According to a report by Reuters today, Finnish mobile handset manufacturer Nokia will cut the number of smartphones it releases next year by a full 50 percent in comparison to 2009, indicating that roughly 10 new models would be introduced in 2010.

Nokia has yet to release this information officially but analysts expect more exact numbers to be revealed when they do. A quote from a Nokia representative appears in the Reuters article as follows:

We have cut down unnecessary differentiation, so that we have a far more focused portfolio for next year. We can put more effort behind these products.

Antti Vasara, head of Nokia’s smartphone unit R&D