Back when Microsoft was getting Windows Phone off the ground, there were plenty of manufacturers on board with the idea. We saw some standout handsets from the likes of HTC and LG for instance, and there were other companies willing to launch their own smartphones with Microsoft's mobile operating system on board.
That didn't really last all that long, though. Eventually adoption from manufacturers died out, and while there were still some holdouts, it looked like official support on the phone side was heading down the drain. Except for one company, that is.
Nokia refused to give up.
Even before Microsoft acquired Nokia three years ago, the company was all-in on Windows Phone. And, to their credit, they were creating the best hardware for the software. Plus, all the color options that we could really ever want. Back then we had yellow phones!
Still, even that combination of two huge companies wasn't meant to last. Microsoft wrote-off almost $8 billion due to the failed acquisition last year, and Nokia eventually found its way to the Android bandwagon. The announcement that Nokia was (finally) building Android phones came with plenty of hype, and the company said it would have devices in every category for plenty of price points.
That is indeed the case. Nokia has a variety of Android-based smartphones out there on the market, filling every niche it can find. It has its entry-level handsets, the mid-range covered, too, and the Nokia 8 fills out the top-of-the-line flagship requirements for good measure. If you want a phone at a specific price point and feature set, Nokia probably has you covered.
HMD Global also just confirmed that the Android 8.0 Oreo update is rolling out right now for the Nokia 8, so the device that launched relatively recently is also getting updated to the most recent update to the mobile operating system, which is good news all around.
The 8 has been out for awhile, and the rest of Nokia's Android-based smartphone family has been out for longer, which means there has been plenty of time for would-be customers to pick up their new daily driver. And that's what I'm curious about. How is Nokia's Android launch going, do you think? Do you know anyone who bought a new Nokia-branded smartphone with Android on board?
Have you picked up a new Nokia smartphone? If so, which model did you go with? And what about Nokia's smartphone convinced you to go with that model, rather than a device from a company like Samsung or LG? Let me know!
