Capturing this many pixels enables a software trick known as pixel oversampling.

ENGADGET: Nokia 808 PureView review: the future of mobile imaging, wrapped in the smartphone past

By combining many pixels to create a single higher-quality pixel, oversampling also removes Bayer pattern problems and reduces noise.

ENGADGET: Nokia 808 PureView review: the future of mobile imaging, wrapped in the smartphone past

The phone's camera takes pictures with 640 by 480 pixel resolution, but the images appear to capture a little more detail than many VGA camera phones.

FORBES: A Nokia Smartphone With An Edge