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Nokia 9 PureView Case Leaks, Reconfirms Penta Camera Setup

A new piece of the Nokia 9 PureView puzzle has just surfaced online, the device’s case has just surfaced. Based on the provided images, this is a regular silicone case, but it has cutouts in all the right places, and based on those, it goes hand-in-hand with the recently-leaked CAD-based renders, and a number of other leaked images that we’ve seen lately. This Nokia 9 PureView case seems to be cyan-colored, and it has seven ‘rings’ aka cutouts on the back, while the top cutout sports a rather odd shape because a noise-canceling microphone will be placed right above a camera sensor that fits in that cutout. You will also notice a cutout on the top of the device, but no, it’s not there for a 3.5mm headphone jack, despite its size, that cutout is there for another noise-canceling microphone. There are three cutouts on the bottom of this case, and they’re there for the phone’s loudspeaker, Type-C USB port, and a microphone. As you can see, the phone’s physical buttons will be included on the right-hand side of the device, as this case suggests. Only one case surfaced, and it’s available in only one color, but it reaffirms what we’ve seen thus far.

Background: The Nokia 9 PureView CAD-based renders surfaced earlier this month, and they revealed that the upcoming device will be made out of metal and glass. The phone will sport five cameras on the back, despite the fact it has seven rings back there. The sixth ring is reserved for an LED flash, while the seventh will host some sort of a dual sensor for the device. The phone’s back side will be slightly curved, while Nokia’s logo will be placed on it, and it will also be included in the top-right portion of the phone’s front side. The device will include some bezel above and below the display, its bezels will not be as thin as one some other flagship phones out there, but it won’t sport a display notch either. Its display will sport rounded corners, though, as expected. Along with those leaked renders, some spec info also surfaced, the source noted that the phone will include a 5.9-inch QHD+ display with an 18:9 display aspect ratio, while the device itself will measure 155 x 75 x 7.9mm, and it will have a single camera on the front. The phone is also expected to include an in-display fingerprint scanner, as a fingerprint scanner is not visible anywhere on the device that leaked, while facial scanning will also be an option.

Now, the Nokia 9 PureView was actually supposed to launch earlier this year as the “Nokia 9”, but the device got postponed, and in the meantime, HMD Global actually acquired right to use the “PureView” brand from Microsoft, so rumors started immediately that the Nokia 9 will include PureView tech, and some rumors suggested that the device’s final name will be the “Nokia 9 PureView”, which is possible. The phone’s launch was delayed by the company as the company’s Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas, did not think that the Nokia 9 is ready for the market. That move managed to anger some of HMD Global’s employees, as they felt the company was missing out to compete in the high-end segment of the market. The device was then rumored to arrive at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona, but some rumors suggested that it will arrive sooner than that, in January next year. Having that in mind, HMD Global actually scheduled an event for December 5, which is in less than a month, and the company also suggested that three smartphones will be announced during that event. The Nokia 8.1 and Nokia 2.1 Plus are expected to arrive, and the third phone that is rumored to launch is the Nokia 9 PureView, though we’re not sure how realistic that is. HMD Global will probably want to host a separate event in order to launch that device, or at least launch it during a tradeshow next year, tradeshow such as CES in January, or MWC in February.

The Nokia 9 PureView is expected to ship with either the Snapdragon 845 or Snapdragon 8150 aka Snapdragon 855, while the device will include at least 6GB of RAM on the inside, and chances are we’ll get more than one storage option to choose from. Android 9 Pie will come pre-installed on the device, and the Nokia 9 PureView will be a part of Google’s Android One project. ZEISS optics are expected to be included on the device, while PureView technology is also expected, at least if rumors are to be believed, though HMD Global did not have much time to implement PureView tech into the device, so we’ll see if it will end up being a part of it or not. The device is also expected to include a rather large battery on the inside, something close to 4,000mAh, while some sort of fast charging will probably be included as well, quite probably Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+. Wireless charging is also an option, as the device will have a glass back, but we’re only guessing, we’ll see what will happen once the device gets announced, of course.

Impact: The Nokia 9 PureView will be a direct successor to the Nokia 8, which was announced back in September last year. The Nokia 9 PureView is expected to be a considerably different phone to the Nokia 8, at least in the design department. HMD Global will hopefully include the Snapdragon 8150 inside of the Nokia 9 PureView, but may happen only if the device gets announced next year. Qualcomm still did not introduce the rumored Snapdragon 8150, its next-gen flagship processor, but it probably will at the beginning of December. The Snapdragon 8150 will be included in a number of flagship phones next year, and first phones with that SoC will start coming in February, most probably. It would be wise for HMD Global to wait a bit longer and launch the Nokia 9 PureView with the next-gen flagship SoC, than to include a chip which will not be Qualcomm’s flagship for much longer, no matter how great it is.