't really have menus to dig through in the first place.
How the AI Assistant Actually Works
The assistant is called Sikey AI, and it handles the kind of basic tasks you'd expect from a voice assistant on hardware this simple: turning on the torch, opening the camera, setting alarms or reminders, placing calls, and answering simple questions.
Here's the catch, and it's a genuinely odd one: Sikey AI works for free for the first 180 days. After that, keeping it running requires a paid subscription. The irony doesn't stop there, since managing and paying for that subscription reportedly requires an actual smartphone, meaning owners of these ultra-basic keypad phones would need a separate, more capable device just to keep the AI assistant on their feature phone functioning.
Cloud Services Without Eating Storage
Alongside the AI assistant, all four phones support a cloud phone service, letting users check recent videos, weather forecasts, and sports scores without filling up the device's limited onboard storage. It's a sensible workaround for hardware that was never designed to store much locally in the first place.
What's Actually the Same Across All Four
Design-wise, HMD has kept things close to Nokia's familiar durable keypad look, with some new touches like metallic accents framing the camera and speaker. All four models run the S30+ operating system and pack a 1,450mAh battery. Shared features include Bluetooth 5.0, a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM radio, and USB-C charging, a small but welcome upgrade over the micro-USB ports still found on some budget feature phones.
Where the Four Models Differ
Display size is the main split across the lineup. The Nokia 200 4G and Nokia 210 4G stick to a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, while the Nokia 215 4G 2nd Edition and Nokia 235 4G 2nd Edition step up to a larger 2.8-inch QVGA IPS panel.
All four phones support Xpress Chat video calling through their built-in VGA front cameras, letting users make basic video calls even from a keypad phone. Rear cameras, though, aren't universal: the Nokia 210 4G and Nokia 235 4G 2nd Edition get them, with the latter using a slightly better 2MP sensor.
Colour options also vary by model. The Nokia 200 4G comes in Black, Blue, and Yellow. The Nokia 210 4G is available in Dark Blue and Silver. The Nokia 215 4G 2nd Edition ships in a single Black colourway, while the Nokia 235 4G 2nd Edition comes in Blue and Black.
Pricing Still a Mystery
HMD hasn't announced pricing or availability details for any of the four phones yet. Given how central the AI subscription model is to this launch, how these phones are priced will likely shape whether the feature lands as a genuine value-add or feels like a bolted-on gimmick for a category that's traditionally been about simplicity above all else.
Techoper's Take
The subscription requirement here is the part worth watching closely. Feature phone buyers overwhelmingly choose these devices specifically because they don't need to think about subscriptions, app ecosystems, or smartphone-adjacent complexity. Needing a separate smartphone just to keep a feature phone's AI assistant working undercuts the entire pitch of buying a feature phone in the first place. That said, the 180-day free window and the cloud service addition suggest HMD understands its audience well enough to keep the core experience simple by default, with AI positioned as an optional bonus rather than something buyers are forced to engage with. Whether this ends up being a smart differentiator or a confusing add-on will come down entirely to how HMD prices these phones once details are announced.
