Nokia-branded Android smartphones will finally hit the scene next year and a new leak now offers a first look at the purported Nokia P flagship.
Just to be clear on what's confirmed and what's speculation, here's the deal. Nokia's new parent company, HMD Global, confirmed that the first Android smartphones under the Nokia brand will arrive in the first half of 2017. That's clear, certain, and official, so you can take that as a fact.
Speculation begins, however, when it comes to what devices are in tow. HMD didn't offer additional details, so everything we know so far about the upcoming Nokia Android smartphones is based on speculation.
Nokia P
That said, the latest leak now offers a glimpse of the purported Nokia P, which is rumored to come as a high-end flagship. Nokia P leaks have been pretty confusing so far, with various contradicting rumors and tidbits of information pointing in different directions.
A Nokia P rumor roundup in late November, for instance, hinted at a QHD screen and a Snapdragon 820 processor as the best-case scenario, albeit a Geekbench listing for a Nokia "Pixel" device listed a far more disappointing Snapdragon 200 processor with just 1 GB of RAM.
More recently, however, news surfaced that the Nokia P would in fact boast a Snapdragon 835 processor and 6 GB of RAM, as well as a high-end 23-megapixel rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics.
If this turns out to be accurate, the purported Nokia P will compete at the top end of the smartphone market, alongside other strong contenders expected to hit the scene in 2017 such as the iPhone 8 and the Samsung Galaxy S8.
The Nokia P is also expected to sport a premium design with a metal build, and the newly leaked image seems to bolster such claims. The photo in question comes from MyDrivers and shows what looks like a Nokia device prototype.
The smartphone seems to have rounded edges, a metal back, and the Nokia logo branded at the top on the front side and the middle of the back side. The rear camera appears to be standard-sized, with a single LED flash interrupting one of the two horizontal lines crossing the back of the device. The lines are likely for antenna signal. The handset doesn't seem to have a fingerprint scanner.
Nokia Android Smartphones Release
A number of Nokia Android smartphones are expected to hit the market next year and HMD will likely make an announcement at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in late February to early March.
The company is expected to unveil and release midrange handsets first, such as the Nokia D1C, with a more powerful flagship such as the Nokia P (or whatever it may be called) set to launch later in the year. Regardless of market release, a MWC announcement seems likely.
Keep in mind that the alleged Nokia P image is a leak that may or may not be accurate, and the purported specs are still in the rumor state. That said, take this report with a grain of salt.
