HMD to launch new Nokia Android phone

Nokia are looking to make a comeback to the mobile marketplace and are set to launch their first Android smartphone in China.

Nokia are set to launch their first Android smartphone in China. (AAP)

The Nokia mobile phone is coming back.

Finland-based HMD Global says it's launching its first smartphone - the Nokia 6 - in China, under license from the network provider -once the world's top mobile phone maker.

The aluminum handset, with a 5.5-inch screen, will be the first Nokia to run the Android operating system.

HMD Global, the licensee of the Nokia brand for mobile phones and tablets, said Sunday it chose to launch in China - with more than 550 million smartphone users - because of a "desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world."

The Nokia 6 will be available in early 2017 at an approximate price of $US245 ($A335)

It was unclear when it would be available in other markets.