The PureView 808 was well-received, and at the time seemed to be evidence that there was a future for Symbian. It took Nokia two years to bring PureView to its Windows Phone range, but it now has an important asset in hand. The first Lumia smartphone to use the PureView technology was the 920, launched in November last year.
PureView has essentially three features: a high resolution and performance, advanced image editing options and high-quality lenses that make the most of the high-res sensors. At the same time its a cunning marketing tool aimed at strengthening Nokia's reputation as a technology leader.
Imaging is an important part of Nokia's strategy on the smartphone market. A year ago in the middle of a major reorganisation Nokia acquired the Swedish imaging specialist Scalado. Nokia said it wanted to combine its own expertise in cameras with Scalado's imaging expertise for the Lumia range of smartphones.
Nokia also invested in the California start-up Pelican Imaging, active in light field photography which allows a photo to be refocused after it's been taken. Nokia has also acquired stakes in the imaging technology company InVisage and micro-optics specialist Heptagon.
While PureView stands out at Nokia, it's not the only company working on cameras. Samsung's Galaxy S4 Zoom offers optical zoom, Huawei's Ascend P6 comes with a 5 megapixel front-facing camera, and HTC introduced with its One smartphone the concept of ‘ultrapixels’. Sony has also integrated in its high-end models its advanced sensor technology Exmoor and a 13 megapixel camera.
While imaging technology has undoubtedly improved on a number of top phones launched this year, the question is whether the quality of the camera is a determining factor in the decision to buy a phone. More important may be the options phones offer to edit the photos and videos and share them over social networks. This has more to do with the availability of apps, something Windows Phone is still lagging in compared to Android and iOS.
In that sense Nokia is down a USP where it should be up one with PureView. Hundreds of millions of photos and videos are uploaded and shared each day over Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest, Twitter, Tumblr, Vine, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Windows Phone 8 still does not have all the popular apps, although Nokia and Microsoft have announced that Vine, Flipboard and Path will be available soon.
Nokia's hope is that PureView on Windows Phone will set it apart from the competition. Nokia's lead in imaging gives it an important trump card, but more will depend on the development of Windows Phone, which still has a global market share of just 3 percent.
Nokia offers its own Pro Camera app on the Lumia 1020. This allows users to control features such as the shutter speed and white balance. Earlier this year it also brought City Lens out of beta. This app uses the camera to find nearby points of interest. The latest version comes with LiveSight, a technology that offers accurate 3D images of the world, and Sightline, a new feature that limits recommended places in busy areas to those directly within view.
Nokia is accelerating its camera innovation, giving it a clear advantage over competitors. However, it is still dependent on an ecosystem (Windows Phone) that is just as, if not more important than its own technology in what it brings on the market.
