Rumors about a Nokia Android have been doing the online tech media and social networks rounds for several months now, and by most people’s reckoning, it was just a matter of time before the Finnish company jumped back into the fray, following a rather long hiatus from the industry it dominated not so long ago. That time may be closer than ever, as a high-ranking Nokia executive has now reportedly confirmed reports about the upcoming Android-based device(s) that he says will launch in the fourth quarter of this year. According to Nokia executive and president of the joint management team in China, Mr. Mike Wang, as many as three to four Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets are all set to hit the global markets soon.
Of course, Nokia will not technically be designing, manufacturing or even marketing the upcoming devices that will carry its name front and center. That’s because having burned through enormous amounts of cash with its Windows Phone experiment, the company is taking a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach this time around. That being the case, a Finnish company called HMD Global will actually be designing and marketing the new Nokia-branded devices which will be manufactured by Taiwan’s Foxconn Electronics. HMD, run by former Nokia and Microsoft executive, Mr. Arto Numella, holds the license to use the Nokia brand for the next decade and not just on its smartphones and tablets, but also on feature phones.
While there’s still no confirmation about the hardware that the devices will come with, earlier rumors have pointed at two different models with high-end specifications. From what has come through already, the two handsets will feature 5.2 and 5.5-inch QHD OLED display panels and are expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chips. Both devices are also expected to have a metal build, 22.6-megapixel primary cameras and water and dust resistance. HMD is also expected to release at least two new feature phones along with the premium smartphones, although the company is yet to comment on any of that either. While many people with fond memories of their old Nokias from earlier decades will be happy to see the return of the Nokia brand, it will be interesting to see if the new devices can match up to the legendary Nokia build quality and reliability that spawned many a hilarious meme on the internet over the years.