Nokia Had Functional Android-Powered Lumia Smartphones Before Microsoft Deal

The New York Times (via AndroidCentral) reports that Nokia was actively testing Lumia smartphones with the Android OS before the Microsoft deal was agreed. This is hardly surprising news as it had long been speculated that Nokia would opt for Android smartphones in an effort to boost sales of its handsets.

A conversation with your average smartphone buyer would probably tell you that the reason Nokia’s Lumia handsets are often overlooked is because of the fact they use the Windows Phone OS. While a lot of people do buy Nokia phones specifically for the Windows Phone OS, a lot more people avoid them to opt for Android instead – rightly or wrongly is not something that I’ll dare comment on. Nokia apparently recognised this tentative position of the Windows Phone OS and was trialling Android on their Lumia series as a back-up plan if sales didn’t improve.

The report from the New York Times suggests that Nokia had functional Android-powered Lumia handsets in testing and development before they entered negotiations with Microsoft. The source of the report claims that Android powered Lumia phones weren’t used as a bargaining tool by Nokia in the negotiations with Microsoft. Since Microsoft now owns Nokia’s smartphone division we will probably never see an Android powered Nokia smartphone make it to market.

Image courtesy of Technobuffalo.com