Nokia Lumia’s Bandit Rumored September Launch Hints at Windows 8.1 Release

The rumored release date for Nokia’s large-screened phablet, code named Bandit, may have just given us the hint that Microsoft may be readying the launch of its next generation Windows Phone OS release around the same time next month in September. The new phablet is scheduled to be announced at a private event in September, according to sources to Reuters. The device may usher in new specs that are unavailable to date on any Windows Phone device, including a larger display measuring at least 5 inches diagonally, quad-core processing power, and potentially even a 1080p full HD resolution screen to compete against Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 series and larger phones like the LG G2 and the Galaxy S4 flagships.

A 6-inch Lumia phablet had been rumored in the past.

These new hardware features have been rumored in the past to be part of Microsoft’s new GDR3 software update for the Windows Phone 8 platform. GDR3, or General Distribution Release 3, was rumored to support larger, higher resolution displays and make phones running on Microsoft’s mobile OS more competitive on paper against high-end Android devices, many of which are already sporting these specs.

This lines up with a recent report posted on WP Central that Microsoft may be internally testing what is believed to be Windows Phone 8.1. The Windows Phone 8.1 release may be the consumer name to the GDR3 update and would be the mobile equivalent to what Windows Blue is to Windows 8.1, a release that’s due for desktops and tablets this fall.

In the past, we had heard that the larger Lumia phablet could arrive by the end of September and there were murmurs of a September 26 launch date. More recently, several blogs hinted that Nokia may have a two-day launch event in September, and potentially the second launch day would be used to highlight a Nokia tablet. The company is rumored to be working on a 10.1-inch Windows RT Lumia Tab that would come with an accessory snap-on keyboard similar to Microsoft’s Surface RT design.

The phablet may also usher in a new era of PureView photography as well as Nokia may be looking to differentiate its cameras on its phones. The phablet may bring a Lytro-styled camera, one that takes a series of images with differing perspectives so users won’t need to choose where to focus when they snap a picture. These perspectives could all be used to tell different stories, depending if the background or the foreground is in focus.