Just as we were getting used to triple-camera setups, Nokia has upped the game by bringing the rumored with five-camera phone to reality. Announced at MWC 2019 this week, Nokia 9 PureView is the first smartphone camera to sport five cameras on the back.
The burning question right off the bat is why do you need that many cameras?. Nokia says that the five-camera setup allows the phone to take amazingly detailed photos. The setup is different from what’s commonly found in multi-camera setup. Instead of having a telephoto lens and an ultra-wide lens, the five cameras are similar with f/1.8, 28mm focal length, and Zeiss optics. All five rear-cameras are 12-megapixel and the front-camera is 20-megapixel.
The five cameras have different exposures and take a picture at the same time and combine to result in a very detailed image. The two cameras are RGB and three are monochrome cameras. There’s also a Time of Flight sensor on the back. Monochrome allows the camera to take more light in, so expect to see Nokia 9 PureView faring better in low-light situations.
HMD Global actually had to work with Qualcomm and Light to achieve this crazy idea. The phone uses Light’s L16 Lux Capacitor to process the images. HMD Global is extending an invitation to smartphone photography enthusiasts. Nokia 9 PureView comes with Adobe Lightroom and with profiles tuned for the phone. And speaking of editing, you can shoot in RAW format.
Although this is the most high-end Nokia phone produced yet by HMD Global, it does not feature the latest Snapdragon chipset. Instead, Nokia 9 PureView is powered by last year’s Snapdragon 845, which isn’t a slouch by any means. You get 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, 3320 mAh battery, USB Type-C, fast charging, wireless charging, The screen is a 5.99” QHD pOLED display, and oh, there’s an in-display fingerprint sensor. You also get a stock Android experience as the device runs on Android One.
Nokia 9 PureView costs €599, around $699 USD and is expected to launch this year. Nokia is also branding this as a limited edition run, so don’t expect the manufacturing line to last long.
