Rumors: Nokia Windows 8 Handsets to Have same N9/800/900 Form-Factor

So I missed out on some news in the past day or two cause of my super long flight (almost 13 hours- and that was with some lucky tailwind that sped us up!); but anyways here I am in Chicago (testing out the KB on my new laptop as we speak), anyways. The latest set of rumors to surface about the elusive Windows 8 comes from Australian site WPDownUnder who claim that Windows Phone 8 is being heavily tested in Australia.  More interesting for us Nokia fans is the fact that the WP 8 devices from Nokia are claimed to be carrying the same unique N9/Lumia 800&900 form factor of polycarbonate plus the rounded edges (Back at MWC the Lumia design team confirmed that they were quite proud of the design and wouldn’t be letting it go to waste anytime soon).

Our information suggests that the current Lumia 800/900 body styling will continue into a Windows Phone 8 range – with a preview unit apparently looking “almost identical” to a current Lumia device. Given the unique polycarbonate body design of both the 800/900, our money is on either a Lumia 800 device with Front Facing Camera or a Lumia 900 styled WP8 device launching later this year.

It is however possible that the “preview unit” is in-fact the same Lumia 800/900 body either with the same internals (same exact phone) or that the body is just acting as a temporary shell for the phone to avoid leaks or until the final design is complete (it’s not uncommon for OEMs to borrow designs to test software and internals to perfect the phone before actually placing it in the real look – Samsung did the same with the S3 I believe).

It’s also been rumored that the launch/preview of WP8 will be sometime in late June (20/21):

We certainly hope to hear some more whispers in the lead up to the first anticipated public disclosure by Microsoft on Windows Phone 8 at their June (20-21) Windows Phone Developer summit.

Which would fit in nicely with a September Nokia World Launch; hopefully that would give Nokia enough time to perfect the Hardware and Software allowing for quicker release of devices, it’s also worth noting that although the WP marketshare has been dominated by Nokia so far, however once WP8 is launched it won’t be so cut and dry; as it has been rumored and confirmed that some of the currently “Not-So-bigtime” WP OEMs (Namely LG and Samsung) are plannign on going all out with WP8 trying to stake a claim in this territory before it’s too late; of course this isn’t all bad as it would lead to increased market share for WP as well as better competition; but Nokia has got to stay on top and not get too over-confident (Expect a more detailed post about this topic sometime later).

VIA Source – Thanks for the tip KF

Category: Nokia, Windows Phone