Nokia design patent finally reveals mysterious Phi Windows Phone 8 device

The Nokia Phi as seen by the USPTO

Adding to the earlier news about the new Nokia phone, codename ‘Phi’ coming to AT&T, the site Liveside have managed to uncover a new patent filing that appears to reveal the new device in submitted drawings.

At first brush, the device looks a lot like the Lumia 800 and 900 but upon closer inspection, it matches nearly to the ‘t’ the previous images of the Phi that were leaked out earlier this month.

One immediate item that we noticed is the screen is not curved. Although the Verge this morning mentioned this as a feature, from the images and bezel leak that we’ve seen, curved glass does not appear to be a feature and these drawings confirm that notion.

The design of the phone does have a curved back though, more so than the Lumia 900, which is quite flat on both sides of the device. This is presumably both a design choice and so it can possibly incorporate a larger battery needed to power the massive 4.7” display.

Nokia Phi versus Lumia 900 and Lumia 800

Dual speakers are on the bottom, a change from the single speaker grill of the Lumia 800 and 900. Of course phones often use ‘faux’ speaker grills for added parity in design so it will be interesting to see if these grills are actually for dual speakers or not. Knowing Nokia, we wouldn’t put it past them to have a fantastic sound system on this flagship phone.

Button layout appears to be the same as the Lumia 900 with all keys on the right hand side, although spacing does look to be greater here with the camera button pushed further down and what appears to be a slightly larger ‘gap’ between the power and volume controls.

Rounding out the design sheet is a micro USB connector on the bottom, right in the middle with a 3.5mm headphone jack its polar opposite on top. In addition what appears to be a dual microSIM/microSD card tray is present on the upper left corner of the device—it would make sense to have this as a single drawer to reduce costs and for design simplicity.

The Noka Lumia 'Phi' (its marketing name yet to be revealed) is expected to feature the following specifications:

4.65" AMOLED screen + ClearBlack, 1280x720
4G LTE
microSD, NFC
Qualcomm Dual-core CPU ~1.5GHz
polycarbonate, unibody design

What do people think? Sound off in comments.

