Nokia’s Android phone cameras could soon slay Apple and Samsung snappers – here’s why
Nokia has announced a new partnership with German optics giant Zeiss – and the move could have huge consequences for the camera featured on its upcoming Android phones
Unless you’ve been living under a clamshell handset since January, you’ll probably know that Nokia is having a very big year. The once iconic brand is back, resurrecting the Nokia 3310, unleashing a new line of budget Android phones, and buying fitness brand Withings for good measure.
Part of Nokia’s strategy earlier in the year was to talk up how it’s partnering with Google to bring a stock Android feel to devices like the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6.
Today? it’s announcing its latest partnership, this time with optical systems specialist Carl Zeiss.
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Zeiss previously worked with Nokia – before it was owned by HMD Global – when it was releasing some fantastic camera hardware on the Lumia series. Remember the Lumia 1020 with its frankly bonkers 41-megapixel camera? That was developed with Carl Zeiss optics, to give you an idea of what to expect from the tie-up.
Obviously, there’s a lot more to making a great smartphone camera than just having a high-profile partnership, but if Nokia manages to get anywhere near the level of the Lumia 1020 then it would be a very interesting development in the mobile world.
What makes this even more intriguing is that Nokia is currently focussing on the affordable end of the smartphone market. The Nokia 3, 5 and 6 all sit below the £300 mark, so if it could somehow bring a Lumia 1020-esque camera system to phones at this price point, things could get very interesting.
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Unfortunately, none of Nokia’s current crop of Android phones benefit from the Zeiss partnership – even though many haven’t been released yet.
Instead, it seems like Nokia will launch another device in the coming months that will really focus on the camera, complete with new Teutonic credentials.
Did someone say Nokia 9?
Tell us what you think about Nokia’s new deal with Zeiss in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
