HMD Global is working on a new Nokia-branded Android flagship meant to feature six lenses in total, according to a recent rumor from China. The device is said to have a single-lens imaging system on its top bezel and a pentuple-camera setup relying on one or more sensors and five lenses on its rear, with the entire package reportedly being reminiscent of the Lumia 1020, a Windows Phone 8-powered handset from 2013 which was capable of delivering 41-megapixel images. The source of the rumor specifically states that the smartphone in question is not the Nokia 8 (2018) that’s also said to be in the works. Likewise, the Nokia 9 flagship is understood to be a separate device with a more traditional dual-camera setup.
The photography-focused offering will reportedly be unveiled later this year and won’t make an appearance at the 2018 edition of the Mobile World Congress set to start on February 26th. Much like the rest of HMD’s Nokia phones, the rumored device is expected to be manufactured by FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn. Trial production may have already been concluded, with the mass manufacturing possibly being planned to start in mid-2018, according to the same report. Based on that timeframe, the ultra-premium handset may be announced at IFA 2018 in late August or close to the Berlin, Germany-based trade show. The design of the pentuple-camera setup found on the unnamed device is likely to resemble the circular module protruding from the back of the Lumia 1020, though the platform will house more lenses and a dual-LED (dual-tone) flash unit. HMD is said to have opted to power the device with the Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm’s latest and most powerful system-on-chip to date announced last month. The same silicon is expected to be featured in the vast majority of high-end Android devices released over the course of this year.
The source of the rumor also claims the Nokia 8 (2018) won’t be announced at MWC (2018) as its flow production still hasn’t started. Instead, the Barcelona, Spain-based trade show should see the introduction of the global variants of the Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 7, as well as the announcement of the Nokia 9 that may feature a bezel-less design and the Snapdragon 835 SoC. HMD recently told consumers to expect something “awesome” from the company’s MWC 2018 conference.