Nokia has unveiled the Nokia Lumia 1020, bringing together its impressive camera technology with the Windows Phone 8 OS.
The handset features a 4.5” display, 2GB of RAM, and a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, but its key selling point is undoubtedly the 41MP sensor camera, which comes with its own app, Nokia Pro Camera, and an imaging SDK for developers. The camera has a dual capture feature, which simultaneously takes high- and low-resolutions photos, with the latter being intended for quickly sharing on social networks without compromising quality.
The real question, though, is whether the handset could be successful enough to turn around the fortunes of Nokia, which has struggled in recent years – or even help Windows Phone 8 finally find its audience. We reached out to some of the industrys best and brightest to see what they thought.
Geoff Blaber, director of devices and software platforms at CCS Insight
“Nokia is positioning the Lumia 1020 as a flagship product for its next generation of smartphones,” says Blaber. “Alone, it will not transform Nokias fortunes but the publicity generated around the innovative camera technology will be a major boost, not only to the Lumia brand but also the Windows Phone platform.
“Microsoft must now recognise that it needs to be more supportive towards Nokia. If Nokia fails in its bid to establish Windows Phone as a credible alternative to iOS and Android, it will derail all attempts by Microsoft to gain a foothold in this highly strategic segment.”
Greg Isbister, CEO of mobile advertising company BlisMedia
“Do these sort of advances in sensor technology signal a very tough future for the likes of Nikon and Canon? Definitely, the answer has to be yes. The need of having a specialist camera for the everyday budding photographer is slipping with improvements in smartphone lenses and image processing.”
“As for whether a 41MP sensor is going to stop the tide of consumers going to Samsung and Apple, I really doubt it. While the camera is an important feature for the mainstream consumer, they’re unlikely to notice any drastic change in quality for 99 per cent of their pictures – and they have other priorities ahead of the camera, as demonstrated by the iPhone’s popularity.” 
Malik Saadi, principal analyst at Informa
“The Lumia 1020 is not just another evolutionary upgrade – it is packed with some revolutionary technologies, most of which are related to camera and computational imaging,” says Saadi.
“The handsets characteristics will no doubt put the bar far too high for those of Nokia’s competitors that are looking to differentiate on the camera quality. So far, there are a couple that will soon be introducing 20MP in their future products, but most use 8MP sensors and plan to upgrade to 12MP by the end of the year.
“The question here is how to reach out to this audience and what marketing message should Nokia send? This is the question the Finnish company and its operator partners need to tackle.”
Tony Cripps, Principal device analyst at Ovum
“The 1020s vast megapixel count is a significant marketing asset because consumers have been well trained that more pixels are better in digital photography. This message is far clearer and simpler than HTCs “UltraPixel” proposition,” says Cripps. “41MP outguns even Samsungs camera-smartphone hybrids in pixel count by more than 2:1.
“However, the issue for Nokia is that photography on smartphones is not just about having the best quality pictures. Sharing pictures to social networks is more important to most consumers than printing, and the lack of an Instagram app for Windows Phone reinforces the fact that the platform is lagging in choice and quality of apps.”
