NT Industrial Design Studio has surprised us all these years with passionate designs that are crafted to millimeter detail. Thanks to the relentless effort put in by Portugal-based designer Nuno Teixeira, we get a new perspective of objects and functionality that is right on point. Nuno’s latest concept design takes smartphone function to new highs – virtually turning your BFF gadget into a vlogging, video shooting and photography companion.
The designer calls it THEIA Imaging Smartphone Concept, and instantly it gives off that peculiar camera dominant vibe. Looking more like a typical handheld gaming console from the yesteryears – the ones that played 2D games in monochrome colors – the concept looks like any other smartphone up-front. But on the rear side, it has a completely alien design to cater to premium photography and video shooting needs. It even has a small screen on the rear specifically in place for creating vlogging content. There’s a vertical-aligned screen right by the side of a 50 MP 1/1.12″ camera sensor (comparable to a 28mm / f1.8 DSLR lens) to make it ultra-easy for people who shoot a lot of videos/photos. Such a good sensor means the low light photography is a step up from flagships on the market. The rugged-looking phone has a teardrop camera for selfies which is a bit old school for 2021 since punch-hole cameras are the norm currently.
The textured surface on the lower half of the gadget provides superior grip for stable footage – and yes it can shoot underwater too, thanks to the IPX8 rating for dust and water resistance. Theia also has dedicated shutter buttons on either side of the surface for ergonomic comfort of use. Powering the guts of the device is the Snapdragon 888 flagship processor that takes care of all the image processing and fancy tech to leverage the most out of the powerful rear camera sensor. The phone also gets a full-fledged array of unidirectional built-in microphones and a 3.5 mic input.
On the software front, the camera hones multiple color filters, 4K slow-motion at 120fps, and 5-axis image stabilization. The latter promises excellent shooting quality in the most unstable shooting environments – for example, while running on rocky mountain terrain or during action sports. To make sure you never fall short of ports to pug-in, the vlogging-centric phone gets 3 USB-C ports (two on the sides and one on the bottom) and a micro-SD accessible slot.
Designer: NT Industrial Design Studio
