All eyes were pointed at Nokia during Mobile World Congress for a glimpse at the long awaited “secret” Android powered devices the company was said to be working on. These were considered a last gasp effort at exploring Android before being absorbed by Microsoft. However, it seems that the tactics extend far greater than just an experiment with Android.
Nokia has just announced the Nokia XL which has a huge 5-inch IPS display, available in early Q2 of 2014 to over 109 growing markets in Europe.
With CEO Stephen Elop reinforcing that the flagship products are still their Lumia lineup and therefore Windows Phone (obviously), it seems Android is part of a strategy to offer lower-end devices to extend the reach of Microsoft’s services, as the Nokia X lineup will be priced below the Lumia offerings. Nokia XL is running an AOSP build of Android and you can expect it to be preloaded with all of Microsoft’s cloud services.
Rather than introducing just one model at Mobile World Congress, Nokia has delivered no less than three devices: Nokia X, X+, and XL. Save for very minor details, the first two are nearly identical to each other.
The basic specifications for the three breaks down as so:
Nokia X
- 4-inch (800 x 480) display
- 3-megapixel rear camera with fixed focus
- 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
- 512MB RAM
- 4GB internal storage (microSD expansion)
- Bluetooth 3.0
- Also available in dual-SIM
Nokia XL
- 5-inch (800 x 480) display
- 5-megapixel rear camera with fixed focus
- 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
- 768 MB RAM
- 4GB internal storage (microSD expansion)
- Bluetooth 3.0
- Also available in dual-SIM
It is worth pointing out that Nokia makes no references to the particulars of Android and that the devices do not feature any Google Play services or Google apps. Nokia has opted, as their wont, to include their own services and app selection.
The Nokia X will go on sale immediately, starting at EUR 89*** and rolling-out in Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The Nokia X+ and Nokia XL are expected to roll out in these markets starting early second quarter, priced at EUR 99 and EUR 109, respectively.
