Nokia releases Nokia X Android phone, runs all existing apps, costs just $120 off-contract

Here at Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, Nokia has surprised everyone by actually releasing the Android-powered Nokia X smartphone. It is available today, in Europe, for €90 (about $120) off-contract. The Nokia X (codenamed Normandy) is a mid-range phone that runs the Finnish phone maker’s own flavor of Android — but, don’t worry, it runs all existing Android apps. It appears Nokia is handling it in almost exactly the same way as Amazon’s Kindle Fire (which also runs Android): Developers will be able to add their Android apps to the Nokia Store — or users can use third-party app store or sideload apps directly.

The Nokia X is a mid-range smartphone that’s oriented towards emerging markets in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I wouldn’t be surprised if it never comes to the US. It is a dual-SIM phone with a mediocre 4-inch 800×480 screen. There’s a 3-megapixel shooter on the back, an unspecified 1GHz Qualcomm SoC, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage (upgradable via Micro SD). The phone looks a bit like a Nokia Lumia, and has roughly the same dimensions (10.4mm thick, 115mm long, 129 grams). As you can see in the images throughout this story, the Nokia X comes in a range of lurid colors (via removable backplates).