The New Nokia Lumia 1020

Nokia have unveiled a new handset, the Lumia 1020, which boasts a feature that allows users to zoom in and reframe their photos without the risk of decreasing image quality. The Lumia 1020 comes with a 41-megapixel sensor and offers highly detailed photos at up to 38MP resolution.

This isn’t the first time Nokia have used a 41-megapixel sensor in a phone. The Pureview 808 was launched last year but it did not appeal to many people, mainly due to the fact that it was running the old Symbian operating system. However, Nokia’s new handset runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. With more than 160,000 apps, hopefully it will prove more popular.

It is not just photos that benefit from the extra resolution, but also the video recording capabilites. The user can zoom in four times while recording a 1080p high definition video and six times in a 720P version,without losing any quality.

To help prevent shaky videos, the lens system has been mounted on ball bearings. A gyroscope and motors help to counteract any movement so the overall finish is alot clearer and more stable.

What The Analysts Have to Say

Nokia have said that the handset is perfect for people who want to “shoot first,zoom later”. But with stiff competition from Samsung and Apple, is it enough to keep pace?

The market research company IDC carried out a survey of smartphone owners to determine what drove them to purchase a particular handset. Of the 23 features suggested, camera resolution came 15th in the list, with people placing more importance on audio quality, battery life, device security and browsing. This suggests that perhaps the handset won’t be the most popular.

Nokia have priced the Lumia 1020 at $300, on top of a two year contract. This high price tag will no doubt mean the handset will undergo some scrutiny to make sure it lives up to the cost of purchase.

Francisco Jeronimo, a mobile phone analyst at IDC said that “For an amateur or professional photographer who needs a quality camera on the move, this is the best option available on a smartphone. But to be able to compete with Apple and Samsung, Nokia will need to price it aggressively and to increase activities in the stores to show consumers how much better the camera performs against the competition.”

“Failing that, the Nokia Lumia 1020 will become a niche product for a niche segment – professional mobile photographers.”

The Lumia 1020 goes on sale in the US on July 26, while parts of Europe and China can expect a release date before September.

[Images via gadgetreview.com]

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23272758