While the world waits for the arrival of the N8, the upcoming Symbian^3 based smartphone upon which handset market leader Nokia is hanging its hopes of a high-end revival, the firm continues to launch new product in the mid tier. The latest model to hit the market is the X3 Touch and Type, which sees Nokia betting on a multi-faceted input platform featuring both touch screen and standard keypad.

“Innovation is not just a high-end game. The Nokia X3 is a great example of bringing new consumer value to lower price points,” said Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President of Mobile Phones at Nokia. “With the Nokia X3 we are giving consumers the best of both worlds by combining a touch screen and a keypad in an affordable device. We have given people a larger screen with clear icons and menus plus kept critical keys such as the send and end keys. We’ve also added dedicated function keys for important links like music and text messaging,” she said.

Nokia research suggests that a generation of mobile phone users for whom use of the keypad interface has become second nature want to retain ease of input for SMS and chat functions such as social networking, where speed is deemed necessary, McDowell said.

McDowell took the helm at Nokia Mobile Phones in July this year. Responsibility for the top tier handset strategy fell to Anssi Vanjoki, who was made head of Mobile Solutions in Nokia’s most recent reshuffle.