Nokia to produce first quad-core Windows Phone 8 handset

Nokia may be the first to bring quad-core processors to Windows Phone with its next-generation Lumia line.

According to techtastic, which unearthed a set of developer pages from Nokia’s websites, there are references to the Adreno 330 graphics processing unit (GPU) and both the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8274 and MSM8974 chips. The MSM8274 chip is a Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip that can be clocked up to speeds of 2.3GHz and comes bundled with the Adreno 330 GPU. The MSM8974 variant includes LTE-Advanced support.

The version of Windows Phone 8 isn't mentioned, but the GDR3 update of Windows Phone 8 is pegged to introduce support for both quad-core processors and 1080p  Full HD resolution displays.

It’s anticipated that Nokia would release the new Lumia EOS hardware alongside Microsoft’s software debut by the end of the year. Given that Qualcomm announced that the Snapdragon 800 would have ‘always on voice‘ capabilities so you can quickly do a voice search without having to touch the phone or press a button to activate the voice search capabilities, it’s unclear if Nokia will implement that feature with Microsoft’s mobile OS. Microsoft, an early voice pioneer with its Pocket PC Voice Command app, integrates Bing voice search onto Windows Phone handsets, which can be activated if a user press and hold the Windows, or home, button. Still, Microsoft has lagged behind competitors Apple and Google as Siri and Google Now offers more predictive features based on usage.

 A quad-core CPU would allow Windows Phone and the rumored Lumia EOS to keep pace, at least on paper, against strong hardware challengers from the Android camp, including the popular Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S4 releases from Samsung. It’s rumored that Nokia will switch to the same AMOLED display that’s now rumored for the Verizon-bound Lumia 928 with the Lumia EOS, a flagship that’s said to be an AT&T exclusive for now. 

According to My Nokia Blog, the EOS will have the strengths of the Nokia 808, including a large 41-megapixel PureView camera sensor with optical image stabilization, LED and Xenon flash, variable aperture control, the same 2000 mAh battery of the Lumia 920, and an enhanced camera UI. It’s unclear if the video capture mode on the Lumia EOS will allow for 2K or 4K video recording, the latter is also known as Ultra HD.