Nokia phones are making a comeback ... sort of

Hey Nokia, the late '90s called, they want their phones back.

Nokia has decided to toss its hat back into the phone making ring as soon as its contract with Microsoft allows some leeway in 2016.

In an interview with German publication Manager Magazin, Nokia chief executive Rajeev Suri confirmed that Nokia will return to designing and licensing its own phones. The CEO said, "Microsoft makes mobile phones. We would simply design them and then make the brand name available to license." Nokia did the same licensing of its name for the Nokia N1 tablet that runs on Android.

Nokia sold its phone branch to Microsoft in 2014 after failing to keep up the fight with Apple and Samsung. Overall, the acquisition was a money-sink that barely put Microsoft in the game. (But then again, the Redmond campus hasn't done much with the purchase just yet.) In fact, one-time Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced he is leaving Microsoft yesterday, indicating that something bigger is going on in the corporation.

The Finnish phone maker was once king of the hill when it came to mobile phone sales. In fact, the six highest selling mobile phones in history all came from Nokia. Even if you didn't own a Nokia yourself, you probably know the jingle like the back of your hand.

Even though Nokia is aiming to get its name back on the phone, it'll have to wait until its contract allows it in Q4 of 2016. When the time finally arrives, maybe the new Nokia phones will come loaded with the latest version of Snake, for old time's sake?

Via Reuters