Barely 2 years after Nokia sold its smartphone division to Microsoft, to the disappointment of lifelong fans, the company is finally staging a comeback into the space.
After series on denials to dismiss the unending rumours, Nokia CEO, Rajeev Suri has finally admitted that we will be seeing the Nokia brand on new smartphones again. In an interview with German publication, Manager Magzin, Suri reveals the strategy by which Nokia will be re-entering the smartphone space.
We will look for suitable partners. Microsoft makes mobile phones. We would simply design them and then make the brand name available to license.
That's right, Nokia will not be building phones any more. Rather, Nokia will design the phones while third party OEMs will do the manufacturing. But of course, the resulting devices will bear the Nokia brand name. Not exactly the stuff made of Nokia fans' dreams but, it's better than nothing.
That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that, Nokia can't put their brand name on any smartphones until the 4th Quarter of 2016. Thanks, or no thanks, to their deal with Microsoft. But I guess for true Nokia fans, that isn't really a long wait. The good news is that, come 2016, we can expect to start seeing well-built Nokia smartphones running on Android, just like the N1 tablet with which Nokia pulled a fast one on Microsoft.
The Nokia N1 tablet
This can't be good news in any way for Microsoft and Windows Phone. Are you excited by the prospects of Nokia re-entering the smartphone business? Tell us what you think in the comments section.
