Skip to main content

Nokia’s Android phone includes Windows Phone-like UI

Nokia’s Android phone includes Windows Phone-like UI

Share this story

Normandy UI
Normandy UI

Images of Nokia’s Android phone, codenamed Normandy, were originally published in November, but a number of recent leaks have provided a closer look at the hardware and its software. Vizileaks has published what appears to be a near-final hardware unit, and some of the early Android apps that run on the device have also been detailed. Thanks to Evleaks, we're getting a closer look at the UI on Nokia's Android handset.

The UI appears to be very similar to Windows Phone. with a number of tiles that provide access to apps like Skype, Twitter, Vine, Facebook, and BBM. Some of the tiles are identical to the same color scheme and iconography used in the equivalent Nokia Windows Phone apps. There’s also what appears to be a notification / app center that displays missed calls, notifications, and recent apps / activity. A status bar indicates that the phone has dual-SIM capabilities. Although the phone is targeted at the low-end, the striking similarities with Windows Phone in hardware and software show that Nokia continues to blur the lines across its range of devices.

While it’s still unclear whether Nokia plans to release this particular handset, one source has provided The Verge with potential specifications for the device. Normandy is said to include a 4-inch display, Qualcomm S4 processor, 3-megapixel camera, 4GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM. The handset is clearly a low-end model, but we’re told it will also include a microSD slot to expand the built-in storage. While Normandy will run on a forked version of Android, we understand Nokia is planning to bundle all of its own services, like Here maps, onto the device.

If Nokia is still planning to release Normandy then the recent leaks and photos of hardware would indicate that this particular handset is imminent, and could debut at Mobile World Congress. However, Microsoft is expected to finalize its Nokia devices acquisition in the coming weeks, and could have the deal complete before Mobile World Congress kicks off in late February. Until the Microsoft deal is complete, the fate of Normandy is still largely unknown.