At the end of December, there was a lot of fuss over a device codename Normandy, a low-end Nokia phone. Why? Because it supposedly runs a forked version of Android, and not Windows Phone or Nokia’s own Series 40 software. Now, the phone has popped up again in a series of leaks, this time showing a press render of the device, indicating Nokia is – or was – planning to release the phone.
The new leaks began on January 12, when what was described as an, “engineering prototype,” of the Normandy was leaked through a Twitter account. The image shows the same phone seen in December, characterized by the back arrow below the screen, all wrapped up in a rubber protective case. According to the tweet, the image originated on the Chinese social network Sina Weibo.
Two days later, infamous Twitter-based phone leaker @evleaks came up with an image too. Again, the phone resembles those leaked before it, but this time in a more traditional press render setting. A green Normandy is flanked by multiple phones in various colors, with the center device giving us a look at the user interface.
As expected, it doesn’t look anything like Android. We’d been told the OS would have a Live Tile-style UI, and sure enough, the design has more in common with Windows Phone than it does Android. While this would see the Normandy fit in with the rest of Nokia’s family, we doubt it would be well received by Microsoft. Ultimately, the fate of the Normandy will probably come down to Microsoft, unless Nokia can get the phone out the door before the takeover is finalized.
So, will the Normandy come, like some believe, in 2014? There’s certainly an outside chance. If it’s going to do so, Mobile World Congress at the end of February seems like a likely launchpad.
