Nokia missed the smartphone revolution bus. That we all agree. However, it’s been trying ever since things went south to make a comeback.
Nokia is gearing up to get back to selling smartphones starting later this year when its contractual obligations with Microsoft, the buyer of its old mobile division, ends. We have known for a while that was going to happen. Heck, the company has even come out to tell us what to expect when that time comes. What it did not tell us, however, is what exactly we will be seeing. Maybe because it was too early for them to have figured out the specifics. Since we are already past the first quarter of 2016, we are not shocked that we have what looks like our first look at the device the fallen Finnish company may be fronting as it seeks a slice of a market it once had an iron grip on.
According to an exclusive leak published by Android-centered website Android Authority, Nokia may bounce back later in the year or even in early 2017 (delays do happen) with the Nokia A1.
The Nokia A1, as it appears in the leaked images, does not look anything like the Nokia mobile phones we have known for over a decade. It is not even anything like its cousins, the Lumias Microsoft is currently selling. It’s a bland candybar with a camera module at the upper part of its backplate and the iconic Nokia branding at the bottom. On the front, as you can see in the above images, there are only the three Android controls to show for the changes coming to devices of one of the most recognizable mobile brands in the world.
As has been expected, Nokia will be bundling Android on the A1 (or whatever the device ends up being called). From the leaked images, the device even has Nokia’s custom Android launcher, Z launcher.
The Nokia A1, if at all it is real, will be the first smartphone from the company since it sold off its entire mobile division to Microsoft in 2013. It won’t be the first Android smartphone, though. Nokia’s past efforts to do the same before the Microsoft buyout happened culminated in a lacklustre effort. The Nokia X series of devices, which was more confused than an outright Android device – replacing Google apps and services with Microsoft’s own.
Rumoured specifications of the device include a 5.5-inch full HD display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, further hinting that this will be a mid-range device.
We expect to hear more about the Nokia A1 and other devices that Nokia may be working on going forward. For instance, would anyone know what became of that Nokia C1 we kept on hearing about throughout 2015?
Or everything I’ve written here is just baloney because you know what? The main piece I am referencing to was posted on April 1st (A1), Fools’ Day. Aaargh. Then again, with enough re-runs of that piece today, that may not really be the case. I’ll update this article if anything changes. Promise.
If, like us, you are still nostalgic about the good old days of devices with Made in Finland stickers then here’s something to wrap your head around as you come to terms with reality: the most iconic Nokia mobile phones.
