First Nokia Windows Phone 8 handset to sport 4.3-inch display?

An image has appeared online claiming to show the front panel of Nokia's first Windows Phone 8 handset.

The photo popped up on Chinese site Cnbeta, although there's no word on where the image was sourced, which immediately should put an element of doubt in any prospective fan's mind.

The ruler spread across the front of the part tells us that the screen measures 4.3-inches, matching the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Nokia Lumia 900.

Mid-range phone?

Interestingly the panel which appears in this image sports a far more rounded design than the Lumia 900 and Lumia 800, and this distances it from an earlier leak claiming to show off the first Windows Phone 8 handset from the Finnish manufacturer.

If anything, the curvaceous design looks similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S3, although the screen size doesn't quite match up to the 4.8-inch display found on the popular quad-core handset.

This could mean that the part is from a handset set to feature in Nokia's mid-range offering, as the Lumia 710 and 610 both sport a rounded design, while the attractive polycarbonate chassis is reserved for flagship models.

There's a possibility that Nokia will unveil its first Windows Phone 8 handsets at an event in New York on September 5, so hopefully we won't have too long to wait until we find out the truth.