When @evleaks tweeted an image of the Nokia Normandy back in late November, even he sounded unsure of what it was: “A real Asha. Or Lumia?” It appears that the answer has been revealed and it could well be neither an Asha or Lumia device. The image showed a device that certainly looked at first glance like a Lumia but lacked the usual capacitive buttons save for a single back button. According to The Verge, the Nokia Normandy is to be a low-cost Android smartphone.
The report adds that Nokia is taking a page from Amazon’s own Kindle tablet book and developing a forked version of Android rather than the stock version. It will run Android applications like Microsoft’s own Skype as well as other top apps. Designed to be inexpensive, it could well replace the Asha line by offering a similarly priced device but with far many more traditional smartphone apps available to it.
If true, this would confirm rumours that Nokia has been working on an Android phone for some time now. It could also help explain why Microsoft decided to acquire the Finnish company earlier this year for US$7.2 billion. With the deal expected to close sometime in 2014, it remains to be seen what will happen to the Nokia Normandy. One source said that Nokia was still moving “full steam ahead” on the project but that could come to an abrupt end once Microsoft takes over.
Would you be interested in a low-cost Android-powered Nokia smartphone? Let us know below.