kia had died, then Microsoft tried to resurrect it but ended up killing it twice over. Then in May this year, the company, which had almost become a sweet-distant memory, was taken over by a Finnish company, well, to make Android phones. Now we have words from the horse’s mouth, or Mike Wang, president of the joint management team in China, that Nokia will announce at least three Android devices later this year.
According to a report by Phandroid, Wang has confirmed that there will be three or four Nokia-branded Android devices. He said that the company expects to announce the devices by the end of this year, however, the real launch may take place in 2017.
Wang also said that two of the devices will be flagship and run on Android 7.0 Nougat with an improved Nokia Z launcher. Some reports have suggested that these flagship phones will come with 5.2 and 5.5-inch display, 22-megapixel camera, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor, and will be water and dust resistant.
HMD, which is made of ex-Nokia and ex-Microsoft employees, confirmed at the time of acquisition that it plans to design Nokia-branded Android smartphones and tablets.
While HMD will design the phones, Foxconn’s subsidiary FIH Mobile will be manufacturing and distributing the Nokia-branded devices.
“HMD has been founded to provide a focused, independent home for a full range of Nokia-branded feature phones, smartphones and tablets. HMD’s new smartphone and tablet portfolio will be based on Android, uniting one of the world’s iconic mobile brands with the leading mobile operating system and app development community,” the company said in a statement in May.
Earlier this week, HMD hired Rovio’s ex-CEO Pekka Rantala, who worked with Nokia for over a decade and a half from 1994 to 2011. Rantala has been hired as the chief market officer and is responsible to make customers believe in Nokia-branded Android devices.
In an interview with CNET, Rantala said, “I love Nokia, I love what it stands for and I’d love to see it rise again.”
There are no confirm reports on what these phones will look like and what will they pack inside, however, we are sure that Nokia, which was a giant in the past, is going to face tough competition in the market. With nothing more than a legend status, it’ll be interesting and exciting to see what Nokia can offer to defeat companies like Samsung and Apple today.
[Source: India Today]
