Nokia Ion Mini - What could have been.... is this real?

madbilly

Hi all,

Some of you may have seen the news item on Nokiamob about the apparent prototype of a Nokia Android phone from 2013 called the "Nokia Ion Mini". Well, if you're interested then you can buy it on Ebay! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nokia-Unreleased-mini-Android-device-PROTOTYPE-ION-MINI-Extremely-rare/223509637222

However, I have to speculate if this is really real or not. It appears to be a functioning prototype which has never been revealed before, ever, and nor have any other phones with a similar UI. If this is the "mini" when where is the normal or maxi version? Don't get me wrong, I want this to be real, if only to show that old Nokia were investigating all possibilities before the sale to Microsoft, but I'm just not sure I believe it.

What do you think?

Cheers

Laze Sun

如果这是真的，那么其可能会在 2014 年发布。

因为其使用的骁龙 400 在 2013 年第四季度才正式发布，同样使用骁龙 400 的诺基亚 Lumia 630 发布于 2014 年 4 月。

另外，这机器的外观太像索尼的手机和音乐播放器了。

If this is true, it may be released in 2014.
Because the Snapdragon 400 it used was officially released in the fourth quarter of 2013, the Nokia Lumia 630, also using the Snapdragon 400, was released in April 2014.
In addition, the appearance of this machine is too much like Sony's mobile phones and MP3s.

madbilly

Hi @Laze Sun you're right it is very similar to some Sony designs, but it also looks like an N9. the clock in the UI on the display looks like the Sony Xperia UI, and the Ion was a Sony smartphone. One of my original thoughts when I saw it was "that's Sony" because of the clock and then the Ion name made me wonder even more...

I am beginning to think more and more that this is a fake, it's not real Nokia. It may be Sony, but may also be a complete overall fake.

Cheers

madbilly

Hi all, I found more info here: https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=100314

Cheers

singhnsk

madbilly said:

I want this to be real, if only to show that old Nokia were investigating all possibilities before the sale to Microsoft, but I'm just not sure I believe it.

That's definitely real for that reason. It has be a fact that Nokia was working on Android phones and if MS sale was called off for any reason, this would have been the future path. That was probably a stronger reason for MS to do the acquisition. Their smartphone OS dream gets shattered if the company goes Android. We can also say that these protos and the Nokia X series was more or less built to threaten and force MS into making the acquisition. Afterall, I do not see Elop as a trojan. I see him as a one great strategist who got his job done with flying colors and left the company with enough perks. And the same debate can continue 😅.

madbilly

Hi @singhnsk yes we can continue that debate, but there will be may conflicting opinions! I too don't believe he was a trojan, but also not sure if he excelled at the job as I don't think that all judgements were the best ones possible at the time.

I know that Nokia were playing with Android possibilities, I just find this prototype very strange and in many ways un-Nokia. As for the MS acquisition and alternate realities, imagine if Nadella had taken over from Ballmer 6-12 months earlier...

Cheers