If a flurry of recently-leaked images is any indication, Nokia is likely to be on the cusp of releasing its first phablet, the Lumia 1520. Codenamed “Bandit,” the purported Lumia 1520 appeared in a series of photos posted by The Verge, showing the 6-inch handset next to an Xperia Z to emphasize the extra-large screen.
The unconfirmed Nokia handset is rumored to include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor — which has seemingly become the new standard for oversized flagship handsets. It will have 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a microSD slot for adding more space. The 6-inch display will be in full 1080p high definition.
Over the weekend, one of the tech industry’s most prolific leakers, @evleaks, tweeted a press render of the Lumia 1520 in yellow. It was the first image to leak that showed the rear panel, which includes five strange dots near the top of the device, just beneath its centered headphone jack.
“We can see a slight elevation around the camera (very similar to the Lumia 925), above which is an LED flash and five mysterious dots. The dots resemble the connectors for wireless charging covers, but seem to be a few too many (the 720 had three, the 1020 and 925 only had two),” said MyNokiaBlog.
Regarding the camera, it’s definitely too small to be the shutterbug-loving 41MP PureView found on the Lumia 1020, but resolution remains a mystery. It could end up being the same 8.7MP as the Lumia 925, but that seems a bit low with recent flagships opting for shooters in the 13MP range.
The press render also shows the device running Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone 8 update, which the company calls “General Distribution 3.” Equipped with an improved (and larger) display than its predecessors, the Lumia 1520’s Start Screen is able to display an additional column of Smart Tiles. General Distribution 3 has several other improvements that will benefit Lumia 1520 users.
“The update includes a Driving Mode feature designed to mute calls and texts automatically when paired by Bluetooth to a car. Rotation lock, and improved multitasking changes will also be included, alongside support for custom sounds on text, voice mail, email, and reminders,” said The Verge,
It’s unclear from the leaked images whether the Lumia 1520 will come with a stylus, something that has boosted the popularity of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 and upcoming Note 3.
Many smartphone manufactures have embraced the phablet trend, but the Lumia 1520 will be a first for Nokia.
“Getting into the phablet-making game — even at this late stage — is one way for Nokia to try to make its devices stand out against the iPhone, which has remained sub-phablet sized, despite Apple increasing the screen size of its current flagship iPhone 5 to four inches,” said Tech Crunch. “But it’s not going to help Lumia stand out against Android, as many Android OEMs have been ploughing the big phone furrow for some time. As well as the Galaxy Note line, a Nokia phablet would compete with phablets from the likes of Sony, LG and Huawei.”
Expect official confirmation of the first Windows Phone 8 phablet ahead of the holiday shopping season.