Nokia Windows Phones Detailed: X7-Based W7, 12MP N8 Variant, More

Nokia's Windows Phone ambitions have been prematurely previewed, with rumored details of four handsets supposedly in development being leaked. The company has apparently bypassed the so-called "chassis 1" format – the tightly spec-constrained handsets we've seen so-far – and, according to Mobile-review, dived straight into developing "chassis 2" prototypes which will allow Nokia greater flexibility in the design and components it can use. The initial four designs reportedly consist of X7 and N8 variants running Windows Phone, along with a QWERTY touchscreen candybar device similar to the E6 and a "cheap" all-touch device for the entry-level price point.

The Windows Phone X7 – which Mobile-review calls the Nokia W7, though it's unclear if that name will stick – supposedly has a WVGA display and Qualcomm QSD8250 chipset. The chassis is the same, angular casing as we played with last week, with an 8-megapixel camera paired with autofocus and a flash. The screen is not reportedly AMOLED, though that could change, and Nokia apparently intends to push the W7 out to the market first: as early as fall 2011, if the company can get its act together.

As for the N8 variant, that will apparently carry over the Symbian handset's imaging capabilities with a 12-megapixel camera or similar. It will also be targeting the high-end market, with a dual-core Qualcomm CPU and Adreno 320 GPU, and a final design that will apparently look relatively different from the N8. It's expected to drop in late Q1 or early Q2 2012, and is still for the most part in very early developmental stages.

The final two devices will probably be based on existing Symbian prototype hardware. The QWERTY handset will supposedly come with a Nokia-developed enterprise-focused service of some sort, though details are still scant, while the "cheap" phone is tipped to be based on the W7 design but with cheaper materials, an EDOF full-focus camera and an early 2011 release date.

In fact, these are just four of a total of 12 Windows Phone handsets Nokia is tipped to be working on for 2012. Among the second wave will reportedly be a new flagship, along with another high-end camera phone. Interestingly, the Finns are also supposedly continuing their Android evaluation, with everything supposedly depending on Windows Phone sales in the first half of next year.