Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Nokia’s making camera phones with lens experts Zeiss again, and we can’t wait

By

5 phones ahead of their time
Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr
If there’s one thing Windows phones were known for, it’s the camera. That’s largely due to Nokia and optics-expert Zeiss, two companies that brought us excellent camera phones like the Nokia 808 PureView and the famous Nokia Lumia 1020. Now, the legendary collaboration is making a return, as HMD Global has announced an exclusive partnership deal that will see Zeiss and HMD work on new photographic systems for future Nokia smartphones.

If you’re unaware, Nokia itself isn’t making smartphones anymore — that honor has passed on to HMD Global, which is mostly comprised of ex-Nokia employees. Don’t pass this partnership with Zeiss as a mere branding exercise, either. The long-term agreement will see HMD Global and Zeiss work together on all aspects of Nokia smartphone cameras. Zeiss will collaborate on camera optics, of course, but it will also assist with the software experience, services offered, and even the screen quality of the phone itself. It’s exclusive, too, so we won’t see Zeiss’s work on any other phones.

Recommended Videos

HMD Global’s CEO Arto Nummela is understandably excited about the potential. He says he’s aware we want more than just a great smartphone camera today, and expect “a complete imaging experience that doesn’t just set the standard but redefines it.” He promises the Zeiss partnership will help Nokia deliver this.

Related

While the 2012 Nokia 808 PureView, or 2013 Lumia 1020 are probably the last Nokia camera phones with a Zeiss lens to wow smartphone photographers, the partnership extends back to 2005, and produced many other notable camera phones in Nokia’s highly regarded N Series, including the award-winning N95. At the time, there was nothing quite like the N95’s 5-megapixel, f/2.8 aperture camera; it was arguably the first “modern” camera phone, and extremely influential in the industry.

It’s not just this history that makes us excited to see the first devices from HMD Global and Zeiss. Huawei and Leica have shown how successful a camera-related partnership can be today, with the superb dual-lens camera on the Huawei P9, Huawei P10, and the Huawei Mate 9. We’re hopeful a Zeiss-equipped Nokia phone can meet the expectations many will have of it; there’s no news yet on when the first models will arrive.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
The Nothing Phone is finally coming to the U.S., and I can’t wait
The Nothing Phone 1 held in a mans hand, seen from the back.

Nothing just announced that it has sold over 1 million combined units of its maiden smartphone and stylish earbuds, barely a year after its first product launched. The juicy revelation came courtesy of a CNBC interview, during which co-founder Carl Pei said the company is planning to bring its flashy smartphones to the U.S. market. 
The British upstart from the former OnePlus co-founder hasn’t put the Nothing Phone 1 on American retail shelves, despite the phone making positive waves in Europe and Asia. The company had argued that it was primarily focusing on markets where it has “strong partnerships with leading local carriers.”  

However, the company did commit to launching “a U.S.-supported mobile in the future.” Now, the confirmation comes straight from Pei, teh CEO. He cited “additional technical support, to support all the carriers and their unique customizations” as the reasons why the Nothing Phone 1 didn’t come to Apple’s home market. 

Read more
Surprisingly, the iPhone 14 Pro can’t win this epic camera shootout
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro and Apple iPhone 14 Pro camera modules.

Huawei and Leica created some of the very best camera phones I’ve ever used, with the P20 Pro, in particular, igniting my interest in mobile photography. The Apple iPhone has always provided it with a strong challenge, and for a long time, an iPhone and a Huawei phone were my camera go-to devices. Huawei and Leica have now parted ways, so what has become of the brand’s cameras?

The Mate 50 Pro is one of its highest-profile new devices to launch without Leica’s involvement in the camera, so it’s fitting to put it up against the iPhone 14 Pro to see whether Huawei’s cameras still stack up against the best Apple has in 2022.
iPhone 14 Pro and Mate 50 Pro camera specs
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Read more
HMD Global wants you to keep your new Nokia phone and save the planet
All the devices included in HMD Global's new Circular plan.

HMD Global, the company that owns the license to make Nokia phones, is introducing a selection of new phones. And alongside those phones, there's also a new way to purchase one of them to encourage you to keep it for longer than usual. That’s right, HMD Global doesn’t want you to keep upgrading your phone, an unusual strategy for any phone maker.
Nokia's plan to 'redefine phone ownership'
The new way to buy and keep your phone is called Circular, and it will “redefine phone ownership,” according to HMD Global. So what’s it all about? On the surface, it’s a simple phone leasing service, where you sign up with the company and pay monthly for your new Nokia phone. It’s a fixed contract for just three months, then you’re free to cancel, continue, or upgrade when you want. But don't do that, because Circular is all about keeping your phone.

What makes it different from the rest is that HMD Global will reward you for keeping your phone, but not through free gifts or a break on your monthly payments. Instead, you earn virtual credits called Seed of Tomorrow (yes, really) to invest in a set of curated environmentally aware causes. The longer you keep your phone, the more seeds you get, and the more causes you can support. Unconnected, Ecologi, and Clear Rivers are the names already onboard.

Read more