Nokia has unveiled the Nokia Lumia 1020, a Windows 8 smartphone with a 41 megapixel camera with zoom. A 41 megapixel camera. You read that right!

The Nokia Lumia 1020’s 41 megapixel sensor features Zeiss optics with six physical lenses, plus optical image stabilization. The smartphone also comes with an application called Nokia Pro Camera, which makes it easy for anyone to take professional quality images, says the company. 

The Nokia Lumia 1020 simultaneously takes a high-resolution 38 megapixel image, and creates a 5 megapixel version of the same picture, that can be shared via social networks.

Nokia has also launched a camera grip, an accessory that complements device features usually reserved for stand-alone cameras, like the Nokia Lumia 1020’s built-in xenon flash and mechanical shutter. The Nokia Camera Grip also has a tripod mount, and is expected to be available this month for $79.

Nokia also released a new imaging software development kit (SDK) that provides key image editing features of the Nokia Lumia 1020 to developers. Vyclone, Yelp and CNN will be integrating these features into future releases.

The Lumia 1020 also captures blur-free videos with stereo sound with Nokia Rich Recording, which handles sound pressure levels six times louder than conventional smartphone microphones, says Nokia.

Stephen Elop (President and CEO, Nokia): We want to take people on a journey from capturing pictures to recording and sharing their lives.   

The Nokia Lumia 1020 will be available with AT&T, from the end of this month, for $299.99 on a two-year contract. The Nokia Lumia 1020 is expected to arrive in China and key European markets this quarter. Nokia plans to ship a variant of the device with Telefonica to select European and Latin American markets.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 will be available in yellow, white and black.

Nokia Lumia 1020 – Technical Specs

• OS: Windows Phone 8
• Display: 4.5″ AMOLED WXGA (1280×768), 2.5 D sculpted Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Battery: 2000 mAh battery, wireless charging supported via cover
• Processor: 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4
• Main camera: PureView 41 MP with optical image stabilization, Resolution: 7712 x 5360. Includes Nokia Pro Camera. Xenon flash for still images, LED flash for video.
• Front-facing camera: HD 1.2 MP wide angle
• Memory: 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal memory; 7 GB free SkyDrive cloud storage

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