Update – Nokia has officially debunked the rumor. You can read their statement here.
Ever since Nokia sold off their mobile division to Microsoft, many have been wondering what the Finnish company would do for the future. Could the sale means that Nokia is now free to pursue and create Android phones to their liking? A report from earlier this week certainly suggested that was the case and apparently it looks like it has been confirmed.
According to a report out of China (via G for Games), it seems that Nokia China’s president, Mike Wang, confirmed that the company will be returning to producing Android handsets come 2016. Wang also went on to confirm that the company’s R&D center would be relocated to Sichuan, China, but unfortunately apart from that, not much else is known.
However as we stated in our previous report, there might be some legal hurdles that Nokia would have to clear in order to resume their smartphone business. For starters they will not be allowed to use the Nokia brand until the end of the year as per their agreement with Microsoft. They are also not allowed to license their brand until Q3 of 2016, meaning that if Nokia were to return to the fold, it would most likely be in the later part of the year, like Q4 2016.
Our previous report also stated that Nokia will not be making their own smartphones as this was also sold off to Microsoft in the sale. Instead the company is expected to design and license out their designs to other companies who will then manufacture them. However this has not been confirmed by Nokia yet so until we get more information, take it with a grain of salt for now.
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