Nokia used to be the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile phones when they first became a mainstream trend. Things have changed drastically over the years, and the name Nokia has become all but a memory. Ever since the brand found a new owner, the public has been waiting for news regarding their next project. As it turns out, Nokia has developed a new Android smartphone.

Nokia Embraces Android For New Smartphone Venture

It is rather surprising to see Nokia go all-in on Android for their new smartphone venture. While this is a significant announcement for the mobile phone industry, the device will only be available in China. That is rather disappointing, although it goes to show the new company owner has a specific plan in mind for the future.

HMD Global acquired the rights to release Nokia devices a while ago. After Microsoft ended its Nokia venture, the once-popular brand was up for grabs to the highest bidder. HMD Global released a small line of “dumb phones” in 2016, but the company has far bigger plans for the Nokia brand moving forward. Their first smartphone venture is quite a market contender for the Chinese crowd, as it is packed with plenty of features.

The Nokia 6 is an LTE smartphone running Android Nougat. Contrary to most other manufacturers offering Android smartphone, HMD Global’s device will not have to wait for a future update tor receive Nougat. Combined with a 5.5-inch HD screen and two powerful cameras, the Nokia 6 will be quite appealing to Chinese consumers.

International Android fans will be disappointed with the China-only release, but HMD feels they are making a smart move. After all, China is a “strategic market” with hundreds of millions of potential users. The country is home to over 550 million smartphone users, and introducing a budget Android phone with top of the line specifications will be an interesting experiment to gauge the market.

For the time being, it remains unclear when the Nokia 6 will be released in China. HMD remains tight-lipped when it comes to this vital detail, but the sale price of 1,699 Yuan has been confirmed. Interested parties can buy the phone “early in 2017” from the JD.com website. It will be interesting to see how the sales numbers will shape up over the coming months.

The Android smartphone market can benefit from more companies looking to sell high-end hardware at an affordable rate. The Nokia 6 comes with 4GB of RAM, which is quickly becoming the norm among smartphones. Depending on how successful the China-only venture is, we may see similar devices make their way to the international market in the next few years.

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