Nokia unveiled its plan for its lower-priced handsets at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
The new line of smartphones will feature the Nokia X software platform and are aimed at the fast-growing emerging market segment. The line will feature the Lumia-style design with low-cost hardware.
The interesting part comes from the use of Android's open-source code in the new X software platform. "The move into Android is a sort of half measure, as a way to get access to the Android app ecosystem, but Nokia is still prioritizing Windows Phone," said Michael Gorman, senior editor at Engadget.
"The company is positioning the Android devices as entry-level smartphones aimed at the emerging markets, and are not as capable as Nokia's Lumia devices that run Windows Phone," said Gorman.
Nokia says the vast majority of Android apps, including Facebook, Skype, Spotify, Twitter and Vine, can be published to the Nokia Store as is.
The Nokia X will go on sale immediately in emerging markets and the Nokia X+ and Nokia XL are expected to roll out in the second quarter overseas, not in the United States.
—By Christina Medici Scolaro