Nokia fans around the world have been expecting the company's return to smartphones. Rumours and leaks in the past had all suggested that the company will come out with Nokia-branded mobiles this year, but with the year all-but-over, everyone's eyes are already on next year.
First reported by NPU, Nokia has now confirmed its comeback in a slide presented at the company's Capital Markets Day 2016 event, which states that 2017 will see 'Nokia's brand return to smartphones', putting all doubts to rest.
Over the past few months, there have been a few Nokia-branded Android devices like the Nokia 5320, Nokia 1490, and Nokia D1C that have been spotted on sites like GeekBench. While these devices have yet to be confirmed, it is now completely possible that we will see them next year bearing Nokia's brand.
(Also see: Why Nokia's Android Phones May Just Be Worth the Wait)
It is also worth mentioning that while the upcoming smartphones from Nokia will have the company's name, they will not, however, be produced by Nokia. In May, the Finnish company granted HMD Global the exclusive license to create Nokia-branded Android mobile phones and tablets for the next 10 years.
The Nokia D1C could be one of the first Nokia-branded smartphones to be unveiled next year. The device has previously been tipped to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 430 processor alongside 3GB of RAM, and sport 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera.
Nokia in October confirmed that its CEO Rajeev Suri will deliver a keynote speech at MWC 2017 in late February. It is possible that Suri will make the much-anticipated announcement there. We'll just have to wait for a few more months to know exactly what Nokia has planned for the coming year.
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