Former smartphone king Nokia is reportedly on the path to comeback this 2016 and likely among the first offerings from the Finnish company is a metal-wrapped smartphone, possibly powered by Android, but will sell below $100. The dirt-cheap sticker price could accelerate Nokia's journey back into the game. 

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From China's microblogging site Weibo, G4Games picked up the freshly-leaked photos of what appeared as an upcoming Nokia device, which the report said is likely a prototype or an earlier version of a device that was being tested. The final cut could prove entirely different from the images provided, the report added.

At any rate, the Nokia device in question seems covered in metal and looks like a twin of the HTC One A9. But unlike the One A9, Nokia's mysterious device is boxy that indicates of a mid-range or even an entry-level model.

G4Games noted on its report that the Weibo-leaked images were accompanied by a claim that the pictured device will hit the market at introductory price of 500 yuan or roughly $75. The price mark suggests that if indeed Nokia will return to the smartphone market soon it will take on a slow or gradual pace.

But as GSM Arena has reported earlier, Nokia is likely to rollout not one but up to three smartphone models judging from the leaked images that have been circulating since late 2015. And the chance is high that Nokia will power its fresh bunch of phones with Google's mobile operating system.

Since last year, the likelihood of Nokia phones running on Android has been hinted by the wildly rumored Nokia C1, GSM Arena said.

Nokia entering the smartphone market starting this 2016 makes sense, according to G4Games, adding that the formerly dominant phone maker's non-compete agreement with Microsoft has expired December 2015. As part of its deal with Microsoft, which bought Nokia's phone business, Nokia was prevented from building smartphone for a period of time that ended last month.

So with Microsoft's legal troubles out of the way, the road is clear for Nokia to again slug it out with other smartphone makers. This time around though, the device maker appears to join the Android league following its ill-fated decision to bet on Windows mobile OS prior to Microsoft's purchase of the company.