Nokia’s Android-Powered Normandy Shows Its Face For The First Time

Nokia-Normandy-prototype

A leaked engineering prototype of Normandy, Nokia’s first Android-powered smartphone, has been pictured out in the wild. Although it’s covered by a protective case, the design seems to lineup with the leaked press renders we’ve already seen for the budget smartphone.

The image was published on Chinese social networking site Weibo. It clearly shows the handset’s one and only capacitive button, but the design of the device is covered by a protective silicone case. However, we expect it to look a lot like the device in the press render below, which was leaked by @Evleaks back in November.

nokianormandy_large_verge_medium_landscape

Rumor has it Normandy will run a custom version of Android that’s styled on Windows Phone and Nokia’s low-cost Asha devices, and could have access to its own app store rather than Google Play. It’s expected to be an affordable smartphone that will sell alongside Asha handsets as a cheaper alternative to Nokia’s high-end Lumia devices.

However, given Nokia’s close relationship with Microsoft and recent reports about a possible takeover from the software giant, the Normandy may never make its way to market. It’s likely, then, that this is an old prototype device — but we won’t rule the Normandy out entirely just yet.