This could be Nokia’s smartphone comeback, and it’s powered by Android

We’re not going to bother recapping Nokia’s mega success and eventual fall from grace. The company made some amazing phones for a long while, then some not-so-amazing phones, and here we are in the year 2015, where it’s not allowed to brand any smartphones with the Nokia name, thanks to an agreement with Microsoft.

That agreement runs out at the end of this year however, which is why we’re probably only just now seeing our very first glimpse of what could potentially be Nokia’s smartphone comeback. Sort of.

As is the case with the Nokia N1 Android tablet, this new handset, reportedly called the C1, will be a Nokia design that’s been licensed out – a strategy made clear by the company’s CEO Rajeev Suri, earlier this year.

The C1, according to Chinese site CNMO, is apparently running Android 6 Marshmallow, which is powered by an Intel Atom processor. It also has a 5in 1080p screen, and appears to lack any fancy features like a fingerprint scanner or laser autofocus camera system.

While it sounds like a budget device then, it could be a testing ground for the former handset giant to ready its great comeback. At least that’s what we, as members of the former Nokia faithful, want to believe. Watch this space.

[CNMO via The Verge]

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.