What seems to be a prototype of Microsoft’s new Lumia device appeared online recently on the Chinese auction site Taobao. The photos, which we can’t promise are the real deal, could possibly show a device made for the purposes of testing, or even be a version of the Lumia 1020 that didn’t make it all the way to the stores. On the back of the phone the words, “prototype property of Microsoft Mobile” are written, as well as “Not for Sale”.

Given the internal name of the ‘Nokia RM-1052’, the mystery device looks to have a 5-inch 1080p display screen, 2 GM of RAM, and runs Windows 8.1. While the photos don’t reveal many details, such as the device’s processor, what is impressive is the phone’s camera. It looks as if the device could be carrying a 41-megapixel sensor, the same as the Lumia 1020, but also an LED flash, arguably better than that of the 1020’s Xenon flash.

Rumors surrounding the smart-looking aluminum device suggest that the phone is a canceled version of what was going to be the Nokia Mclaren, the Kinect gesture controlled phone supposed to be the successor of the Lumia 1020. The device in the photos shows on-screen Window’s phones buttons, which supports the speculation that this is a Mclaren device. Microsoft have been working on releasing a Mclaren gesture controlled device with ‘3D Touch’ technology, although the release this year never happened. The cancellation of the Mclaren was made public in July this year.

Microsoft has so far remained taciturn on what is going to happen with its Nokia hardware division, but an improvement on the Lumia 1020 is probably in the cards. While the Redmond company has released lower-end devices in line with its low-cost strategy to tempt buyers in the developing world, the public has been waiting some time for a successor to the Lumia 1020, released in July 2013. While Microsoft has yet to comment on the leaked photos, there’s a good chance that what you see, is what you might just get.

photo credit: Taobao