Nokia 9 with 5 rear cameras

After months of rumor and hopeful speculation, Nokia officially debuted its highly anticipated penta-lens camera, the Nokia 9 PureView, at Mobile World Congress 2019. 

Yes, you read that correctly. Penta, as in five. Skeptics might view this record-breaking number of lenses as something of a gimmick, but early indications are that this innovative setup can produce some of the sharpest, most detailed images available from a smartphone today.

Apart from the total number of lenses, what separates the Nokia 9 PureView from other multi-camera setups is the fact that all five cameras shoot the same number of megapixels (12) and have the same aperture (f/1.8). Two of those five shoot RGB, while the other three are monochrome. 

The general idea is that when you snap a photo, each of the five cameras shoots a different exposure, and then all that information is merged into a final, highly-detailed shot. Because each camera automatically adjusts the exposure across the scene—as opposed to single focal point—you’ll get a wide dynamic range, as well as enhanced detail in sunlight and shadow areas. 

Ultra-detailed images aren’t the only benefit of the PureView’s penta-camera system. It also lets you shoot RAW images, can capture 4K HDR video, and features a 20MP front-facing camera. Not to mention the entire penta-camera system was made with ZEISS optics, so you get one of the most trusted names in the camera world backing it.

Revolutionary camera setup aside, the Nokia 9 PureView offers a lot of flagship-worthy specs, including an edge-to-edge 6-inch 2K display, 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage, and a bespoke Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU. Additional features, such as nifty under-screen fingerprint sensor, Qi wireless charging, and USB-C port prove the PureView was designed with everyone in mind, not just pro photographers.

Source: AP