Ahead of the completion of the purchase of the Devices and Services division of Nokia by Microsoft expected next month, Nokia has officially announced the X series. The line of three smartphones is powered by Android, it being the open source AOSP build with extensive customizations to feature Nokia and Microsoft services. The X and X+ include a 4-inch display at WVGA resolution and the X+ adds a memory card slot while the XL steps up to a 5-inch display and a 2-megapixel front camera.
The X, X+ and XL versions will be sold in emerging markets first in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America, with the Nokia X priced at 89 Euros, the X+ priced at 99 Euros, with a release set for the second quarter and the XL also set for the second quarter at 109 Euros.
All of the phones will feature Outlook, Skype, HERE Maps, and OneDrive access with the FastLane menu system taken from the Asha line as well as a customized Windows Phone-alike app launcher, the goal being to get customers used to Windows Phone by using Android as the low-cost stepping stone, according to statements made by newly installed Microsoft Devices and Services head Stephen Elop.
Behind the X platform, Nokia has also announced a revamped Nokia Store for Android apps with full APK compatibility and sideloading capability, as well as its own SDK for app porting and carrier billing support for premium app sales, as the current version of the X platform is based on Jelly Bean 4.1 and not KitKat as previously speculated.
How is using Android cheaper than using your own internal OS?
I don’t fully understand the strategy here. Why not just create a cheaper Windows phone as the stepping stone?
Nokia is technically still paying per device royalties on Windows Phone until the purchase is closed and Windows Phone doesn’t have the application depth Android does in emerging markets. This is the defacto replacement for the Asha platform for those markets and MS doesn’t want Windows Phone on the low-end anymore since the flagships are being ignored for the 520/525.