While Windows Phone has gotten really cozy with Nokia smartphones, many dedicated fans would rather see the company adopt Android. And over the past few months, there have been reports that the Finnish giant is working on devices running Google’s mobile OS in spite of its contract with Microsoft.
Well, it looks like the company might just be ready to launch such a handset and the leaked Normandy smartphone looks to be a viable candidate. Back in November, famous leaker Evleaks published what’s said to be the Nokia Normandy. This is just a codename for the phone and based on its design, many have rumored it to be part of the Lumia series.
A real Asha. Or Lumia? The Nokia Normandy. pic.twitter.com/Q4jpPNte1l
— @evleaks (@evleaks) November 25, 2013
The interesting bit here is that the phone sports a single button below the screen and not the usual layout what you’d find on other WP8 devices. Also, the back button is designed in a similar fashion to what we’ve seen on the Asha series. According to The Verge, various sources have informed them that the device will be Android based and it will cater to the entry-level low-end segment like the Asha lineup.
The report goes on to say that the Nokia Normandy will feature a forked version of Android which isn’t going to be the normal OS we’ve seen. Instead, the company will be able to completely modify the platform to their liking in a similar way to what Amazon has done with its Kindle tablets. There’s nothing on the hardware or platform version as yet, but the company plans to launch the Normandy as a lot-cost handset.
As you probably know, Nokia will be selling its entire devices business to Microsoft. The Normandy is rumored for release next year, so this could probably mean that the company will still focus on smartphones apart from the Here mapping service.