Source USPTO; via Liveside

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

146 Comments

Please, no more earphone hole on the top
You have to be like one of two people in the world with that request.
I am the other one. So stupid to have it at the top.
curious as to why its a bad thing particularly? are there problems with certain handsfree/headset configurations?
I am using a Samsung Focus with the earphone hole on top, and I hate it. You have to hold the cable in your palm behind the phone to bring it towards you. If you use a FM transmitter with it in your car, you can't just hang it off the phone, because it pulls on the top of the phone. It just isn't that practical as one in the bottom. It only works if you have the phone in the front pocket and you are wearing headphones for music.
That's why the iPhone has the jack on the bottom.
see i have my phone in the cup holder in my car where i hook my phone up to a tape adaptor, so i rather like it where it is. i get where you're coming from tho.
I was also curious why. Having the earphone jack on the top makes it easier to handled both phone and earphone e.g when you want to keep the phone in a pocket - a sideways jack will make things awkward and result in tangled wires.
Im the third. I love having the port at the bottom of the Zune HD
True! Having it on the bottome of the Zune HD allows me to easily change songs when it is strapped to my arm since it's right side up. For a Phone though. I never gave it much thought and I'm not sure it matters to me.
There must be three. It drives me crazy on the car.
I'm the fourth or something then, I guess. I put my phone in my pocket upside down, so that when I reach into my pocket and pull it out, my hand is naturally gripping it the right way up. Having the headphone jack on the top forces me to put my phone in my pocket the right way up, so every time I pull it out of my pocket I have to turn it again so it is the right way up before using it. Obviously a very small thing but it's just convenience. It wouldn't stop me from buying a particular phone, though. Anyone care to explain why you prefer the jack to be on the top of the phone? ;)
100% agree with you
+5 but I don't use my phone for music since I use my Zune HD. Is this a phone/tablet? Seriously not many ppl have giant hands & having a huge screen on a pants pocket is just not fun. I guess they want to compete with the Samsung note.
I used to think this was a big deal until I bought bluetooth headphones.
Sony Ericsson MW600 <3
I'm curious to know how much more battery-consuming Bluetooth headphones would be. I generally listen to music on my phone about 1.5-2 hours per day, on the journey to and from work. I always had the feeling I'd entirely drain my battery using Bluetooth headphones...
I listen to music about 30mins a day and have no problem.
On longer trips its usually the constant searching for network that is draining my phone so then I put battery saver on and kill data/net, battery lasts a loooong time even with BT.
+1 For BT headphones: completely eliminates the issue lol. I use Sennheiser MM100's at least 2hrs a day with my Lumia 900, and I haven't noticed a difference in battery useage from when I used non-BT headphones...
I prefer the jack on top because every device I've had has been on top, so it's what I'm used to.
#firstworldproblem
I never said otherwise. But still, my point stands. If I could choose, I'd have it on the bottom. That is all.
+100
I'm the opposite to you. I keep my phone in a slip case the right way up. I hate having to put my phone in my pocket upside-down when using headphones as when I slide my phone out of the pouch I have to flip it the right way up again...
I agree a 1000% on dat one. It really is annoying having to put it in ur pocket rite side up the turning it around to grip it the rite way. Headphone jack at the bottom just seems rite to me
You can answer this yourself by taping the earphone to the side and try putting the phone in your pocket.
Way to make him feel stupid, nice and welcoming of you.
Having the charge port and headphone jack on opposite sides would make it annoying to both charge and play through the cars aux input while resting it in a cup holder.
I agree when I use my lumia in the car im usually listening to music and charging at the same time so it's much easier having both ports at the top
Okay yeah. I think this comment just swayed me. You are right it is weird have the power plugged into one end and the headphones plugged into the other.
How do you get rid of that horrible buzzing whine when it is connected to not power and an aux input? Drives me crazy.
Ground loop isolaor - http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Reducing-SmartPhone-including-iPhone/dp/B0031U1ATQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1345738111&sr=1-3&keywords=ground+loop+isolator
Thanks. Worth a shot.
I use Bluetooth headphones. So I do not care where the headphone jack is.
^^ o your cool -_-
I liked it on the bottom like my Zune hd. What about having two one on top and one on the bottom
Please leave the headphone hole on the top!
Put the headphone hole in the back center of the phone.
I'm glad they moved the microUSB port to the bottom, this means you can buy docks for the phone.
+100, including it's the most easy place for a carcradle.
Absolutely with the micro usb on the bottom among other things they can have a cradle . I so miss having a charging cradle/stand on the desktop for my smartphone. And to me it makes more sense to have it on the bottom.
That makes me happy
Having the headphone jack on the bottom would work great for the cradle too. That way instead of having to plug in an Aux cable every time you get into your car or sit at your desktop all you have to do is drop your phone into the cradle. That is actually one thing I miss about the iPhone.
Honestly not that excited about this one. Too big and thick and I hate curved backs
I want a thinner Lumia 800-esque phone with a 4" screen. Can't deal with these huge screens. Hopefully the "mid-tier" phone they're talking about is close to this.
I agree.
Amen. Larger than 4" makes it very dificult to fully navigate (read touch all four corners with your thumb while holding without repositioning the phone) with one hand unless you have unusually large hands.
To each his/her own I dont see it being that much larger than the L 900. It would be nice if its thinner but it will probbaly be about the same thickness as the 900 and thats okay with me. I have played with the note and thought it would be great with WP8. More screen for me is great for my aging eyes to see.better.
