More Photos of Nokia X Android Smartphone Leak Online
The Nokia X (code-named Normandy) is finally coming, and there are some more leaked images that seem to prove it. A post on BGR today offers up images first found on Chinese tech forum Coolxap, and they give us a close-up glimpse of the phone’s Windows-styled Android UI and the buttons and chassis that make up a device that many believed would never actually see the light of day.
Now that I can see the home screen close up, I’m starting to get a clearer picture as to how this phone’s UI will work. I do wonder whether or not the lack of the three virtual buttons at the bottom of the handset will be a problem for Android users who’ve gotten used to them—from what we’ve seen of the Nokia X thus far, there’s only the “back” button, but no “home,” “settings,” or “recent apps” button.
Other questions remain. What options will you get when you swipe down from the top? Will you be able to organize the different tiles into folders? How much will users be able to move tiles around the home screen? Will they move and shift when you move one tile from another location to a new location, like Windows 8’s Metro UI does?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the customization options are relatively limited. That blueish bar at the bottom of the display seems to indicate three home screen panes. I’m guessing that new apps will simply be added to the last pane. Maybe you’ll be able to organize apps by category with a quick setting—as you can see, the different tiles’ colors seem to indicate whether their functions. Green is for your phone functions, while orange is for utilities, blue is for Internet functions, purple is camera, and pink rounds it out for media. Will those designations be pre-set, or will users get to choose different colors for different functions?
In short, while I don’t think I want a Windows-styled Android UI for myself, I’m super curious to try it out and see how it works. I’ve been disappointed with forked versions of Android in the past—HTC’s Sense and Samsung’s TouchWiz both left me cold, and the Kindle Fire’s UI is an abomination. But while Metro isn’t great for a mouse, it works pretty well with a finger. I’d be very interested to learn how well Metro and Android play together.
Nokia is expected to officially announce the Nokia X next week at the Mobile World Congress, and if earlier rumors are true, it’ll be available in various Asian and Middle Eastern territories at a very low price. Could the Nokia X could compete in Western markets? I’d be fascinated to find out.
Check out the rest of the leaked photos below (click to see full size):
