Nokia will apparently launch a Windows 8.1 smartphone, dubbed Superman by the end of this year. The device will sport a 5 megapixel front camera, a feature highly craved by the selfie crowd. The phone dubbed Superman will be the first phone since Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) swallowed Nokia device division, and it will be a mid-range smartphone with screen size of 4.7 inches.
Nokia not the pioneer in powerful front camera
Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) is not the first one to feature a 5 mp front facing camera. Smartphones like the HTC One M8, Huawei P6 and Ascend G6, the Lenovo Vibe X and Blue Life Pro already offer the powerful front camera.
“We understand that Superman is designed as a 4.7-inch mid-range handset that’s expected to debut towards the end of the year,” reported The Verge earlier.
Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V)’s Superman may arrive towards the fall as the Finnish company already has a few Lumia phones like Lumia 930, Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 coming out this year. At present, Microsoft is readying two new updates for Windows Phone 8.1 known as General Distribution Releases (GDR). GDR 1 will be released in the middle of this year and GDR 2 could release around the time of the Superman debut.
There is no word on whether the phone will have Nokia or Microsoft branding, but the 5 MP front camera will be helpful for Skype calls as Skype will soon be the default video calling app for Windows Phones.
Other codenamed devices
Until now, Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) aimed at launching phones with high-tech rear cameras by adopting technologies like PureView. Low price Nokia phones did not have a front camera, but the high-priced ones had a front cameras that did not offer too much in terms of features and functionality.
A few details on the upcoming Microsoft-Nokia hardware “Goldfinger” were revealed recently, such as the device is said to feature a unique 3D touch that can read gestures even when a user does not touch the device. Another Nokia Phone is codenamed “Moonraker,” referring to the James Bond 1979 film. Other device code names are Onyx and Peridot in reference to the precious stones.
