The Nokia N8 is apparently getting a new replacement from the Finnish manufacture, although this upcoming handset could well be the last phone produced by the company to run the Symbian operating system, according to The Register.

It is thought that Nokia has pulled the plug on developing all but the N8's sequel, which ties in with recent reports, claiming that a Symbian exodus was being initiated earlier than previously imagined, as Windows Phone becomes the firm's primary smartphone platform.

The Nokia N8, with its 12 megapixel camera and 3.5 inch OLED screen, was in itself an inspiration for the Lumia 800, Nokia's first Windows Phone handset. Few people are likely to mourn the departure of Symbian, given that it has not been competitive for several years, but if Nokia has one final fling with the platform, then it will hopefully deliver something worth putting in the history books.

If an N8 replacement is on the cards, then it will presumably be more of a midrange offering, which could put it in direct competition with two new Android smartphones from LG, which have been the subject of rumours ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event this month.

The LG-P700 is going to be the more affordable of the two mobiles, according to CNET. It will have a modest touchscreen display with a native resolution of 480x640, as well as the Android 4.0 operating system onboard.

Meanwhile, the LG-P880 will be geared at the higher end of the market, thanks to a quad core processor and a 4.7 inch 720p screen. This will supposedly be backed up with a 2000mAh battery to help give it operational longevity that might otherwise be lacking.

Of course Symbian is arguably no match for Android 4.0, even with Nokia's many augmentations and tweaks which have been added over the years. But then the Symbian platform has become something of a hit in the developing world, while Android, iOS and Windows Phone are more dominant in the west, where consumers have more cash to invest in handsets.

MWC might represent the end of an era for Nokia, while LG will be hoping that it can kick start a comeback in 2012, as it has seen rival Samsung releasing hit handset after hit handset, while its own offerings fail to find as much favour with the mobile-buying public.