High five: New Nokia flagship has a quintuple-lens system

Dubai - HMD Global continues growing tradition of offering 'affordable flagship' devices

If you find triple- or even quadruple-lens cameras on smartphones not enough, HMD Global has put in a little extra to 'capture' your attention.
The maker of Nokia devices unveiled another slew of mobiles at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, with its headliner donning the world's first quintuple-lens system on a smartphone - indeed a "bold step", as the Finnish company itself puts it.
At the event, HMD Global revealed the Nokia 9 PureView, a device that comes with five-camera set-up - three monochrome lenses and two colour sensors - that promises even better sharpness and detail.
Altogether, the five Zeiss-powered lenses collect 10 times more light compared to a single-colour lens of the same type, with every image captured in high dynamic range (HDR).
"We are taking a leap forward by delivering the very best innovations," Florian Seiche, CEO of HMD Global, said.
And, as always, pricing will be well in the affordable range, a philosophy that HMD Global and Nokia have continued to place on the devices it offers. The Nokia 9 PureView is the latest in the growing line of what the company dubs as 'affordable flagships'.
"We use our heritage of innovation to take a bold step. and we believe great experiences should be available to everyone," added Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer of HMD Global.
Software over hardware
Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, general manager for the Middle East at HMD Global, said that while hardware improvements are indeed essential, it's what's inside that may really matter.
"We can see that hardware is becoming commoditised. what we are saying is that is that our devices keep getting over time because the software keeps improving," he told Khaleej Times at a media briefing ahead of the launch.
Kochhar added that all Nokia devices are guaranteed software updates for two years from their debut.
He also believes that, today and moving forward, artificial intelligence will be "very critical".
"AI learns more and more about you. but the pace at which this evolves will become faster, and that's where devices getting new software [at any price point, even on entry-level devices] will become crucial," Kochhar stressed.
On HMD Global's knack for releasing several Nokias in one go, Kochhar says they have research that backs up this strategy: it depends on user preferences, what their actual needs are without, of course, overspending on a device they find suits them right.
"We're looking at what users want and how much they're willing to pay for it," he added.
The Nokia 9 PureView - which is priced at Dh2,299 and will be available next month in the UAE - also include a 2K pOLED screen, Qi wireless charging and and in-screen fingerprint sensor.
Other smartphones in the line-up - all under Dh600 - include the Nokia 4.2 (Dh599), 3.2 (Dh569) and 1 Plus (Dh299), all of which have full Android capabilities - including a dedicated Google Assistant button - and are viable entry-level options.
As an added bonus, a Dh100 feature phone was also introduced, the Nokia 210.
New Nokia wireless chargers were also unveiled at the event.
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com