Android-touting Nokia X (Normandy) more likely than ever, as it gets certified in both Indonesia and Malaysia

posted by Chris P. / Feb 04, 2014, 6:32 AM

Android-touting Nokia X (Normandy) more likely than ever, as it gets certified in both Indonesia and Malaysia

There's nothing like a good back-and-forth mystery, and the Nokia X (also known as Nokia Normandy) proved to be top of the class in the genre. Starting out as a fragile rumor, the Android-powered Nokia X has continued to direct attention towards itself, as more and more information is revealed almost on a weekly basis now. We've seen this happen before, and, generally speaking, when as much intel starts leaking, we're usually not just on the right path -- the device itself is close to making an official entry.

As of today, we can add another rather substantial piece of evidence that seems indicates to that the Nokia X is fact, not fiction. A Nokia device with a model number of RM-980 has passed through Malaysia's certification body, not long after we initially heard that it has gone through Indonesia's equivalent agency.

Now, the RM-980 code name means little on its own, but this exact moniker happens to be the one that was caught making a pass through Rightware's BrowserMark benchmarking suite not long ago. What's more, the RM-980 was spotted making use of Chrome for mobile, a browser that isn't available on Windows Phone 8. This is as good an indication that the Nokia RM-980 is powered by Android as we're ever going to get. What's more, with the MWC now firmly on our radar, the rumored venue for the Nokia X's official unveiling, it sure makes sense that we're starting to witness some more tangible evidence that, against all odds, a Nokia-built, Android-touting device is on its way. As to how much of an Android that will be, remains to be seen -- word on the street is that it'll be a highly customized fork of the open-sourced OS without access to Google's Play services framework.

source: Postel via Lowyat, SIRIM via Nokianesia

Related phones

View Full specs

PhoneArena Rating:

4.5

Read Full Review

Display 4.0" 480 x 800 pixels

Camera 3 MP

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, Dual-core, 1000 MHz

Storage 4 GB + microSDHC

Battery 1500 mAh(10.5h 3G talk time)

FEATURED VIDEO

Options

27 Comments

1. bakarock

Posts: 57; Member since: Aug 29, 2013

added to wish list

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 6:38 AM 3

9. akki20892

Posts: 3902; Member since: Feb 04, 2013

MWC guys.....it's coming. Nokia you will make money from this device.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 7:37 AM 3

2. ScottSchneider

Posts: 336; Member since: Dec 06, 2011

Still have my doubts... Will believe it when I see it, probably at MWC... >_

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 6:41 AM 2

15. corporateJP

Posts: 2458; Member since: Nov 28, 2009

Nokia India executives (anonymously) have already confirmed it as well as this certification process. Where it goes and how much it is forked will be the real questions going forward...

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 9:19 AM 0

3. pwnarena

Posts: 1129; Member since: Feb 15, 2013

why is nokia releasing this halfhearted effort? android fans longed for a nokia with android because of the camera (aside from the solid build). without the pureview camera, who would be interested to get that? it's just one of the many android phones around.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 6:42 AM 1

4. kaikuheadhunterz

Posts: 1157; Member since: Jul 18, 2013

Because it's meant to replace Asha OS?

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 6:47 AM 1

6. RaKithAPeiRiZ

Posts: 1488; Member since: Dec 29, 2011

this is a low end phone , it is designed to give the moto g a run for its money and this might be the start for Nokia's Android venture , ..to be honest i wont expect to see a pureview Nokia android phone because the nokia smartphone line belongs to Microsoft , this is from the Asha division so there is a possibility that this will be the first and last android nokia if microsoft tightens its leach

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 7:11 AM 0

14. NFSHesham

Posts: 297; Member since: Feb 04, 2014

not a chance , it is not going to give moto G anything , You're talking about a 4 inch (vs 4.5 inch for Moto G) 800*480 223ppi (vs 1280*720 pixels 326ppi) , CPU Dual Core 1.2 GHZ snapdragon 200 ( vs QUAD CORE 1.2GHZ Cortex A7 Snapdragon 400 ) , no flash of any sorts ( vs a led flash ) , adreno 302 ( vs adreno 305) , NO Front Camera (vs 1.3 Mp Front Camera ) , the killer 512 MB of ram ( vs 1 GB for Moto G ) , 4 GB internal memory expendable via MicroSD Card (vs 16 Gb non-expendable which is better since you can install more without worrying about space which should be enough for users and NO , Not all people will be rooting the nokia just to be able to install heavy games on MicroSD , they wouldn't play it in the first place ) , 256K coloured screen for crying outloud , and battery probably won't be 2070 mAh as Moto G ( Less may be ), Similar Price Tag ( Outside Of US) , and after all this you're talking about giving the moto g a run for its money , Yeah right .

