Could the Nokia 9 Pureview be the best camera phone of 2019?

The Nokia 9 Pureview has been leaked again in a promotional video - and it looks like the five camera array is on the way with more post-snapping credentials.

Tech site MySmartPrice is claiming a new video is a leaked promotional effort for the new phone, and it shows off a number of new features of the phone. (A still from the same video was tweeted by @Evleaks too, showing off the new camera setup).

The first thing highlighted by the video is that we're definitely getting the penta-sensor set up, with enhanced low-light performance being a key element (10 times better than a 'regular' smartphone, whatever parent brand HMD Global considers that to be), and post-snap background blurring a possibility with Google Photos.

It's clear that Nokia is going all-in on its relationship with Google as one of the key partners of the Android One initiative, as most of the video focuses on the benefits of that rather than really explaining what this camera will do.

In terms of specs, the leaked video claims that the Nokia 9 Pureview will have 6GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 845 CPU and 128GB of internal storage - with no note on whether there will be expansion through a microSD port.

There's also Qi wireless charging listed, allowing you to ditch the wires, as well as an in-screen fingerprint scanner coming too. 

Snap unhappy

However, we want more information on the camera - the ability to take five photos at once, combined with the use of the Pureview name (something that used to denote the very best Nokia cameraphones) mean we could be seeing something that really steps things up in the smartphone snapping game.

The key thing is what the brand does with the hardware though, as it's fine to chuck on a few sensors but there needs to be some great post-processing software as well, like we've seen with the Google Pixel 3 or the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, otherwise the technical prowess of the camera will remain irrelevant.

In terms of the leaked video itself, it does have all the hallmarks of being genuine (not least because we believe that the launch of the new phone is imminent, so such a thing would be being created at this time) so it's worth putting some stock in these rumors.

Whether the Nokia 9 Pureview, which claims an edge to edge display despite some pretty chunky bezels, will be a flagship winner this year, remains to be seen. If the brand can have some impact in the smartphone camera game, though, that would push other big players to improve as well - which will only benefit the user.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.