Earlier this week, Nokia confirmed during its investors meet that the company will be formally re-entering smartphone business in 2017. Now, specifications of a Nokia-branded phone have surfaced online, evoking excitement among fans.
A Chinese Wiebo user (via The Android Soul), who claims to have contact with reliable company sources, revealed that Nokia flagship phone series will come in two variants — one with a 5.2-inch and the other with a 5.5-inch screen — having 2K (2560x1440p) resolution display on the front and metal cover on the back, with water-resistant certification.
Also read: Apple gets patent for foldable display; will the clamshell iPhone debut with iPhone 8?
They are expected to house Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core CPU and Carl Zeiss lens-based camera.
All the features mentioned above are in line with previous reports, but the use of Qualcomm 820 raises doubts over the authenticity of the claims, because Qualcomm recently announced that its new generation Snapdragon 835, which is being produced by Samsung with 10nm (nanometer) processing technology, will power most of the flagship smartphones in 2017.
Further, some rivals of Nokia, such as Google, Asus and OnePlus, have launched their devices with upgraded Snapdragon 821 quad-core CPU version.
So it would be an ill-conceived decision to use the outdated Snapdragon 820 in phones in 2017.
We believe the source must have got access to a prototype instead of a final product. Usually, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) develop several testing units to evaluate the performance and based on the results, they pick the best prototype with best configuration, which they think will be able to compete with rival products.
Nokia has confirmed its participation in MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2017 to be held in Barcelona from February 27 to March 02. It is most likely to announce the new phones at the event. So it can be assumed that the product testing would be in its final stages now, and that mass production will begin by the end of December 2016. More details are likely to emerge in the coming weeks.
Nokia's re-entry has piqued interest not only among tech pundits, but also former Nokia device owners, who, in the pre-iPhone era, numbered several millions across the world. Now, they are all pining to experience the Android interface on a Nokia phone.
It should to be noted that Nokia will not be manufacturing the phone. Its affiliate HMD Global Oy, in collaboration will Foxconn, will make and retail the devices with the help of Nokia's brand marketing team.
Watch this space for more updates.
