Update (Feb 25): Nokia 1 is official.
Update (February 15, 2018): The first renders of the Nokia 1 phone have leaked online. Shared by @evleaks, these renders show the phone in Dark Purple/ Dark Blue with Silver accents and Red with Silver accents. It is quite possible that there will be more colour options for the phone. Additionally, the date mentioned in the renders seems to indicate that Nokia 1 will be announced at the Mobile World Congress later this month. Read on for more details about the Nokia 1.
Earlier (December 27, 2017): We already know that several manufacturers are working with Google to release Android Go smartphones in 2018. Now, the news is coming in that HMD Global is one of these manufacturers and its upcoming Nokia 1 phone will be based on the Android Go platform.
According to Russian tech journalist Eldar Murtazin, the Nokia 1 will be released around March 2018. The phone will include an HD screen, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which sounds about right for an Android Go phone. According to Murtazin, the Nokia 1 will retail at 5,990 rubles ($104) in Russia. No other details about the Nokia 1 are known at this point.
Murtazin has also revealed that Chinese smartphone maker Huawei is working on an Android Go phone as well, which will retail around 4,990 ($85) or 5490 ($95) rubles.
To remind you, Google’s Android Go initiative was first revealed at the I/O developer conference earlier this year. The search giant detailed it at an event in India earlier this month. The first Android version ready for the Go phones is Android Oreo (Go edition). According to Google, the Go edition of the Android is meant for smartphones with 512MB to 1GB of RAM. It has been optimized from the ground-up to provide better performance, improved data management and more storage on the entry-level devices. It is based on Android 8.1 code and includes especially designed Go-branded variants of the popular Google apps like Maps, Search, Assistant, and more.
It also has a smaller footprint and packs a battery saver feature. The Android Go phones are likely to be released in select markets, mostly the developing countries.
In related news, Indian smartphone maker Lava is also said to be working on an Android One phone, which will arrive sometime next year. There are no details available at this point.
