Nokia has delayed the launch of its new flagship E7 phone, sparking rumors of further problems with the latest version of Symbian.
The device will now go on sale early next year, rather than the year-end date Nokia slated when it unveiled the device at its developer conference in September.
It is another blow in a troubled year for the firm, which has seen sweeping changes to its management and delays in shipping the much-hyped N8 – the first smartphone to run the new Symbian ^3 software.
The E7 is a business-focused device with similar specs to the N8, but with a kick-out qwerty keyboard in addition to the large touchscreen user interface.
A Nokia spokesman told Reuters it has held off shipping the latest smartphone to ensure a high-quality user experience.
Analysts told the news site the latest delay calls into question Nokia’s ability to ship high-end devices that can compete with Apple and Android-based terminals, while blogsite GigaOm noted it says little about the user experience of the new Symbian software.
Early reviews of the operating system were damning, with one reviewer stating the N8 was a “sweet little camera.”
Separately, Nokia has revealed to Bloomberg it will axe 800 jobs in Finland next month, as part of a global cull of 1,800 staff announced in October.