I have small hands and have no problem typing one handed on larger phones. 4.7 is awesome for my small hands!
Agreed. I don't really like that all high-end phones seem to move towards huge screens. A 4" Lumia 800 with high-end specs (dual/quad-core, 1+gb ram, NFC, FFC and all that stuff) would be the perfect phone for me.
Fat phones need love too
Lol!
OMFG A GLASS PHONE?!!!
Where's the pure view 'hump'? :)
Its there! :)
the days are becoming slower as we get closer to Sept. 5 -_-
May that's why there is the curved back? A smaller hump spread through the phone?
It looks to me in the side view that the glass IS beveled at the top the bottom of the phone.
I was thinking the same thing on both counts.
Its possible the curved back is there to incorporate a PV camera plus I reckon it'll fit snugly in the hand as a result. There was speculation in the comments of a seperate blog post that Nokia's first WP8 offerings may have a lower powered PureView camera (this is was from the commenters so it's totally speculative) which could mean it wouldn't need the same space as the PureView on the 808.
Also, studying the left & right profiles of the drawings you can see a thin sliver of the screen, which would suggest it curves around the edges, a la the 800.
Just brought the drawings into Photoshop and dragged some guides out to check the screen - and they're just not high enough resolution to determine if it curves slightly around. Looks like I'll just have to buy one to satisfy my curiosity!
According to the screen size they're claiming for this thing some simple equations show this device to be around 13.5mm thick (Not a huge amount smaller than 808). I'd say either this is the 4" model or there is indeed a reasonably specced pureview in there.
You, sir, have eagle vision :). Yay for curved screen (love it on my Lumia 800). Booo, for usb port not covered by a magnetic lock (love that as well on my Lumia 800). I know many people are annoyed with that, but to each, their own :). Hope it has a smaller brother (4 inch-ish) with curved screen and magnetic lock on usb port, either on top or bottom . (Yeah, I want a slightly larger lumia 800 with windows 8 phone - the way microsoft should name the so :) :) :) :) . Don't be hating, it's just what I'd like
I think they will wait on a wp8 pure view. They need to push this other wp8 first & later take out the big gun (pure view)
That would suck eager early adopters of WP8. I'd like to have pureview when I upgrade my phone this November :)
It already happened to me once, when I bought Samsung Focus. If I'd waited, I could have gotten a Focus S or a Lumia.
This is definitely the next phone I am getting! Nokia has set themselves apart on the windows phone arena.
100% agree. Nokia all the way but I'm holding out for Pureview
ME too
Can't wait any longer. Have to get the first new Lumia with wp8.
Micro USb on the bottom? Great news, maybe we finally see a proper docking station.
not only that but it is supper awkward if you are on a call with the phone plugged in. I really feel like the Micro USB is going to be broken with it on top.
Ahh man this is heating up. 2 more weeks away from the announcement! I may have to cuy out of my Sprint contract early.
I guess no PureView? I know I'm beating a dead whatever mentioning this but the sketches don't show it.
Where's the love for T Mobile????
What colors will be available at launch? I love the design, but I just don't want bulk in my pocket.
Where can we see all the patent details???
At the bottom of the article where it says 'Source' is probably a good start...
You sir have way too much snark. You're supposed to play the impartial journalist, not the angry message boarder. Just tell him where it is, or ask him why he doesn't like the headphone jack placement etc.
Nah, I like the snarkiness. He is a blogger on a fan site, not a traditional journalist. It shows a personality behind the articles.
if you say so.
Haahaa
@ ahuczek I admit sometimes I am too snarky although in this case, it really wasn't meant to be mean or anything to @ejb22, though I can see how it may come off as that way. I'm just a very sarcastic type and sometimes that is hard to convey via text. As far as being an 'impartial journalist' versus a 'blogger', I would lump myself in with the latter. But it's a very difficult and nuanced discussion about the role of tech-media these days and who is who. It's a very different medium than print and roles are less defined due to the social nature of the system.
Keep your great work and sense of humor up mr Rubino! Please don't change:)
I'll take snarky and interactive over distant and disconnected any day of the week. I love this site because we can ask questions in the comments and actually get answers!
Haha! The way Daniel replies to people is great! Anyone trying to tone him down should quit the girl scouts and grow a sack. Or just relax... ;)
Not sure I like the micro usb at the bottom because it will five me to buy a dock to charge the phone in the car, but hey I'll deal. So glad the screen is that big, that is the perfect screen size. Can't understand why would any one want a small screen if you can have a big one that is still manageable with one hand. Can't wait especially if by so.e miracle it has pureview( not holding my breath on that one but one can dream )
Daniel, Do you know of any way for audio/video as well as media controls to go out via USB for docks and media stations? Its something we really need in the WP ecosystem to beat Android and match Apple.
No confirmations yet on that front, sorry.
I really hope this isn't correct...I don't want a 4.7" phone. I hope the Arrow or whatever is a smaller version, with a curved glass screen. You also made a mistake with the screen resoluition, 1080x720 isn't a supported resolution on Windows Phone, I think 1280x720 is the highest with WP8.
Dream device from Nokia: Cyan 4.3" AMOLED ClearBlack curved glass screen, 1280x720 8MP high quality camera (PureView is way to bulky for me...) 5MP decent quality front facing camera NFC Quad Core CPU 16GB internal storage with Micro SD card slot I don't think that's too much to ask for.
I wouldn't mind 4.7 if the physical size is the same as the 900. which I think is possible.
Actually, 1280 x 768 is the highest, I believe,. But 1080 x 720 is definitely a typo.
I guess it's ok I mean I do want that curved glass design
It looks to me in the side view that the glass IS beveled at the top the bottom of the phone.
Not impressed with recycled designs, even from Nokia. If all we can expect for WP8's launch is old designs thats not going to make any dent in their poor marketshare.

I can honestly say, i dont see WP doing any better this year or the next until someone brings out a jaw dropping handset. Nothing we've seen so far achieves this, a larger Lumia 900 certainly doesnt make me want it more than any other handset, WP or another platform. The WP fans may be happy but I dont think anything we've seen so far is going to bring in new users.
Maybe WP9?
No one else in any market has a phone that looks like the Lumia. iPhone which has changed little over the years sells huge. I'm fine with the design but I will agree I like variety. If Nokia has pureview on these (or near future) devices then they get my moneys.
+10
1080x720? I hope that's a typo and its really 1280x720p
That's not a supported WP8 resolution, according to the keynote, so no worries.
i keep knocking the new iphone for being a a weird resolution, that 1080x720 better be a typo lol. all these big, beautiful screens and HD video doesn't even fill them up. anyway 1280x720 is the official resolution for WP8, this is a typo im sure.
you guys put a spelling mistake, saying "batter" and not "battery" when you described the curved back of the phone
Dual Speakers Nice, True Left and Right Postional Audio will be possible within Games, Video, Apps etc..
I'm afraid those are not two speakers but only the speaker and mic got separate grills.
Doesn't matter to me where the USB port is, unless a dock is made to incorporate a hard case, I won't buy one, never have...
It could still have a curved screen, it just may not be noticeable due to the body of the phone..maybe? I'd also be curious to see when the patent was filed because this could just be a broad representation of the early design and could change for the final product. I'd be sad if the screen wasn't slightly curved, the (apparent) lack of Pureview, and it does look a little bulky. Hard to say for sure from a drawing though...the 5th can't get here soon enough....
Looks good but Phones are getting too damn big! Hopefuly there is something like between the 800 and 900 with small beezel.
The screen is curved! just take a closer look at the side views... PS: Zooming might help a lot!
No, sorry, it's not. Don't forget, the reason it wasn't curved on a 4.3" screen was because it made the screen too brittle and prone to cracking. That didn't improve by going to 4.7".
Looks like the....lumia. So I'll pass
What's bad about the Lumia look? It's sexy, still fresh and recognisable. Why wouldn't you want a WP8 Lumia?
I like the slightly concave shape, it's sexy and unique without being "too much".
Not impressed by this at all. Looks kinda bulky to me. I was hoping for something slimmer like my Titan as its perfect size/width for me. Still, lets see what it looks like in the flesh. I have a feeling it'll be HTC for me once again. I've heard everyone raving about L900 but I personally think all round, the Titan is definitely the best 2nd gen WP7.5 device & I look forward to seeing HTC & Sammy offerings before deciding which handset to go for on release.
Maybe this is a mid range device. Nokia needs the world top device: quad core + pureview to have people notice it and windows phone 8 (even if they will buy a cheaper model ;)
We haven't seen what a dual-core WP device is capable of and you're already demanding quad-core? What for? Only Android needs to play the 'core game'. Apple gets by on just having really nice hardware--no one gives a damn about its specs. Nokia is better than that and can rely on their reputation and design aesthetics.
Agreed. The only thing I can see having a dual core phone improving is allowing 1080p recording. Quad core just seems like a waste of battery to me
Well, I love having my ports on top - power and headphones.
the phone doesn't look thin at all, significantly thicker than the 900 actually. maybe Nokia is hiding the fact that this is a Pureview phone. Why else would it need to be so thick. the galaxy nexus has a 4.65 inch screen and came out a year ago and wasn't this thick, so it can't be because of the screen..
Hey just wanted to point out that the size comparison is probably a little off and that the Nokia Phi might be thinner than the HTC Titan. The reason is that the Lumia 900 and HTC Titan have a 15:9 display that makes the phone wider while the Phi and most new WP8 devices have a 16:9 display that makes the screen not as wide, but taller in the hand. If the Titan and Phi have the same screen size then the Phi shouldn't be as wide unless the bezel is bigger. The difference between the Lumia 900 and the Phi shouldn't be that much except the Phi is taller.
I hate to be a downer, but I can remwmber when Nokia had the greatest, most groundbreaking hardware designs. now they can only seem to make a block of plastic and try and convince people that it's a great design.
