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Nokia’s plan to break into the tablet market: Rip off Microsoft’s Surface RT?

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:42PM EST
Nokia Windows RT Tablet Specs

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If ever there was a tablet to avoid copying when attempting to break into the crowded tablet market, Microsoft’s Surface RT is probably it. While the Surface RT’s design is among the best BGR has ever seen, people seem to be avoiding Windows RT like the plague and vendors are dumping the platform one after the other. Compounding matters is the fact that Microsoft took a charge related to unsold Surface inventory of nearly $1 billion in fiscal 2013. And so what is struggling smartphone vendor Nokia’s plan to break into the tablet market? Adopt the tablet platform other vendors are fleeing from and model the first Nokia tablet after a device that just cost Microsoft $1 billion.

A new report from the blog Microsoft News claims to reveal the complete specs of Nokia’s upcoming Windows RT tablet, which has been rumored numerous times in the past. The specs paint a picture of a very capable device that, if produced, seems destined to be an overpriced flop.

Highlights among the rumored specs include a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at more than 2.1GHz, a 10.1-inch full HD 1080p display, 32GB of internal storage, multiple USB ports, a microHDMI port, a cyan color option (which is nice on phones but might be a bit garish on a large 10-inch tablet), 802.11n Wi-Fi and last but certainly not least, a detachable kickstand and keyboard combination that works “just like Touch/Type covers” from Microsoft’s Surface.

According to the report, Nokia will unveil the new tablet next month and it will support AT&T’s network in the U.S. A diagram from a Nokia patent filing that may reveal the tablet’s design follows below.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.