The oldest phone-affiliated brand in the world , Nokia can trace its roots back to a paper pulp mill in then-Russian-occupied Finland in the mid- 1860s . The Finnish brand was one of the earliest entries to the mobile phone business - following the divestiture of its television , tire , footwear and paper manufacturing business units at the end of the 80s - and its products have an enduring reputation for being nigh indestructible . Following a series of financial struggles - driven largely by Apple ’ s domination of the premium smartphone market in the early 2010s - the Nokia brand was sold to Microsoft in 2014 . Two years later , HMD Global bought it back and has manufactured phones under the Nokia brand ever since . Once the largest phone company in the world , the Finnish legacy player now pitches itself at the budget to mid-range market , with an emphasis on innovative camera design . After more than a decade of rocky terrain , the veteran brand appears to be on its way back to a secure market niche . 10