Nokia Is Back, 5.5-Inch Nokia 6 Smartphone To Run On Android

The Nokia mobile phone is coming back. 

Finland-based HMD Global says it's launching its first smartphone - the Nokia 6 - in China, under license from the network provider -once the world's top cellphone maker. 

The aluminum handset, with a 5.5-inch screen, will be the first Nokia to run the Android operating system. 

The launch marks the first new smartphone carrying the iconic handset name since 2014 when Nokia Oyj chose to sell its entire handset unit to Microsoft. 

HMD Global, the licensee of the Nokia brand for cellphones and tablets, said on Sunday it chose to launch in China - with more than 550 million smartphone users - because of a "desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world." 

The Nokia 6 will be available in early 2017 at an approximate price of 1,699 yuan ($245). It was unclear when it would be available in other markets. 

The new device, Nokia 6, runs on Google's Android platform and is manufactured by Foxconn. It will be sold exclusively in China through online retailer JD.com, HMD said. 

Nokia was once the world's dominant cellphone maker but missed the shift to smartphones, and then chose Microsoft's Windows operating system for its "Lumia" range. 

After the 2014 deal, Microsoft continued selling cheaper basic phones under Nokia's name and Lumia smartphones under its own name, but last year, it largely abandoned both businesses. 

HMD in December took over the Nokia feature phones business and struck a licensing deal that gave it sole use of the Nokia brand on all phones and tablets for the next decade. 

It will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents, but Nokia has no direct investment in HMD. Nokia Oyj is currently focused on telecom network equipment business and technology patents. 

HMD launched some new Nokia basic phones last month. It said on Sunday it was looking to launch more new products in the first half of the year.