Nokia will unveil a 'true' PureView Windows Phone device this summer

Nokia is working on a true PureView Windows Phone device to be launched later this year in a busy summer for the Finnish giant.

Sources told The Verge that the high-end handset, codenamed EOS, will boast a sensor similar to the one found on Nokia's 808 PureView symbian smartphone. The upgraded sensor for Windows Phone means the EOS will be ranged as a high-end Lumia, but not the flagship device, in the company’s range of smartphones for 2013. The Verge also reported that the EOS will have an aluminium body unlike the now-familiar polycarbonate shells found on recent Lumia Windows Phone devices, such as the Lumia 920 and 820.

Nokia EOS will have a PureView camera

US carrier AT&T will reportedly stock this handset later this year, according to the sources. The squared edges of the upcoming phone will be a stark departure from the soft curves of the current Lumia line-up. The EOS will be part of a fresh design cycle for Nokia's Lumia handsets that focusses on a new look. Nokia did not deviate from the design of its first Windows Phone handset in the Lumia 920. The 920, like the Lumia 900 before it, is carved out of a single block of polycarbonate. The unibody approach makes it durable and the handset is extremely well-built, if a little too chunky.

The Espoo company is also planning a Lumia 920 replacement in the form of the Catwalk that will also feature an aluminium chassis. The internal specifications of the the Catwalk will be very similar to the current Lumia 920, so it is slated to be Nokia’s flagship 2013 smartphone. Work is also going on in developing another mid-range device that is expected to debut early this summer; it will most likely be the replacement for the current mid-tier Nokia Lumia 820. 

Nokia is also building its own Windows RT tablet on the lines of the Microsoft Surface slate and this will debut in the first half of 2013. The rumoured tablet will have HDMI and USB ports along with a 10.1-inch display, but Nokia will be placing more emphasis on the battery-equipped keyboard cover. The cover provides a keyboard and a kickstand for the tablet and will have two USB ports for additional connectivity. The main tablet is rumoured to have a 10-hour standby time with fast charging. The tablet will also be launched under the Lumia brand of devices.

A move towards using aluminium for the body construction is a throwback to the days when there was no Windows Phone on the horizon for Nokia. The company’s first all-aluminium handset was the Symbian 3 device, the N8. The company’s latest Windows Phone 8 devices have so far been received well. Even though the Lumia 920 has a PureView camera, its 8.7MP sensor falls short of the original Nokia 808 PureView, which had a 41-megapixel camera. Nevertheless, the Lumia 920 is a solid performer as we found out in our recent review.