Before we begin I just wanted to clarify that I am not a professional business analyst by any means. These are just my random thoughts.
How many global smartphone brands from Europe do you know?
If apart from Nokia you also know Fairphone, that's great but it isn't really a global brand, and is a subject for another time. So the only European champion in the smartphone market is Nokia.
Does it even matter? Everyone is making their phones in China anyway. All smartphones use similar processors, similar displays, and (excluding iPhones) run on the same operating system. What's the big deal?
It's all about the small things. For example Nokia announces recommended retail prices for their phones in Euro. So they won't change depending on how strong is American Dollar or Chinese Yuan. And by default it includes VAT, (it doesn't matter if in one country VAT is 19% and in another it's 23%). So if you go to the store, you know what to expect (and if you're not getting ripped off).
It also features clean Android. Without any skins, and without any pre-installed applications. Maybe not a game changer, but it seems that Europeans dislike pre-installed apps more than other nations.
It also eliminates potential problems with services that may not be available in all countries. For example Apple Music is pre-installed on every iPhone, Baidu is pre-installed on every Xiaomi, but you cannot use those services in most European countries.
And it also features NFC for mobile payments on all models (even 100€ Nokia 3). Every single Nokia Android smartphone supports Google Pay, which is far more popular in Europe than let's say WeChat payments (that are presented as alternative to NFC on many Chinese smartphones, even premium ones). Visa and MasterCard are still the way to go on the old continent, and Nokia understands it very well.
It also gives reasonable value for money. Of course, it is not aiming to compete with Chinese brands in this regard, but it offers reasonable performance even on the entry level phones and significantly undercuts Samsung in the mid-range, offering much better built quality.
And perhaps most importantly, it is readily available in many physical store locations, with warranty points also in physical locations. Yeah, the e-commerce sector is growing, door-to-door warranties are great, but there is nothing quite like walking into the nearest electronic outlet with cash and walking out with a smartphone that ticks all the boxes for your needs, is reasonably priced, and gives you confidence that it won't break in a month. And even if it does, the warranty repairs will be done within a few days (not months).
You can check out Nokia 3 (in my opinion the best value for money smartphone if you need NFC on a budget) here: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/707-53477-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575410747&toolid=10001&campid=5338345295&customid=&icep_item=183407431719&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229487&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg
