Images have been posted of what appears to be the back cover of an unannounced Microsoft Lumia smartphone, which may indicate that an announcement of a new Windows Phone device from the company could be coming in the near future.
The back cover was posted on a Chinese Weibo account and shows what looks like an elevated camera hole. In addition to the Microsoft branding, there's also a Zeiss label on the cover. A second leaked image shows the cover with a Lumia 535 sitting inside of it, which makes it look like the phone has a display significantly larger than 5-inches.
The site NokiaPowerUser has claimed that such a device is a Lumia 1320 follow-up, possible bearing the name Microsoft Lumia 1330. The device purportedly has a 5.7-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 400 processor, 14 MP PureView rear camera, 5 MP front-facing camera and 32 GB of internal storage.
Such a phone was originally spotted in a slew of leaked device covers back in early November. One of those phones was the Lumia 535, which was announced, but the larger device has since not come out leading to more questions. If the new photos are accurate, then a budget-phablet Windows Phone for 2015 may be on the near horizon.
At this time, Windows Central has no firm confirmation of such a device, nor any indication that a US release for it will occur. Only Cricket in the US has picked up the Lumia 1320 with all the major ones passing it over, and that is likely to be the case again. Still, for emerging markets, a replacement Lumia 1320 seems like a logical next step in Microsoft's Lumia x30 line of smartphones.
Any announcements for such a new Lumia would likely occur at Mobile World Congress due to it being a less US-focused event, unlike next week's CES event in Las Vegas.
As always, treat these kinds of leaks with a healthy dose of skepticism.
