Nokia Lumia 630 Review
IBTimes UK

In what appears to be a bizarre turn of events, reports now indicate that Microsoft and Nokia are working on an Android-powered Lumia device.

Reputed leakster @evleaks, who has had a solid track record of leaking information about popular gadgets, has now tweeted saying that Android-powered Lumia smartphones are currently being developed under the 'Nokia by Microsoft' brand. No further details have been provided yet.

While there has been a lot of buzz about the "Nokia by Microsoft" brand name over the last month, this is the first time we have come across a rumour about the Redmond-based firm making a Lumia handset running its rival, Google's Android OS.

There is no information on whether this Lumia phone running Android will offer a wholesome Android experience, or if it will follow the path of Nokia X and block users from accessing Google services like the Play Store.

Earlier this year, Nokia surprised the world by unveiling its first Android-powered smartphones under the Nokia X banner. The line-up consisted of a trio of low-end smartphones: the Nokia X, X+ and XL. The series was intended to be a "feeder" system for Nokia's Lumia phones and replaced Google's services with Microsoft's.

Why an Android Lumia Phone?

We expect that Microsoft will try to push its own services through the smartphone. Plausible candidates include Bing, Outlook, OneDrive, OneNote and others. Google has mastered a similar strategy and has millions of Android users worldwide dependant on its services, which in turn allow it to rake in revenue from multiple angles.

The attempt with Android is being seen as Microsoft's latest experiment as its Windows Phone OS powered smartphones did not take off.

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