What A Nokia N73 Reboot With Android Might Look Like

If you happen to be a tech-savvy millennial, there's a good chance you remember the Nokia N73. Released back in 2006 as a successor to the Nokia N70, the Nokia N73 was a high-end Symbian-powered smartphone that became one of Nokia's top-selling smartphones between 2006 and 2007. The N73 had a simple candy bar design, but in several areas, it was a significant upgrade over its predecessor — the Nokia N70. For example, the N73 featured a 2.4-inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) display, a major step up from the 176 x 208-pixel panel on the Nokia N70. It also ran a newer version of the Symbian OS.

Along with the N70 and the pricier N95, these N Series devices helped Nokia dominate the mobile phone space. Although Nokia's domination did not last long following the arrival of the iPhone (and later, Android), there is no denying that these N Series devices were all the rage at one point in time.

Fast forward to 2022, and the smartphone arena is an entirely different playground overtaken by Apple, Samsung, and a handful of Chinese players. And it is in this scenario we have been hearing rumors of a possible Nokia N73 reboot. The folks at Chinese tech blog CNMO recently posted renders of what they say is an upcoming Nokia device called the Nokia N73. Even though we have our reservations about this one, we thought it was worth talking about a possible comeback of one of Nokia's most iconic camera phones from the mid-2000s.

Nokia N73 2022 looks nothing like the original

In its supposed 2022 iteration, the Nokia N73 is rumored to transform into a full-fledged flagship-grade smartphone. The leaked renders indicate that the device will feature a curved rear panel that will also integrate a large right-oriented camera bump that some users describe as mimicking the shape of a chopping knife. 

From the images, it is also evident that the Nokia N73 (2022) — if launched — would be touted as a serious camera phone. The device features five rear-facing cameras with twin LED flash modules thrown in as well. In addition, the red "rings" that surround the camera lenses are a rather interesting design element.

Upon further investigation, we were able to figure that these "leaked" images came from a video uploaded to YouTube in April. The video — uploaded by a user named Tricky Tech, showcases the supposed Nokia N73 5G 2023 in fair detail. Apart from having no proven track record of leaking upcoming smartphones, the channel is replete with other videos of concept smartphones that may never see the light of the day. While the idea of a Nokia N73 (2022) sounds great and did cause millennial hearts to skip a couple of beats, we can say with reasonable assurance that the Nokia N73 reboot — at least in this form — isn't happening.