Nokia C31 Plus: The Budget Phone That Never Was
Details have surfaced about an unreleased Nokia device that could have stood out in the sub-$200 segment — a 90Hz refresh rate was rare at that price in 2022–2023. The phone, codenamed Suzume and formally called the Nokia C31 Plus, never reached production. HMD Global quietly shelved it, reportedly deciding the upgrades weren't enough to justify another budget handset on an ageing platform.
The specs
The C31 Plus was planned around a 6.74-inch HD+ IPS display running at 90Hz — a meaningful step up from the standard Nokia C31's 60Hz panel. The processor was an Exynos 7884B, an eight-core chip built on a 14nm process, per Notebookcheck. That chip originally powered the Samsung Galaxy A10 and A20 back in 2019, meaning it was roughly four years old by the time Suzume was being developed. Storage configurations were set at 3GB RAM/64GB and 4GB RAM/128GB.
The camera setup comprised a 13MP main sensor, a 5MP secondary, and a 2MP tertiary on the rear, plus an 8MP front camera. The phone would have run Android 12.
Nokia C31 Plus (Suzume) *2022 canceled model
— HMD_MEME'S (@smashx_60) September 22, 2026
- IPS LCD 6.74" HD+, 90Hz
- Exynos 7884B 14nm.
- 13MP + 5MP + 2MP / 8MP
- 3/64GB, 4/128GB
- Android 12
- 6000mAh
The body so similar to Nokia C31 pic.twitter.com/6LHgSLxGGL
The battery case — and why it wasn't enough
The C31 Plus's biggest advantage over the standard C31 was a 6000 mAh battery, up from the base model's 5050 mAh. On paper, that's solid longevity. But battery life alone wasn't sufficient to differentiate the phone in a market where Motorola and OnePlus were already offering comparable or better specs under $250 with newer silicon.
The Exynos 7884B is the clearest problem. By 2023, budget rivals from Xiaomi's Redmi Note line and Realme were shipping with MediaTek Helio G99 or Snapdragon processors — chips that offered meaningfully better gaming and efficiency. A four-year-old 14nm chip with a Mali-G71 GPU simply couldn't compete, and HMD appears to have known it.
Nokia's broader struggle
HMD's Nokia brand held less than 2% of the European smartphone market as far back as 2021 and hasn't meaningfully recovered since. The company has pivoted toward repairability — the Nokia 123 Shield: Durable Budget Phone with Impressive Battery Life and Water Resistance for Just €35 at €35 is a recent example — and durability narratives rather than competing spec-for-spec in the budget smartphone tier.
Cancelling the C31 Plus fits that pattern. The phone was visually nearly identical to the standard C31, and without a more modern processor, the 90Hz display and larger battery weren't enough to carve out a distinct place in the lineup. If you're shopping for a budget Android phone today, the AMOLED vs LCD display guide is worth a read before settling on any HD+ IPS panel at this price range.
The C31 Plus is a snapshot of exactly where Nokia's budget ambitions stalled: incremental improvements on outdated hardware, in a market that had already moved on.
