Nokia follows Samsung and Motorola with the launch of its first ever Android phones - and there are THREE of them

Nokia X, X+ and XL are the first handsets from the Finnish firm to run the Android operating system
The X and X+ have 4-inch screens while the XL is 5-inch
The Nokia X costs 89 euros, the X+is 99 euros and the XL is 109 euros
The X is available now and the X+ and XL go on sale from April
Will be sold alongside Nokia’s budget Asha range running Windows
Includes the new Asha 230 announced at the same event, worth 45 euros
Android is the most popular operating system worldwide

Nokia has officially launched its first Android handsets – the much-rumoured Nokia X, the X+ and XL - at an event in Barcelona. 

The X and X+are both entry-level devices with 4-inch screens, while the XL is larger at 5-inches.  

The X is available now for 89 euros. The X+ and XL go on sale from April for 99 euros and 109 euros respectively. 

The UK and US prices for the phones have not yet been announced.

Nokia's CEO also announced the Lumia phones will be reduced as a result. 

 The X range has been designed to look similar to Nokia’s current basic Asha smartphones, which run S40 software.
Nokia made the announcement at the annual Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

Nokia also announced a basic smartphone called the 220, with a 2MP camera, for 29 euros and the Asha 230 for 45 euros.  The X series is a significant release for Nokia, despite the basic specifications.  
Previous Nokia handsets ran the Windows Phone operating systems, and although the software has slowly been gaining ground on both Android and iOS, it still lags behind.
Windows Phone has been criticised for being difficult to use and runs a fraction of the popular apps seen on the other platforms.
Android, on the other hand, holds the majority share of the smartphone market in every region globally and has an app store with more than 700,000 apps.
It is also synonymous with budget and low-end handsets because its intuitive design appeals to less technical users.
Nokia will be hoping to attract this end of the market, as well as appeal to emerging markets with the release of X and X+.
It hasn't abandoned Windows Phone completely, though. Although the operating system is Android based, Nokia has added the tiles and personalisation features seen on Windows Phone

Similarly, the Nokia X range doesn't use Google apps or cloud services.  

It seems Nokia has chosen Android purely for the apps than the interface, and will use Microsoft's cloud services including OneDrive instead.  

The Nokia X range also complements the firm’s existing range of budget handsets, namely the Asha range.  

The Asha range starts at £42 ($69) with 2MP and 5MP camera models. The original Asha 501 handset was announced in May last year and began shipping in June. It has a 3-inch screen, 3.2MP camera and comes in red, green, cyan, yellow, white and black. 

The latest Asha devices, announced in October added improved sharing options, for example, photos can be shared with one click to Facebook, Twitter, over Bluetooth and now Whatsapp. 

Asha 500 has a 2MP camera and starts at $69 (£42), the 502 and 503 handsets both have 5MP cameras and costs £55 ($89) and £61 ($99) respectively.