Nokia will release not one but three Android smartphones. The Finnish smartphone maker has revealed at Mobile World Congress the Nokia X, the Nokia X+ and the Nokia XL – all three targeting those who want a super cheap smartphone.
For Nokia, the move to Android does not mean the end of its Windows Phone support. Adopting a similar approach to Amazon with its Kindle tablets, the Nokia X line of phones are designed to “take people to Microsoft’s cloud, not Google’s,” according to Stephen Elop. They act as a “gateway” to Nokia and Microsoft’s products.
The devices aren’t anything special. The Nokia X and Nokia X+ feature a 4-inch display, a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 4GB of onboard storage and a 3-megapixel rear camera. The main difference between the two phones is how much memory: Nokia X has 512MB of RAM, while Nokia X+ has 768MB.
The Nokia XL, on the other hand, has a 5-inch display, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. However, like the Nokia X+, it has a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 4GB of onboard storage, and 768MB of RAM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pdTuFWbcNI
As the rumours have suggested, Nokia has put its own skin that combine several features from Asha and Lumia. It will include the Fastlane from Asha, and the tile-based user interface from Windows Phone. Nokia has also ripped out all of Google’s services, and replaced them with its own or Microsoft’s services. For instance, Google Drive is replaced with OneDrive. Google Play has been replaced with MixRadio, Xbox Movies, Xbox Music and its app store for the Nokia X family. And Nokia’s HERE Maps replaces Google Maps.
The Nokia X will cost EUR 89, the Nokia X+ will cost EUR 99, and the Nokia XL will cost EUR 109. Only the Nokia X is available immediately, while the rest will roll out in early Q2.
In terms of an Australian release, Nokia Australia has said that they are “evaluating” a local launch of the devices. In a statement, “With regards to local availability, Australia is part of our future plans for Nokia X and we will be evaluating its suitability for the Australian market with our channel partners.”