Rumored Nokia Lumia EOS Spotted in the Wild

The mythical Nokia Lumia EOS smartphone that’s been rumored with a 41-megapixel PureView camera sensor similar to that of theNokia 808 has been spotted in the wild. According to a report on WMPU, one of the publication’s readers has spotted the device out in the opened and the details were confirmed by another source.

No images of the devices were leaked or captured, but if the report is accurate, we now know a little bit more about the Lumia EOS.

According to the source, the device will not be using the new metal construction that’s employed on the new Lumia 925 flagship. Instead, Nokia will use a polycarbonate construction.

The device is made of polycarbonate, and is about as thick as the Nokia Lumia 920 in the middle, but is highly tapered at both ends, giving the impression of a much slimmer device.

The lens housing is round in shape and does not protrude much. The flash is Xenon, and the flash and lens are both smaller than the Nokia 808 Pureview. Next to the flash is a small red LED which may be a focus assist light.

If this information is accurate, it looks like Nokia has made considerable strides with the device. The thickness of the Nokia 808 was because the sensor is so big that it required that area, forcing Nokia to add a camera hump on the back.

The red LED auto-focus assist light seems rather odd as Nokia has moved to a white LED auto-focus assist light on both the Lumia 928 and the Nokia 808, both phones have Xenon flash capabilities as well. The smaller Xenon flash may be a bit of a disappointment. Though the flash on the Nokia 808 PureView is bright and powerful, the smaller Xenon flash on the Lumia 928 appears more muted and isn’t quite as good at illuminating a scene as that on the 808.

The lens also has an automatic cover that opens when the camera app is started.

The number of megapixels were not marked on the prototype, with “XX megapixels” only being written on the lens housing.

There is a new camera app called “Nokia Pro Camera”with a completely new interface. There is also manual focus available through the app. The regular photo app is also available.

Given that Nokia is disguising the megapixel count on the camera, it’s unclear if this will be a 41-megapixel device. Nokia has since used a smaller 8.7-megapixel sensor on its most recent PureView flagships, but added optical image stabilization. Personally, I think that even an incremental upgrade, like a 20-megapixel sensor but with a larger sensor footprint like that on the Nokia 808, along with OIS capabilities would be a huge win for consumers looking for a more modern smartphone OS like Windows Phone and powerful camera features.

The winning prize of the Nokia 808′s PureView camera technology is not the sheer number of pixels it packs, but that the overall sensor size is larger too. In fact, the camera sensor is larger than most point-and-shoot camera sensors, which are already larger than many smartphone sensors. This allows more light to be captured and also allows for better control of the camera for professionals. Add a new camera UI and we could have a camera designed more for enthusiasts but flexible enough for consumers to benefit from.

Overall, the size of the phone is described to be similar to that of the Lumia 920, but the phone itself is said to be much lighter.

The screen size and resolution is same as 920, and appears to be AMOLED. The speaker holes are at the bottom as the handset.

The handset was much lighter than the Nokia Lumia 920.

Additionally, it looks like wireless charging won’t be built-in, but may be added via a cover like that on the Lumia 925.

Nokia is rumored to introduce this device in the late summer period, perhaps in July or August. If true, this means the phone may be compared to the next iPhone 5S when that device launches from Apple.

We’re still not sure how accurate any of the information is as despite the growing number of leaks and rumors surrounding the much hyped device, Nokia still has not made any official announcements. The device was originally rumored to be announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but that never came to fruition.