Nokia may be in the process of selling its smartphone unit to Microsoft, but the mobile maker isn't out for the count yet. Determined to go out on a high note, the Finnish phone firm has unveiled its first Android phone, the Nokia X.

A trio of Android handsets was shown off at the company’s press event this morning, including the X+ and the Nokia XL, which comes with a five-inch screen.

The Nokia X comes with a four--inch screen and is powered by a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The X+, meanwhile, increases the phone’s storage space, and adds the ability to include a MicroSD card.

It also more closely resembles Windows Phone in its user interface than the traditional Android, with the familiar tiles from Windows Phone making an appearance.

The new phones are expected to launch in the coming months.

The move, rumoured online for some weeks, came as no surprise to the crowds gathered at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this morning. But with Nokia’s sale to Microsoft imminent, the confirmation of the Android line certainly raised a few eyebrows.

Last night, Microsoft vice president Joe Belfiore refused to be drawn on the subject, saying only that there are things with Nokia that Microsoft is excited about and things it isn't.

The Android handsets will vie with Nokia’s Asha handsets in budget markets. But Nokia isn’t ditching Asha just yet. The company also showed off two new low-cost handsets, the Nokia 220, an affordable internet ready phone for €29, and budget smartphone 230, based on Asha. The 230 will cost €45.

Executive vice president of Nokia’s Devices & Services Stephen Elop said the company was taking a deliberate approach to offer four tiers of products. The new Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL smartphones will be “primarily for growth economies”, he said.