What is Nokia Circular? Nokia’s sustainability subscription explained

Nokia has launched a new service called Circular, aiming to boost the green credentials of its customers.

Launched at IFA 2022, Nokia hopes that by offering customers a different way to buy devices – with eco rewards – it can encourage Nokia phone users to keep their devices longer and avoid those phones heading into landfill.

How does Circular work?

Circular from Nokia will let you pay a subscription for a new Nokia device rather than paying to full fee for that device upfront.

You’ll have to buy direct from Nokia – this doesn’t apply if you’re getting your Nokia phone through a carrier or operator – and then Nokia will manage the scheme through the MyDevice app on your Nokia phone.

So you’ll pay a monthly fee for your phone – and a small setup fee – rather than paying the full price for the device.

So what are the rewards?

Once you’re on the Circular scheme, Nokia will reward you with “Seeds”. These Seeds can be put towards various schemes, such as tree planting or ocean cleaning, and you’ll get more Seeds the longer you keep your Nokia device.

This is how Nokia wants to incentivise you, appealing to your conscience and giving you a reason to keep your device.

What if you want to change devices?

This is really the point about Circular – the devices come from Nokia and go back to Nokia. The devices that Nokia gets back can be recycled, or they can go to needy causes – or get refurbished and go back to other Circular subscribers. Also, if you damage your device, Circular can take care of that for you, without additional costs (although we suspect there may be some small print around this point).

The aim is to avoid having these devices head to landfill.

What devices can you get through the Nokia Circular scheme?

The scheme will be starting with the devices launched alongside Circular in September 2022, but also offering a couple of existing devices in the coming months. That includes:

Nokia X30Nokia G60Nokia XR20Nokia T10 LTE

Where is Nokia Circular available?

The Nokia Circular scheme is launching in UK Germany, with plans to roll out to other regions in the future.