Nokia smartphones may get camera interface from Lumia devices

HMD’s Nokia smartphones may get the interface of Nokia’s Lumia smartphones from before. HMD has received the patents from Microsoft for the design of the interface, which allows the Finnish manufacturer to use it in its devices.

Microsoft has sold about 500 registered designs to HMD, writes NokiaMob. Many of them are old, including the design of the old Nokia 3310 and Nokia N-Gage. Those designs all passed from Nokia to Microsoft with the sale of the phone branch of the Finnish manufacturer a few years ago.

The latest are about the lockscreen and camera app interfaces that Nokia used in its Pro Camera app for Windows Phone. The interface with elements in semicircles around the shutter button has not been used in other camera apps since then.

The registered designs ensure that HMD could use the designs again for new hardware and software. Since the beginning of this year, HMD has been releasing smartphones and telephones under the Nokia brand name.

Microsoft and HMD have not disclosed anything about the transfer of the designs. The rights for the Nokia brand names ClearBlack and PureView still belong to Microsoft.