Nokia X: Android phone announced

The first Google Android phone to be made by Nokia, soon to be owned by Microsoft, has been confirmed

Nokia, the Finnish mobile phone giant that will soon be owned by Microsoft, has confirmed that it will make a mobile phone running Google’s Android software.

Introducing the product, Nokia’s Senior Vice President and former CEO said the device was about “Introducing the next billion people to Microsoft. We will win customers hearts and minds with strong Nokia attributes and popular Microsoft experiences.”

The much-rumoured move, which Microsoft has already referred to as one of Nokia’s tactics that it is “a little less excited about”, means the Windows maker will face the prospect of selling devices that run on the platform that has powered Google to dominance of the mobile phone sector when it completes the transaction later this year.

Mr Elop stressed that “Nokia X becomes a feeder system” for the main Lumia platform, which runs Windows Phone. “Nokia X together with Lumia will deliver value to the widest possible population. Lumia remains our primary smartphone platform.”

He added, however, that the new models combined two strong platforms. “We benefit from the Android app and hardware ecosystem but we have differentiated,” said Mr Elop. “We are introducing new customers around the world to popular Microsoft services; the Nokia X takes people to Microsoft cloud and Microsoft will be able to reach new audiences around the world.”

Windows Phone has struggled to convince manufacturers other than Nokia of its chances of success. The most popular devices have been the cheapest in its range, leading Microsoft and Nokia to concentrate on more affordable phones that appeal to developing markets. Unable to put Windows Phone on such devices, Nokia will now Android to encourage users to services such as Skype and Outlook.com, as well as search engine Bing.

The Nokia X will be available initially in developing markets, but the company has not ruled out selling it in Western Europe.

Tony Cripps, Principal Analyst at Ovum, said “The Nokia X series will provide a considerable boost to the adoption and use of Microsoft and Nokia pre-loaded services. Nokia's retained strength in developing markets will be a major catalyst for the rapid growth in Nokia X, which brings a level of design and build quality to the low-price smartphone segment that is largely lacking today.”

The device, which will initially be available in three models, uses the Android Open Source Project, which means it does not have access to the full range of Google services such as Maps and its app store. Users will however have access to the vast majority of the Android app ecosystem and any changes for developers will be limited.

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Mr Elop also highlighted Nokia’s “Continued leadership in affordable mobile phones”, announcing new models aimed at the developing world users who are hoping to purchase their first mobile phones. He claimed the €29 Nokia 220 was “the most affordable internet ready phone”.

It is the “affordable smartphone market”, however, that is expected to provide higher margins in the near future, growing at four times the speed of the increasingly saturated premium sector.

Sony also used the Barcelona show to announce updates to its popular Xperia smartphone and tablet range, the Xperia Z2 mobile and tablet. Improvements to camera and screen quality were however greeted as significant for a brand whose popularity is growing among users and network operators.

Nick Dillon, senior analyst at Ovum, said “The Xperia Z2 and Tablet Z2 are modest updates to Sony’s flagship smartphone and tablet devices, but their importance in helping to re-establish Sony’s brand and design credentials should not be discounted. The flagship devices are an embodiment of the “One Sony” vision set out by president and CEO Kazuo Hirai two years ago, which combines technology from Sony’s TV, audio, camera, and gaming divisions and content from its media business. Mr Hirai has finally managed to make Sony worth more than the sum of its parts.”

Source : The Telegraph