Nokia might be jumping ahead of its rivals and launching a new Lumia smartphone based on Windows Phone 8, which has a six inch touchscreen display.

At the moment the heavy hitters in the Lumia range all pack a 4.5 inch Super AMOLED screen with a 720p HD resolution, but Nokia's new flagship device is reported to sport a 1080p pixel count, making it all the more appealing.

1080p displays have become the standard at the top end of the market, with Samsung's Galaxy S4 and HTC's One both making high-res capabilities a must-have feature.

So far, no handset based on Windows Phone 8 has sported this type of technology, but Nokia's next big release is to change the balance, according to The Verge.

Sources suggest that this phone is going by the name of Bandit during its development and Nokia is apparently gunning for a 2013 release, rather than holding off until 2014, which means it will launch hot on the heels of the Lumia 1020.

The reason that no 1080p Windows Phone handsets have emerged thus far is that Microsoft's mobile operating system does not actually support this resolution, although it is working to amend this issue at the moment and should have launched an update in time for the arrival of the six inch Nokia device.

The Bandit should also come with a quad core processor, which is also a missing element from the current Lumia line-up, that should give it a better chance of standing toe to toe with its Android-based rivals.

Nokia's planned six inch handset will really be going up against the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which is set to be launched during next month's IFA 2013 conference in Berlin.

Samsung is expected to be slapping a six inch 1080p screen on this so-called 'phablet' and so Nokia is clearly preparing to take on the same market segment with an equivalent.

Sources believe that the Bandit will include a 20 megapixel camera, eclipsing the capabilities of the Lumia 925, but coming short of the PureView-toting Lumia 1020 in terms of sensor resolution. A plastic chassis is expected for this new device and it will reportedly be thin and light, with a raised area on the rear allowing for the inclusion of its high-res camera.

Nokia's Chris Webber, who heads up the Finnish manufacturer's marketing department, said last week via Twitter, that Samsung would need to watch its back because next-gen Lumia handsets are going to be gunning for its key products.

Most observers took this to be a sly confirmation that Nokia is indeed working on a phablet to rival the Galaxy Note range and now the latest reports seem to solidify this statement.

For business mobile users, the promise of a big screen smartphone from Nokia will be welcome, since so far, it has mainly been Android handsets that have dominated this market segment.

Windows Phone 8 might not have the same industry-beating sales figures as Android, but it is building a solid base of support in the UK and has the potential to go further still, particularly once the hardware specs available match or exceed those of competing devices.

Of course by the time the Bandit arrives, the rest of the market may have moved on to chase new technical goals, leaving its 1080p display and quad core processor looking less than revolutionary. Nokia still has time to hone its design and come up with something really special, so hopefully, all will be made clear in the next few months to stop the Galaxy Note 3 taking all the limelight.

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