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 8:27 AM 0

16. tadaa

Posts: 267; Member since: Apr 18, 2013

i doubt it will cost the same as the moto g outside the US. moto g costs around $230 here. it should go between $120 to $180 and on par if not better than other companies' phone offerings excluding chinese whitebox manufacturers

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 9:22 AM 0

17. corporateJP

Posts: 2458; Member since: Nov 28, 2009

No removable battery, no Micro SD support...yeah...you can keep your Moto G with your NSA cloud backup. Plus, all your future support will come from Lenovo and the Chinese government. The G is itself a Trojan horse with a max life of two-years tops. On a side note, if you want to run console-quality games on your phone, you probably don't need a phone in the first place, you should invest that money in a new armchair and joystick.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 9:29 AM 0

27. NFSHesham

Posts: 297; Member since: Feb 04, 2014

then go and buy a lagging device instead and suffer the fact that you cannot download x no of games or apps and the rooting way begins , why should you do that, i seriously doubt that any one would get more than an 8 gb microsd card for that except if nokia gives out free 16 gb cards which is highly doubtful , and the update thing is still pretty much a tie between both google and lenovo , and unfortunately so far since this is middle east egypt we didn't get the moto so far but it's a far better choice than nokia , the flash , front cam , 720p screen (recording - decoding ) , 16 gigs of memory are enough to convince any one of the moto

posted on Feb 07, 2014, 3:42 PM 0

20. boosook

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

if this is designed to give the moto g a run for its money, they've come up with the wrong design!

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 9:48 AM 0

5. bakarock

Posts: 57; Member since: Aug 29, 2013

In Malaysia, people move to Samsung as Nokia moves to Windows Phone.. This would be like 1/2 remedy to NokiAndroid fans...

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 6:53 AM 2

7. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

This is good news for those who have been waiting for a Nokia phone powered by Android.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 7:14 AM 1

10. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Not at all...android fans where waiting for a high end nokia with pureview camera and powered by android...

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 7:42 AM 0

8. shadez10

Posts: 427; Member since: Jan 15, 2012

if only nokia would realease an android version of the 1520 then it would be a huge hit.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 7:33 AM 2

11. TechCrazyedBoy

Posts: 129; Member since: Nov 12, 2013

Yay...I from Malaysia and this new really shocked me n why?? Its certified in Malaysia n Indonesia n that means people in Malaysia n Indonesia are the first in the world to get it in their n our hands... Muahhahahaha!!!

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 7:44 AM 0

12. MarkArigayo

Posts: 240; Member since: Dec 18, 2013

Welcome back, Nokia.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 7:45 AM 0

13. Arirank

Posts: 40; Member since: Jan 19, 2014

Samsung n Nokia are always faster comes to Indonesia than other :*

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 8:13 AM 0

19. Vanster

Posts: 124; Member since: Jan 15, 2014

not always the lumias not. . But yeah Samsung is so fast come to Indonesia

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 9:42 AM 0

26. TechCrazyedBoy

Posts: 129; Member since: Nov 12, 2013

And Malaysia..

posted on Feb 06, 2014, 12:26 AM 0

18. corporateJP

Posts: 2458; Member since: Nov 28, 2009

Where's the Elop's poolboy today? Mr. It's-Not-Coming Windows-Only Rodney? There's more crow to eat, a straight-up buffet, leading right to MWC...

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 9:35 AM 0

23. domfonusr

Posts: 1094; Member since: Jan 17, 2014

Well, he'll probably be right about it in one way... this is likely to never be sold in the US. However, he won't be totally right, either, as this is clearly on its way to consumer channels in Malaysia and Indonesia. It will likely be a big change for the Asha series, which is not commonly seen in the US market. As long as you trust these foreign governments to know what they are approving, then you need not rely on WPCentral as the sole source of reliable news for all things Nokia.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 12:06 PM 0

21. moroninc

Posts: 193; Member since: Jul 14, 2012

Ok.. A heads up. RM here means Ringgit Malaysia meaning the currency of Malaysia, it could be the price of the device.. 980.. Usually when something is priced here it usually is followed by RM###.. Unlikely it's a model number though. BTW 980 is roughly 320USD is by no means cheap for a budget Nokia phone.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 11:51 AM 0

22. domfonusr

Posts: 1094; Member since: Jan 17, 2014

Nope. RM-980 is the internal reference code for the software version of the device. Just about every Nokia phone has a ref code that begins with RM.

posted on Feb 04, 2014, 12:01 PM 1

24. domfonusr

Posts: 1094; Member since: Jan 17, 2014

More precisely, it is the product code that determines what firmware chain gets attached to the device. For those who have used either Pheonix ROM flasher or Nemesis, this is a need-to-know concept for identifying what you can or cannot flash onto your Nokia device.