Patent drawings of a new Nokia cameraphone have surfaced, and they look much like a sliderphone variant of the N93/N93i cameraphone, complete with a twisting barrel lens assembly.  The drawings include what appears to be a label reading "8 Megapixels" (or is that a 6?), and also a retractable flash assembly.  Could it be that Nokia's newest super-cameraphone is in the offing?  Could it be that 8 megapixels is the new 5 megapixels?

Current cameraphone specs top out at 5MP (at least for US-compatible GSM models), with the Nokia N95 and N82, Sony Ericsson K850, and LG Viewty all packing 5MP shooters.  The Nokia N93/N93i is a dual-folding clamshell that twists into the form of a mini-camcorder for imaging applications.  The N93 has a 3.2 MP camera that can record full VGA resolution video with stereo sound at 30 frames per second.  It's been around for over a year now, and the "i" version was basically a cosmetic upgrade only, so it's high time for a refresh of Nokia's elite imaging handset.  Could it be that this 8MP slider will soon come to claim the crown of new King of the Cameraphones?

See the drawing at Unwiredview.