Nokia unveils 7.9-inch N1 Android tablet

The Nokia N1, an Android tablet pitched as a rival to Apple's iPad mini, was unveiled on Twitter last night despite rumours the device had been scrapped.

The 7.9-inch tablet sports an 8MP rear-facing and 5MP front-facing cameras, with 32GB storage, a 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor and 2GB of RAM. It weighs 318g at 6.9mm thick, and will be available in standard or darker grey versions.

The tablet runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop, and features Nokia's Z launcher, which boasts an adaptive capability that arranges users' apps based on preference and use. Users can also use their finger to write on the screen, finding apps faster. Z launcher is already available for other Android smartphones and tablets.

It will reportedly cost $249 (159), and will launch in 2015. A more specific UK release date is currently unknown.

Microsoft recently ditched the Nokia label with its Lumia 535 smartphone, with uSwitch.com mobiles expert Rob Kerr saying there's "no room for nostalgia in the fast-moving mobile market."

This is despite Nokia being owned by Microsoft since April this year. As part of the deal, Nokia will not be allowed to use its branding on smartphones between now and 2016, but the company announced that it would still focus on new devices.

At a presentation at the Slush technology conference in Finland (via Total Telecom), head of Nokia's product business Sebastian Nystrom said: "They say Nokia is dead. They say Nokia is no more. Hey, they even say, rest in peace, Nokia. Look, I say they couldn't be more wrong."