Microsoft drops Nokia X Android smartphones after just four months

Following Microsoft’s announcement of massive job cuts, the Nokia X line will be phased out in favour of cheap Windows Phone.

17:47 18 July 2014

Microsoft has announced its move to phase out its Nokia X smartphone line four months after it was first released in Barcelona. The company, which plans to replace them with cheap Windows Phones, inherited the Android-powered smartphones after it acquired Nokia’s handset division.

On Thursday, Stephen Elop, Microsoft’s head of mobile devices, emailed employees saying: "In the near term, we plan to drive Windows Phone volume by targeting the more affordable smartphone segments, which are the fastest-growing segments of the market, with Lumia,”

"In addition to the portfolio already planned, we plan to deliver additional lower-cost Lumia devices by shifting select future Nokia X designs and products to Windows Phone devices,” said Elop. “We expect to make this shift immediately while continuing to sell and support existing Nokia X products.”

Meanwhile, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella added in a statement: “This builds on our success in the affordable smartphone space and aligns with our focus on Windows Universal Apps.”

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced plans to terminate 18,000 jobs which is considered the deepest cut to staff in the tech giant’s history.