All-metal Nokia smartphone leaks in photo, could be one of three 2016 models

Now that 2015 is officially over, Nokia can enjoy a well-deserved breath of freedom. If you don't remember, the Microsoft buyout of the Finish's Titan's mobile business involved a particular non-compete clause that prevented the company from releasing smartphones under the Nokia brand. That expired on December 31, 2015 and eager fans can hardly contain their excitement at the possibility of new Nokia handsets.

Actually Nokia's eventual return to the smartphone business in 2016 has been debated for quite some time now and after a lot of ups and downs and a few disappointing denials, it seems that the last official statement from Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri seals the deal. Now that the New Year is officially upon us, it is natural for the next wave of leaks and rumors to start rolling in, like this new shot that indeed appears to depict a Nokia-branded smartphone.

Nokia 230 24K-gold-plating costs more than the phone, still worth it

We understand the urge to have your flagship LG V10 gold-plated, and the gold bath adds an extra bit of flair to curved-body Samsung high-end models Galaxy S6 edge and Note5. But what about that Nokia 230 that you keep in your car's glove box for backup, or use as a secondary phone for basic needs?

Now Vietnamese specialists in the field of luxury customization Karalux can have the 230 gold-plated in 24K yellow gold too, to match your smartphone attire. We're only assuming that once you're looking into gold-plating, you have a smartphone to boot, but even if the unassuming Nokia feature phone is your primary means of communication, at VND 1,500,000 ($67) the treatment is still a bargain.



That's the price if you bring in your own Nokia 230, but for VND 2,800,000 ($125) the company will happily pull a ready gold-plated one off its store shelves. So in effect, the gold-plating costs more than the phone itself. But who's to say that you can't have some bling just because you refuse to be bothered with constant notifications and want a battery life longer than a day.

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Lumia phones will be branded 'Microsoft Lumia'

The Nokia Lumia brand is no more – from now on there will only be Microsoft Lumia. However the Nokia phone brand isn't completely dead, Microsoft will continue to sell current Nokia Lumia handsets and provide the support that users expect. Also, features phones like the Nokia 130 will continue to be sold, we should also see new feature phones being introduced.

Tuula Rytilä, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Phones, gave an interview in which she detailed the future course of the Lumia brand. She points out that the rebranding is already underway with former Nokia-branded apps coming under the Microsoft umbrella. Similarly Nokia sites are in the process of moving to Microsoft.

Nokia brand to be replaced with Microsoft Lumia !

If you've seen Microsoft's recent articles about Lumia you know it was coming. The Nokia brand has been phased out by calling the phones just "Lumia" and redirecting Nokia online properties to Microsoft.com. This rebranding effort will expand and soon the lineup will become "Microsoft Lumia".

Lumia is already the de facto face of Windows Phone – it accounts for about 90% of the market. Microsoft has been busy signing up new vendors but they will struggle to gain significant market share as the big names have mostly neglected WP.