Nokia has unveiled its latest Lumia 1020 with powerful 41MP camera with its innovative Pureview technology, to give competition to Android devices especially of Samsung and Apple’s iPhone, which has captured 90 percent of smartphone market.
The new Lumia’s 41-megapixel count far exceeds those of the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, at 8 and 16 megapixels respectively. It is also higher than some compact cameras, although higher megapixels do not necessarily mean better photos as factors such as lens quality also affect the end result.
“The imaging capabilities here are extraordinary,” said Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart. But he added: “It’s still a Windows Phone … if somebody is looking for applications they’re still going to look at iPhone.”
Jo Harlow, Nokia’s executive vice president in charge of smart devices, said the growing popularity of photo and video sharing meant more consumers will want better cameras. “Taking pictures is in the top three things people do with a smartphone. It’s a relevant feature to be focused on,” she told Reuters. “To stand out you have to differentiate.”
Earlier Lumia models also won positive reviews from critics and technology blogs but have failed to halt a shift to Android phones.
One major handicap has been a lack of apps. Windows Phone has only 160,000 apps, while rivals offer about five times as many because developers prefer to make them for the higher-volume operating systems.
“Despite the quality of the device, I have some serious doubts about whether it will change Nokia’s fortunes, and it risks becoming a niche product,” said IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo.
“This ( Lumia 1020 )is the first real glimmer of hope for Nokia’s resurgence and the viability of the Windows ecosystem in smartphones – provided Nokia, Microsoft, and their operator partners can convince consumers that this experience is indeed a leap forward,” said Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin. “That will be the real hard work.”
But whether Nokia gets success in its latest bid to pose challenge to Android and Apple devices, will be clear in the coming weeks and if Nokia fail in this attempt, then again take-over rumors will start getting prominence. The coming weeks will give sleepless nights to management of Nokia.
(with Inputs from Reuters)
