Nokia Returns To Take On The iPad With All-New N1 Tablet

It seems that rumours of Nokia’s withdrawal from the device market were slightly premature, as the Finnish company today unveiled the N1 tablet.

The release of the 7.9in device pits Nokia directly against the likes of Apple’s iPad Mini as well as Microsoft, which famously bought out the company’s handset division earlier this year and already sells Nokia-branded tablets, including the Lumia 2520 Windows RT-powered tablet.

However, the N1 is actually built by Chinese manufacturer Foxconn, notorious for its production of many past Apple devices, as Nokia begins a new life licencing out its name to other manufacturers.

Smooth

The aluminium-bodied Nokia N1 is certainly packed with the latest hardware, being powered by a 2.4Ghz 64-bit Intel Atom quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. There is also an 8MP rear camera and 5MP front camera, the former of which can support 1080px video recording.

It will run Android 5.0 Lollipop alongside Nokia’s own Z Launcher user interface, which lets users ‘write’ on the screen using their finger or a stylus to search for content or open up a particular app or service.

The N1, which weighs in at 318g,  comes with a 5300 mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery which should be suitable for all-day use, and can be connected via a reversible micro-USB charger cable – the first device on the market to do so.

“We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers’ hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple,” said Sebastian Nystrom, Head of Products at Nokia Technologies, who announced the N1 at the Slush technology conference in Helsinki. “The N1 has a delightfully intuitive interface and an industrial design to match it. This is a great product for Nokia fans and everyone who has not found the right Android tablet yet.”

The company’s decision to licence out its technology, as was revealed earlier this week, was branded “an audacious move” by Ian Fogg, director of mobile analysis at IHS Technology, who sees the launch as the latest in a series of smart actions by Nokia.

“For Nokia, the advantages of licensing are considerable,” he said. “Nokia can enter the mobile device market without needing to worry about manufacturing, supply chain management, stock control or hardware distribution. And, by selling its former devices unit to Microsoft, Nokia has freed itself from historic baggage, restructuring costs, and can start afresh.”

The N1, which will be available in a choice of two colours, is set to go on sale early next year for around $249, initially in China before spreading to other markets in the future.

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