The feature phone could be seen running a stripped down version of Android. (Image: 9to5Google)
HMD Global could be looking forward to launching a new Nokia branded feature phone powered by Google’s Android. A tech website LoveNokia spotted a Nokia phone (not a smartphone) on the WiFi Alliance website with model number TA-1208. The listing reveals that the device is named as the Nokia 400 4G and runs a “proprietary OS” with the version specified as “GAFP”.
Last year, 9to5Google shared a leaked video of a feature phone that was running Android. The device codenamed as “Iron GAFP” was believed to be a Nokia-branded phone running Android 8.1 which was different than the Android Go and relied on Chrome code to support touchless interaction via physical buttons.
Nokia 400 4G spotted on WiFi Alliance.
The video showed popular Android apps like Google Assistant, Google Chrome, and YouTube available on the feature phone. The recently spotted Nokia 400 4G could be the same phone that was leaked last year. We do not know what does the GAFP stand for but the publication predicts that it could be an acronym for “Google Apps for Feature Phones”.
HMD Global, which holds the license to manufacture Nokia branded phones has not revealed any plans to launch such a device, i.e., Android supported feature phone, but there have been reports of the company unveiling a special Nokia “Original” series phone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 in Barcelona, Spain.
Nokia feature phone spotted running on Android, launch soon?
HMD Global has also been reported to launch Nokia 8.2 5G, Nokia 5.2, and Nokia 1.3 at the MWC– the biggest mobile trade show, which is scheduled from February 24 to February 27, 2020. If the company doesn’t unveil the Nokia 400 4G at the MWC, we can expect it to be unveiled at the Google I/O conference that is scheduled for May 2020.