Skip to main content

What could have been: A leaked shot of Nokia’s Android phone

Nokia Normandy Leak
Image used with permission by copyright holder

At the end of December, there was a lot of fuss over a device codename Normandy, a low-end Nokia phone. Why? Because it supposedly runs a forked version of Android, and not Windows Phone or Nokia’s own Series 40 software. Now, the phone has popped up again in a series of leaks, this time showing a press render of the device, indicating Nokia is – or was – planning to release the phone.

The new leaks began on January 12, when what was described as an, “engineering prototype,” of the Normandy was leaked through a Twitter account. The image shows the same phone seen in December, characterized by the back arrow below the screen, all wrapped up in a rubber protective case. According to the tweet, the image originated on the Chinese social network Sina Weibo.

Recommended Videos

Nokia Normandy PrototypeTwo days later, infamous Twitter-based phone leaker @evleaks came up with an image too. Again, the phone resembles those leaked before it, but this time in a more traditional press render setting. A green Normandy is flanked by multiple phones in various colors, with the center device giving us a look at the user interface.

As expected, it doesn’t look anything like Android. We’d been told the OS would have a Live Tile-style UI, and sure enough, the design has more in common with Windows Phone than it does Android. While this would see the Normandy fit in with the rest of Nokia’s family, we doubt it would be well received by Microsoft. Ultimately, the fate of the Normandy will probably come down to Microsoft, unless Nokia can get the phone out the door before the takeover is finalized.

So, will the Normandy come, like some believe, in 2014? There’s certainly an outside chance. If it’s going to do so, Mobile World Congress at the end of February seems like a likely launchpad.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
The Android 16 code name has leaked, and it’s not what we expected
The display on the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.

We're still waiting for Android 15 to fully release, but we've already found a potential code name for Android 16. Almost every Android version has had a delicious-sounding internal code name (for example, Android 15 is Vanilla Ice Cream, and Android 14 was Upside Down Cake), but Android 16 is named slightly differently, with a nuttier note: Baklava.

Mishaall Rahman from Android Authority received a tip from another developer named teamb58, who took a deep dive into Google's AOSP (Android Open Source Project) and found the name tucked away within the code. While it might seem silly to make guesses about an operating system based on dessert names, Android has a history of changing its naming scheme when a major shift happens. The change from an ice cream-themed name to a pastry indicates changes to Android 16 besides the name.

Read more
October 15 could be the day Android fans have been waiting for
Private Space option in app library of Android 15.

The official release of Android 15 has been delayed way longer than anyone expected, but we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. According to a report from Android Headlines, the next version of Android will hit the market on October 15.

This is a marked departure from how Google has handled the launch in the past. Typically, the latest version of Android releases with the latest version of the Pixel, but that wasn't the case this year with the August release of the Google Pixel 9. In a way, Android 15 is releasing at its usual time; the Pixel was just early.

Read more
Android 16 could give your phone a big redesign
Someone holding the Google Pixel 9 with the screen on.

Google is set to release Android 15 to the general public soon, so attention is slowly turning to Android 16, which is expected to launch toward the end of next year. Android Authority recently discovered intriguing information about this update from the Android 15 QPR1 beta.

In the beta, the site discovered that Google plans a "complete redesign" for Android's Notifications and Quick Settings panels. The current design dates back to Android 12 when Google introduced its Material You design language. It provides a uniform appearance, including the initial four Quick Setting tiles and the entire notifications panel.

Read more