Nokia will unveil its first Android smartphone at the Mobile World Congress. New images of the Nokia X have now leaked, giving us a better view at its Windows Phone-inspired UI.
In a few days Nokia will do the unthinkable, at least in some people's opinion. The smartphone company that was acquired by Microsoft and has only used the Redmond company's smartphone OS on its handsets will unveil its very first Android smartphone. For months Nokia has kept the Android smartphone codenamed "Normandy" under wraps, but many rumors claimed the company had been developing a smartphone based on Google's mobile OS and not Microsoft's.
It was widely believed that when Microsoft purchased Nokia, any plans of releasing an Android smartphone were quickly killed off. That apparently wasn't the case, as images of the smartphone and its specs have been constantly leaking online. In recent weeks Nokia has been subtly teasing the world that it will release an Android smartphone and it even changed both its Twitter and Facebook page colors to the familiar green color of Google's Android mascot.
New images of the Nokia X have now leaked and we get a better look at its home screen, complete with a very Windows Phone-like tiled user interface. The images also match previously-leaked images showing the Nokia X with a design reminiscent of Lumia smartphones. The image shows the Nokia X will have its volume rocker and what appears to be a dedicated camera button on its right side, just like the company's Lumia smartphones.
The images also make it clear that this isn't your typical Android smartphone. The Nokia X appears to be running a forked version of Android with all Google services removed, which is very similar to Amazon's Android Fire OS it runs on its Kindle tablets. Amazon does not use Google Play, instead it has its own App store and the Nokia X also appears to have its own dedicated app store and not Google Play. You'll also notice that Google Maps has been replaced with Nokia's HERE maps. The fact that the Nokia X won't tie into Google's services is likely the reason Microsoft has given its blessing on Nokia releasing an Android smartphone.
The Nokia X is expected to be targeted towards emerging markets and its reported specs clearly indicate this is an entry-level device. The Nokia X is expected to feature a 4-inch display with a resolution of 854 x 480 and pack a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It will reportedly ship with 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and a 1,500 mAh battery.
We'll have to wait for Nokia's presentation at the Mobile World Congress next week to get the full details, so stay tuned.
