Why it matters: The best feature of Nokia's last great smartphones was the camera system, and for good reason. PureView phones offered excellent optics and if a recent trademark exchange is any indication, it could be making a comeback.
HMD Global, the company that now makes Nokia and BlackBerry-branded handsets, could be preparing to reintroduce a brand once associated with exceptional smartphone photography.
Nokiamob has discovered that HMD Global recently came into ownership of the PureView name. The brand, if you recall, debuted on the Nokia 808 PureView and was later used in several Lumia phones including the 920, 1029 and 1520. Many consider it the pinnacle of mobile photography - in fact, at 41 megapixels, the 808 and the Lumia 1020 still hold the record for the highest resolution image sensor used in a smartphone (not that megapixel count is the preeminent feature of a camera, but it is important).
As outlined on the website for the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the PureView trademark was transferred to HMD Global on August 23.
Nokiamob is quick to point out that HMD Global earlier this year acquired the Asha trademark (the series of low-end phones from Nokia) but has yet to do anything with it. The point of say that is to say that just because HMD Global now owns the PureView trademark doesn't necessarily mean it'll do anything with it.
If they do decide to utilize the brand, hopefully they'll do so in a way that honors the PureView heritage (meaning tie it only to quality camera components) and not simply slap it on any and every Nokia phone for the simple sake of doing so, thus tarnishing the name.
In closing, it's worth noting that HMD Global announced a partnership with German optics specialist Zeiss last year and it has been speculated that camera maker Light could be in talks with HMD to bring its tech to its mobile devices. Perhaps these could all tie in with the PureView trademark?