Even though Microsoft has received approval to purchase Nokia from its shareholders and various regulators, the Finnish company is apparently working on a device that many Android fans would love to see in stores – an actual Nokia Android handset.
Codenamed Normandy – although apparently it has other internal names – the device is reportedly still in development according to people in the know that talked to The Verge. The phone is apparently set for a 2014 launch, although it’s unclear whether this will still happen, in light of the Microsoft purchase, even if the work on the device is currently described at “full steam ahead.”
Interestingly, the Normandy has not been developed as a flagship device to take on the Galaxy S4 and HTC One models. Instead, it’s an equivalent to Nokia’s Asha family of phones that would target budget-oriented Android shoppers. More importantly, the Normandy runs a custom Android fork, as it looks like Nokia has decided to go the Amazon way with its Android plans. The phone apparently runs Android applications.
Finally, The Verge says that the image above, first published online by trusted leaker @evleaks, actually shows the Nokia Normandy. On November 25 when he posted the image, @evleaks was not sure what the device was – a real Asha or a Lumia – although it gave its name, the Nokia Normandy.
The publication also notes that the phone lacks capacitive buttons for navigation, although the image seems to indicate that at least one such button is present.
A real Asha. Or Lumia? The Nokia Normandy. pic.twitter.com/Q4jpPNte1l
— @evleaks (@evleaks) November 25, 2013
That said, we’ll notice that this is still just a rumor, so don’t get too excited about what appears to be the first Nokia Android phone ever. The device may just be the thing that convinced Microsoft to buy Nokia before it started making more Android devices.
A similar report said in September that a low-end Nokia Android phone was still in development, as Nokia was waiting for the deal with Microsoft to go through.
Would you buy a low-end to mid-range Nokia Android phone running a forked OS version?
Android Authority
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