Fine, the 800 was beautiful but then the 900 (which I own) is a non-ergonomic brick that feels terrible in you palm/hand and that material irritates my skin.
Where are the Microsoft Surface Phones? Give us choices, not the same old rehashed bricks.
Curves, shapes, keyboards, swivels, dual screens - I want the old Nokia back!
+10000 I love my 900, but come on, don't be afraid to create something new. This is just like the radio; the same techno song remixed 100 times. Keep innovating. People don't have to love every design and you can keep your top selling design in the middle and bottom tear where most of your sales will be generated. However, for your halo device go for it. There's a reason concept cars don't look like your best seller. Always push forward, don't adopt the fruit motto of making the same phone 3 times.
Yeah well, apple does it so apparently its ok for other OEM's to do the same. Only when apple changes to something new will we see the phone makers scrambling around to produce something new, just like with the mac book air and all the clones....
A phone doesn't really need to be tablet sized. 4-4.3" with a sexy design and curved glass like the 800 would be perfect. Why is the curved glass being ditched? I hate how the glass sticks out on the 900.
Haha it irritates your skin?? Its super smooth plastic. Better not leave the house, that's what the world is made of now lol
Size of that phone would be something like (calculated using micro-usb port width of 7.5mm):
123 x 67 x 11.7 - 133 x 72 x 12.7 mm Comparison data: Lumia 900: 127.8 x 68.5 x 11.5 mm HTC Titan: 131.5 x 70.7 x 9.9 mm Lumia 800 116,5 x 61.2 x 12.1
The lumia 800 is close to the perfect phone design for me. I'd love the curved back for even better grip and a larger battery. If they can pull that off i wont mind a slightly larger screen. I also hope they will keep the magnetic door that covers the usb port on the 800 . I love the fact that the only opening on the 800 is for the headphones. Go go nokia :)
I just hope it doesn't have the terrible bezel around the screen like the 900. My phone is flawless except for the dozen or so indents which my case didn't save it from. Or the chrome surround around the camera. Other than that, seems like a nice phone, I think the design has one more year left in it before it needs a new direction.
Mine
Thank for deleting my comment Daniel! guys the screen is curved dont worry... just take a look at those high res screens... http://pocketnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nokwp8-sideback.png http://pocketnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nokwp8-topbot.png
I deleted your comment because of your tone and behavior (e.g. personally attacking me and swearing). Your current comment is more to the point. And no, I think you still are confusing the back of the phone with the front. Those images have not convinced me. Look at the actual real photos of the phone and leaked bezel images. The screen is flat, not curved. Nokia even said publicly they could not curve a 4.3" display due to wanting "balance for thinness and weight". I don't see what has changed besides this screen making that problem much more complicated due to its larger size. Look at the Bezel for the Phi. Flat as a board http://i.imgur.com/9bYVR.jpg You can even see the "lip" that is on the 900 in this photo (and no, that upper right corner does not show a curved screen...look at the other 3 corners) http://i.imgur.com/7kx2M.png
Hi Daniel. Look at his first link, on figure 5. By using the button position on figure 3 (which is from the back), we can conclude that the screen is to the left of the image in figure 5. There is a slight curve at the edges. Of course noone will expect a ball-shaped screen, but the curve seems to be there. Also, in the 1st image leaked (in the 2nd image of this article, between the sketch and Lumia 900), there is a slight warping of the neon reflection near the top right of the screen. Looks to me like "reasonable doubth" in favor of it having a slight curved screen. Maybe the top/bottom sketches are not that accurate. And maybe the bezel in the 2nd leak image (only the digitizer) is from another model. Or maybe the yellow one is an early proto... Either way, my oppinion leans on curved SLIGHTLY around the edges
I think those pictures show the opposite of what you are saying. Look at Figure 5 on the left side, you can see the screen and how they are depicting it as flat. with a small thickness.
Maybe the best plan would be to look up 800 patent drawings and see how they depict a curved screen.
Why would it use Super AMOLED ?

