NEW DELHI: Two smartphones running the latest
Android
Nougat operating system with
Nokia branding have surfaced online. Both the devices, however, are made by the newly-formed HMD Global.
For those unaware in May,
Microsoft
had announced that it will move senior executives to HMD Global to
revive the glory of Nokia brand. HMD Global has full operational control on design, branding, sales and marketing of Nokia-branded devices.
According to GizmoChina, the
Nokia Android smartphones
will sport 2K resolution displays and will come in 5.2-inch and 5.7-inch sizes. Both the handsets will have IP68 certification, making them water and dust-resistant.
The report suggests that the smartphones will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoCs and might sport a metal body.
Nokia is already gearing up to make a global comeback in the smartphone market with HMD Global and its Taiwanese partner, FIH Mobile of FoxConn Technology Group, taking over Microsoft's feature phone business for $350 million, which it had bought from Nokia in 2014,
HMD is owned by Smart Connect LP, a private equity fund managed by former Nokia executive Jean-Francois Baril and its management. Nokia is yet to provide any timetable for new devices. The deal between Microsoft and HMD is expected to close in the second half of 2016.
Microsoft has struggled with the phones business and last year wrote off $7.5 billion from the former Nokia unit.
Nokia was the world's top mobile phone maker between 1998 and 2011 but was overtaken by South Korean rival Samsung after failing to respond to the rapid rise of smartphones.