Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Announces New Nokia Phone

The Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Nokia Corp (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) partnership might not be something making headlines anymore but a new handset from Microsoft still features the Nokia brand name.

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Microsoft has revealed a new handset featuring the classic Nokia look. The Microsoft-Nokia handset is known as the Nokia 216 and it has a compact shape with a physical keypad and a screen. The handset does not have any resemblance to a modern smartphone and may be seen as quite strange in that the company decided to make a basic handset while the competition makes what can only be defined as powerful computers that can fit in the hand.

The Microsoft-Nokia handset has a price tag that matches the simplicity

The compact Microsoft-Nokia 216 handset is expected to make its global debut in October 2016 and it will be priced at $37. The handset weighs 83 grams and its dimensions are 11.8 x 5 x 1.35cm. It has a2.4 inch QVGA display and it has a front and back camera but both are VGA. The handset also comes with a 1020 mAh battery which Microsoft claims can last 24 on standby, 42 hours of FM radio playback, 47 hours of MP3 playback and 18 hours of talk time. It will also feature a duo-sim capability.

Users can download apps for the handset from the Opera mobile store. While the handset is not as fancy as the latest offerings from industry giants such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung, it highlights Microsoft’s strategy which is to target the upcoming markets which a product that is fairly priced and can access the internet with generally good performance.

Is this a comeback strategy for Nokia?

There has been word that Microsoft has been planning to sell the Nokia Mobile division after failing to make a proper mark with the mobile business. The company is thus planning to sell the mobile division to Foxconn. The Nokia 2016 might, therefore, be the last Microsoft-Nokia handset that the company will produce.

Microsoft stock closed the latest trading session at $56.81, down by $0.12 or 0.21% compared to the closing price in the previous close. The stock’s trading volume was 17.38 million shares.

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