It will use Clear Black screen. It's not even similar tech to Samsung's....
Rushed mistake. Fixed.
I was pretty sure that under that clear black polarisator there was a SAMOLED pentile screen in my Lumia 800. Now I'm confused.
Super AMOLED is just AMOLED with Samsung polarizer. Nokia user their own polarizer (circular), which is more advanced and called ClearBlack.
OK, so it's Super AMOLED vs. ClearBlack AMOLED. Cool.
Button head phone jack is dumb!!!
I can't wait what the other phones will look like.... Can't wait..oh snap what the hell am gonna do with my l900 now???
Use as backup phone or give it to someone else?
Too thick
I have a 900 that looks exactly like this; why would I buy a bigger version. I suppose I'll go wait in the corner for a Pureview device now that I know the new top of the line Lumia is just a bigger version of the already bigger 900. Kind of disappointed
I'd rather have the power slot below. In the car the power cable hangs below the phone, thank god not on the upper side, where it pulls my phone down. Just like my Samsung Omnia 7 I use now... Power slot below, headphone jack... don't really care. Don't use it.
1 vote for headphone jack on the top because only with that i can also use it for decorating stuff / dust stoper like this http://www.fashionbelt.org/upload/big/Earphone_Jack_Dust_Cap_Plug_for_iP... :X
whats so special about the curve glass? And that guy, what ever his name is the leaked the lumia last time, said he used it,and it looked just like a lumia with a bigger screen, he said its was thinner, and had a bigger battery
I personally hope that it's the 1280x768 option and not 1280x720 like you're suggesting. I'd much rather maintain the 15:9 aspect ratio so that the WP7 apps I already own will be able to scale up relatively evenly and still fill the screen.
This looks nice, but I was hoping for removable battery as I most all the time upgrade my battery.
Looks like I will be going with the rehashed HTC One X in WP8 form (HTC Zenith)
I tried to get into the allure of Nokia, but I guess I am a legacy HTC guy.

First Smart Phone: HTC Tilt (aka Kaiser)
Current Smart Phone: HTC Titan
Nex Smart Phone: HTC (Zenith)
I love the way the design sketches look! Once again Nokia will steal the show from many on September 5th
all this uproar about the location of the headphone and usb ports.... does anybody share my opinion of the power button location? That being Terrible!!! I can't stand using my wife's Lumia 900 for this reason. It is way too awkward to hold the phone without accidentally turning it off.
If this is a 4.7" device then it had better have pureview. A 4.7" screen on this thing makes it about 13.5mm thick - the 808 pureview is nearly 18mm at its thickest.
If this is a 4" device on the other hand it works out to be about 10.5mm thick - much more in line with the current 900's thickness.
I like this minimal design!! Great job ;)

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Universities Europe
Did anyone notice that it's not a sd card slot.. it's just a sim card slot.. -.-

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