The company will manufacture the handsets in China

Apr 25, 2015 04:36 GMT  ·  By

There have been rumors lately that Nokia might launch an Android smartphone sometime in 2016, but the Finnish company did not confirm the information at the time the information leaked online.

However, it looks like Nokia China's president has just confirmed that his company will launch new Android smartphones in 2016, GforGames reports.

The information comes directly from China and also claims that Nokia's official also stated that the global R&D center will be relocated in Sichuan, China. The Android smartphones mentioned will be manufactured in the same region too.

Since Nokia sold its mobile division to Microsoft, the Finnish company can't release any new smartphones until late December, 2015, which is the main reason the first Android devices will go on sale only next year.

As expected, they will be released with the Nokia brand and will probably include some proprietary software like Z Launcher for example, which is already one of the most popular Android launchers available in Google Play Store.

Unfortunately, we don't have any details on specifications, but we expect Nokia to target the emerging markets like China, India and other Asian countries where affordable smartphones are among the most appealing among customers.

They might be announced early next year during trade fairs

Still, we shouldn't rule out the possibility of seeing a flagship smartphone being released as well. Given the fact that Nokia is interested once again if working in the smartphone business, the announcements are like to be made during Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in January, 2016, or Mobile World Congress (MWC) in early March.

Are you looking for Nokia's upcoming Android smartphones? Do you think the Finnish company can be competitive on an overcrowded Android market?

While there are still quite a few months until Nokia's reveals, we believe there's room for everyone and that the more devices get released, the more choices consumers will have. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.