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Nokia's Android phone appears in prototype form

Nokia's Android phone appears in prototype form

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Nokia Normandy Android (Evleaks)
Nokia Normandy Android (Evleaks)

Images of Nokia's Android phone — code-named Normandy — were published in November, showing what purported to be a low-cost smartphone that would run with a custom implementation of Android. Now another picture of the phone has appeared on Twitter, showing an apparent "engineering prototype" with a prominent back button and the Nokia logo on a live screen.

The image — also published on Chinese social network Weibo, according to WMPowerUser — shows a phone that, despite a protective case hiding some of its details, looks markedly similar to the leaked images released in November and January. According to sources familiar with the project, the phone will use a forked version of Android, and a custom UI that has elements incorporated from both Windows Phone and Nokia's low-end Asha range.

The Normandy project was previously considered in limbo after Nokia's purchase by Microsoft. The Finnish company reportedly started experimenting with Android prior to its acquisition, but it was thought the new buyers wouldn't want to release a phone using a rival operating system to its own Windows Phone. This prototype could simply be an old model, or it could suggest that the Normandy project may not be on hold after all: either way, we'll find out in the coming months as Microsoft closes its purchase of the Finnish phone maker.

Update: The tweet embedded in this article has been changed for one with a clearer view of the prototype. The original embedded tweet can be found in the source links below.