Nokia’s been killing it in the Android space for the last couple of years. Under the ownership of HMD Global, we’ve seen a relentless number of Nokia handsets dominate the mid and low-end market, but now thanks to a hands-on photo, we have our first look at a new venture for the company — an Android-powered feature phone.
The photo comes via 9to5Google, and if this is legit, we’re looking at a phone running Android without a touchscreen of any kind.
Taking a look at the interface, the home screen has a microphone icon in the top-center, likely an easy shortcut to the Google Assistant. On a handset without touch input, putting a large emphasis on voice control makes sense.
Below that, there are icons for a camera, Chrome, YouTube, and a mystery app we aren’t sure about. There are also shortcuts for alerts and settings.
As for the mystery phone’s hardware, it bears a striking resemblance to the Nokia 220 — a feature phone the company launched in 2014.
The idea of an Android-powered feature phone is interesting, to say the least, so it’ll be exciting to see if anything comes of this. With IFA right around the corner this coming September, perhaps we’ll learn more there? Only time will tell.