VIDEO INTERVIEW: Bringing Android into the Microsoft fold through the Nokia X series is a masterstroke, benefiting both the Nokia and Windows Phone brands, argues Tero Lehtonen, head of mobile phones portfolio planning for Microsoft Devices Group.

In a recent interview with Mobile World Live he also emphasised “the huge growth opportunity” in emerging markets for affordable smartphones that Android helps address. And by supporting the popular OS platform, Lehtonen said it reflected the mobile-first and cloud-first strategy pursued by new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

According to the former Nokia man, now working for Microsoft following its purchase of the Finnish firm’s device business, around half of X-series consumers are new since they are Android users lured away from other manufacturers. The other X series customers come from feature-phone upgrades (primarily Nokia-branded devices), preventing these users churning to another manufacturer.

One question that perhaps remains unanswered is how much Nokia X devices, supporting Android, impact Microsoft’s ability to attract new consumers to Windows Phone devices. Lehtonen is not overly concerned, claiming that the company has not seen any cannibilisation “so far.” The Microsoft man does, however, suggest it is something the company needs to keep an eye on longer-term.

Watch the whole video here.