HMD Global, the company behind new Nokia-branded phones, has secured $230 million in fresh funding from investors including Google, Qualcomm and Nokia.

HMD has held the rights to design and market Nokia phones since a joint deal with Foxconn to buy the Finnish telecoms giant's mobile unit from Microsoft in 2016.

HMD has looked to turn the business' fortunes around by launching new versions of nostalgic Nokia handsets like the 8110 "banana phone" and 2720 flip phone, as well as premium Nokia-branded smartphones that run on Google's Android mobile operating system.

"We believe this clear focus on a premium and well-differentiated smartphone experience is something that sets us apart," HMD CEO Florian Seiche told CNBC in an interview.

Seiche added the company was still heavily investing in feature phones — also known as "dumbphones" in contrast with smartphones — but said it has seen a shift from feature phones to smartphones in markets such as Africa.

HMD told CNBC that it made 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion) in net revenue last year, down almost 30% from 2.4 billion euros in 2018, which it said was due to reducing its presence in markets that required further investment.

The coronavirus crisis has deeply impacted the smartphone market, with market research firm IDC expecting smartphone shipments to decline 11.9% year-on-year to 1.2 billion.