Remember the good old Nokia N9? It was released back in mid-2011 running MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan. HMD Global might be planning to revive the iconic brand soon to capitalize on the nostalgia. Since last year, the company has released Nokia 3310, Nokia 8110, and brought back the ‘Sirocco’ brand with Nokia 8 Sirocco. We wouldn’t be surprised if HMD Global revives many more iconic brands in the coming months.
The Finnish company said in a Weibo post that April 27 marks the 13th anniversary of the launch of Nokia N-series. HMD plans to celebrate the occasion by reviving the N-series. The Weibo post includes a teaser image showing the Nokia N9, and the company indicated that it could unveil the device on May 2 in Beijing. HMD Global will be teasing the product from tomorrow until Wednesday, May 2nd.
HMD is holding an event in Sanlitun, Chaoyang District, Beijing on May 2, where it is expected to unveil the new Nokia N9. The phone is likely to launch only in China, at least initially, because only the Chinese arm of HMD teased the Nokia N9. However, HMD has released most of the smartphones in other markets as well that were originally introduced in China. It is unclear whether the new Nokia N9 would run Android or another software. That’s because Nokia had been advertising the N-series devices as “smartphones” right from the beginning in 2005.
Separately, HMD Global is widely expected to launch a new Nokia X6 smartphone in China today (April 27). The Nokia X6 is said to have a Nokia 7 Plus like-design with a 5.8-inch Full HD+ bezel-less display and 19:9 aspect ratio. According to the rumor mill, the Nokia X6 would cost RMB 1,599 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model and RMB 1,799 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB variant in China.
Th 4GB RAM model would be an affordable mid-range handset running MediaTek’s Helio P60 processor. The 6GB RAM model would be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 636 octa-core chipset. Both models would run the stock version of Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. Powering the X6 will be a 3,500mAh battery with Fast Charging technology. Other features include a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
According to Chinese site ITHome, the Nokia X6 would feature a dual camera system on the back consisting of Carl Zeiss lenses. Like other Nokia phones, it would offer Bothie feature that allows you to take photos and videos using both the front and rear cameras simultaneously. HMD Global recently teased the Nokia X6 via an advertisement on a theater display in China. The ad indicated that the device would debut on April 27th.
For people who don’t remember it, Nokia X was the name of the first-ever Nokia-branded Android device. It was released by Microsoft in 2014 when the US software giant controlled Nokia’s smartphone business. However, it was a disaster both critically and commercially. It was an Android phone without the Google Play Store. Imagine an iPhone without the App Store. Microsoft had customized it to push its own services such as Skype and Outlook.
The Nokia N9 is not to be confused with the Nokia 9 flagship, which is rumored to debut in the third quarter this year. The rumor mill claims Nokia 9 could be unveiled at the IFA trade show in Berlin in September. Finnish site SuomiMobiili recently leaked the Nokia 9 specifications. The flagship phone would be powered by Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 845 chipset and a huge 8GB RAM. According to SuomiMobiili, Nokia 9 would feature a 6.01-inch AMOLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.
The Nokia 9 screen would be protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5. It is said to have dual-SIM functionality, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and an IP68 rating for water- and dust-resistance. It would offer up to 256GB of internal storage, and run the stock Android Oreo out of the box. The device is rumored to pack a 3900mAh battery with QuickCharge 4.0 technology that promises up to 60% charge in just 30 minutes.
The biggest highlight of the Nokia 9 is going to be its camera system. SuomiMobiili claims the Nokia 9 would launch with a triple camera setup on the back. One of them would be a 41MP wide-angle lens with variable apertures of f/2.4 and f/1.5, optical image stabilization, and 4x optical zoom. The second one would be a 20MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture and OIS. The third one would be a 9.7-megapixel monochrome sensor. The front camera is said to be 21-megapixel with an f/1.8 aperture.
