Nokia’s Android smartphone is ‘full steam ahead’ for 2014 release… but what about Windows Phone?

According to a recent and fairly reliable source, Nokia is preparing to launch an Android-powered smartphone in 2014. Judging by the latest leaked images, Nokia’s Android phone — code named Normandy — will look just like a Windows Phone Lumia, with Nokia’s customary colorful polycarbonate unibody shell, but without the capacitive buttons at the bottom of the screen. With Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s handset business expected to be finalized in early 2014, this is a rather curious move.

For the last few years, there has been a persistent rumor that Nokia is developing an Android phone. Before Windows Phone came along, Nokia was reportedly working on an Android smartphone. Then, even though Microsoft paid a huge amount of money to have Nokia produce Windows Phones, the company was still reportedly working on Android versions of the Lumia range. Nokia was apparently very frustrated with Microsoft’s lackadaisical efforts to push Windows Phone to lower price points — a market sector where Nokia has historically excelled — and saw Android as a good way to produce cheap low- and mid-range handsets.

With the release of the Tango update for Windows Phone, which reduced the mobile OS’s hardware requirements, Nokia was able to make some progress towards cheaper smartphones. Semingly, though, with Normandy on the horizon for 2014, Nokia still isn’t entirely happy with Windows Phone.