14 DAY TRIAL // Although Nokia's first Windows Phone smartphones are equipped with Qualcomm chispets, it appears that the Finnish handset maker prefers ST-Ericsson's NovaThor platform.
The company has just announced that ST-Ercisson will be its main supplier for its future Windows Phone devices.
According to Nokia, the adoption of the NovaThor platform will allow the company to offer its Windows Phone devices at new price points.
Even though predictable, Nokia's move will greatly benefit both companies, which have a long history together, including a partnership aimed at TD-SCDMA Symbian devices, which were equipped with ST-Ericsson's chipset platforms.
“We are pleased to have been selected by Nokia as a key partner for Windows smartphones, in line with our goal to be present in all segments and major operating systems. Our NovaThor platforms continue to gain traction as they enable customers to bring great smartphones to the market,” said Gilles Delfassy, president and CEO of ST-Ericsson.
Nokia is preparing to launch its first dual-core smartphones based on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, rumors claim.
The Finnish giant plans to embed the NovaThor platform into its top-tier devices with Windows Phone Mango on board, but most reports indicate that this will not happen until later next year.
However, ST-Ericsson's NovaThor platform will be integrated within most Nokia devices that will be announced next year, regardless of the price range.
For the time being, details about the new partnership are scarce, but one thing is sure, Nokia will launch Windows Phone smartphones for all segments of the market, including emerging or more mature markets.
Hopefully, Nokia's main problems with North American carriers will be a thing of the past by early 2012, and the company will be able to make its entrance on the U.S. and Canadian markets in full force.
On related news, this won't be an exclusive partnership, so we might see the NovaThor platform in other smartphone manufactured by HTC or Samsung, as well.