According to Sebastian Nyström, Head of Products Business Nokia Technologies, work on the tablet began on 28 April just days after the acquisition of its former mobile phone division by Microsoft.

In response to this regression, a Nokia spokesperson stated that "our partner didn’t have access to that kind of solution on the chipset that we’re building the device on.

[1][7] The N1 runs an otherwise stock distribution of Android 5.0 "Lollipop", but includes an alternative home screen known as Z Launcher.

Z Launcher emphasizes the use of gestures for navigation; users can search for applications or contacts by tracing letters onto the device's screen.

Z Launcher was also released via Google Play Store for Android smartphones, but the tablet version is exclusive to the N1.