Nokia have launched a new Android tablet after Microsoft bought its previous handheld devices business earlier in the year. The surprise move marks the Finnish tech companies return to the mobile device market. The tablet, branded the N1, is being manufactured by a third-party Foxconn who it has licenced its intellectual property to. It will go on sale in China in early 2015 before being launched in a number of other countries.
Head of products at Nokia Sebastian Nystrom said that the device would be ideal for Nokia fans and “everyone who has not found the right Android tablet yet”. The move has shocked various industry insiders who talked of their shock at Nokia re-entering the market so soon after selling the handheld device part of its operations off. Microsoft is already selling a Nokia-branded tablet, the Lumia 2520, but that device has nothing to do with the company it takes its name from. The company recently launched its first Lumia smartphone not to bear Nokia branding, saying that it planned to continue using the name for some of its less expensive products.
The N1 is said to resemble the iPad Mini and comes with an aluminium frame. It will retail for £159. The company recently announced a profit of £597m due to the performance of its software, network equipment and mapping departments. Its finances had previously been affected by its poorly-performing hardware business.
So, will you be snapping up the new N1? Tell us below.
