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The never-ending “powered by Android” Lumia rumor is back in the headlines again, this time courtesy of the leakster Evan Blass (a.k.a. Evleaks).

From his Twitter wall yesterday, @evleaks tweeted the message, “Big news: Android-powered Lumia incoming, from Nokia by Microsoft.”

Microsoft still has eighteen months to use the Lumia brand name (according to its recent acquisition of Nokia’s mobile division), so we’re not surprised to see the “from Nokia by Microsoft” wording here. As for the Android-powered, we’re certain that, should Microsoft want its Android smartphone to have Google Play Store app access, the company’ll want to make sure it also boasts the “powered by Android” label. So far, Nokia’s released Android smartphones such as the Nokia X2, Nokia X, and Nokia XL that come with forked versions of Android that lack Google Play Store access.

At the same time, however, the Lumia line has always been Nokia’s luxury line, and Microsoft can (and will) charge more for the Lumia than its X, X2, and XLs because the new Nokia Android smartphones are for the budget-friendly customer. Nokia’s Lumia Icon that arrived at US carrier Verizon Wireless this past February came with the $199 price tag, and Microsoft’s first Lumia out of the gate will likely maintain the $199 retail price.


Many people have assumed that with Nokia’s venture into Android, Windows OS is a dying platform. While it seems that Windows only has 3% market share, Windows doesn’t look as if it’ll die anytime soon. @evleaks had something to say for those who’re already proclaiming that “Windows is doomed”: “Let me clarify something. An Android Lumia in no way spells the end of Windows Phone. That platform isn’t going anywhere, he wrote on his wall 16 hours after his Android Lumia announcement.