Nokia Penta-Lens Camera Smartphone Rumoured Ahead of HMD Global's MWC 2018 Reveal

While the world is anticipating the launch of new Nokia smartphones that are debuting at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, it has now been reported that HMD Global is preparing a new model with a penta-lens camera. The new Nokia smartphone is likely to be quite similar to the Nokia OZO camera that was debuted with eight lenses back in July 2015. The Finnish company previously disrupted the mobile handset market by bringing the Nokia 808 PureView and Windows Phone-running Lumia 1020 that both had featured a 1/1.2-inch, 41-megapixel camera sensor.

As per a report by China's VTech, sources familiar with Foxconn's R&D developments have revealed the plans for the new penta-lens camera smartphone. The Nokia handset in question is said to be already prototyped by HMD and is expected to go on sale sometime by the end of this year. Its launch is so far depending upon the mass production capabilities at Foxconn as embedding five camera lenses doesn't sound as easy as adding dual camera setups that you can see on many existing Android offerings.

The penta-lens camera system on the mysterious Nokia device is reported to come in a circular form with not five, but seven holes. Five of these holes will include camera lenses, while the remaining two are said to have two LED flashlights. It appears that this whole new camera setup may enable the new Nokia smartphone to capture splendid shots, irrespective of lighting and environmental conditions. Further, the rumoured handset is reported to have a fullscreen, thin-bezel display.

Features supporting the penta-lens camera setup are yet to surface online. However, we've already seen the presence of the Nokia brand on models such as Nokia 7 and Nokia 8 with built-in Ozo spatial audio technology. HMD also last year tied up with German optics maker ZEISS to bring its Android smartphones with distinct imaging technologies. The Nokia 8 already brought a clear example of the partnership by offering an enhanced dual camera setup that features optical image stabilisation, monochrome sensor, wide-angle lens, and a telephoto lens.

Last week, HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas teased a major showcasing plan for the MWC 2018. The executive didn't reveal any details, but some of the recent reports confirm that the company is expanding the Nokia family with the launch of the Nokia 1, Nokia 4, Nokia 7, Nokia 8 (2018), and Nokia 9. Among the new models, the Nokia 9 is expected to be the new flagship offering by the Finland-headquartered company. It is likely to have a dual selfie camera setup and a thin-bezel, 5.5-inch OLED display. The smartphone is also rumoured to come with 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel camera sensors on the back and a 3250mAh battery.

The Nokia lineup at the forthcoming MWC is also likely to get the affordable, Nokia 1 that is so far rumoured to be one of the first Android Go smartphones. It is expected to come with an HD IPS display, 1GB RAM, and 8GB onboard storage. Also, the handset is reported to go on sale in Russia with a price tag of RUB 5,999 (roughly Rs. 6,750).

HMD Global is hosting a press conference on February 25 to announce its new Nokia models before MWC. But there are no concrete details about the new penta-camera smartphone.