Nokia may not introduce Windows RT tablet at MWC 2013

Contrary to popular belief that Nokia is likely to launch its Windows RT tablet at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2013, a post on the Strategy Analytics blog states otherwise.

The post elaborates that channel checks carried out by their Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies (TTS) service have led them to conclude that Nokia will not unveil a tablet running Microsoft's operating system at the event. Instead, it believes that the Finnish giant's strategy for the event this year will be "smartphones first". "Nokia will want to expand its Lumia smartphone range and solidify its growing leadership of the global WP8 market," it adds.

Rumour clouds floating over Nokia's MWC plans

The company has been working on a tablet featuring Windows RT, which will sit alongside its Lumia range of handsets. At the time, it was stated that since the tablet is expected to debut in the first half of 2013, an MWC announcement cannot be ruled out.

It is all speculative at the moment, though, and the revelation will only happen at the event, which is just days away now.

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The rumoured tablet will have HDMI and USB ports along with a 10.1-inch display and a battery-equipped keyboard cover. The cover doubles as a keyboard and kickstand for the tablet and will have two USB ports for additional connectivity.

Rumors first began surfacing earlier in December last year. As per a Digitimes report then, Nokia apparently planned to develop the tablet with a Qualcomm S4 processor under the hood earlier, but had pushed the plan back after the announcement of Surface tablet. Nokia intentionally focused on smartphones and delayed development of the 10-inch tablet, according to the report. The company is apparently still evaluating the current tablet market due to the below-expectations performance of the Microsoft Surface RT. The tablet will undoubtely be branded under the Lumia series and could follow a similar design to the current Lumia phones.

Another rumoured handset is the Nokia EOS, which will have a better camera sensor as compared to the company’s current flagship, the Lumia 920, which has an 8.7 megapixel camera. The EOS will be a high-end Lumia, but it won't be the flagship device. It will have an aluminium body, unlike the polycarbonate shells found on recent Lumia Windows Phone devices.

The EOS will be part of a fresh design cycle for Nokia, a company that is focusing on a new look. It is also said to have squared edges, which will be a stark departure from the curvy edges of the current Lumia line-up. The handset is rumoured to have a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display with HD resolution, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and an Adreno 320 graphics processor.