Nokia is reportedly working on a new smartphone for next year, and leaked images suggest its development is somewhat far along.
Photos purporting to show Nokia's C1 Android-based smartphone were published by CNMO, a China-based news outlet that claims the handset will come with a 5-inch, 1080p display. The smartphone, which will reportedly run Google's Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system, will also feature an Intel Atom chipset, according to the report.
Nokia has been rumored for months to be working on a new smartphone. The company itself has said that while it will ultimately lend its design credibility and expertise to a handset, it has no interest in manufacturing a product. Instead, a third party will take on manufacturing duties and license the Nokia name in the device it designs.
If the C1 is indeed real and the images showing it in action are legitimate, Nokia is seemingly far along in the process of getting its handset to store shelves. The issue, however, is that it's legally barred from launching a new smartphone until later next year, when the conditions of its agreement with Microsoft expire. When Nokia sold off its Devices business to Redmond last year, it agreed to not develop a smartphone until 2016.
If and when Nokia re-enters the smartphone space, it would be a significant milestone for the company.
Nokia was, after all, once the dominant force in the mobile market, selling more devices than any other company in the world. After the iPhone's launch in 2007, however, and as customer interest in devices changed, Nokia was left behind. The company partnered with Microsoft and its Windows Phone platform in a last-ditch effort to succeed, but it ultimately failed, leading to the sale of its hardware business to the software giant.
Still, Nokia still has significant expertise in the mobile space, and its intellectual property paves the way for the company to easily build new devices. What's more, the sale to Microsoft gives what's left of Nokia the ability to sell Android devices, rather than stick with Windows.
Nokia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is the second major image leak in the last several days, meanwhile. Last week, Android Authority posted photos of what it claims is LG's upcoming Nexus 5X handset. That device, the company said, will launch on Sept. 29.
Source: pcmag.com
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