Microsoft appears to be operating in stealth for the creation of its next Lumia flagship, the apparent successor to Nokia Lumia 1020. Yet rumors always found ways to echo, much to the delight of avid fans and followers.

According to International Business Times, the company is reportedly cooking its newest Lumia 1030, packed with the familiar PureView technology. The outlet took note of a Chinese site which revealed leaked prototype photos of the alleged handset, coded with mobile number "Nokia RM-1025."

The rumored model appears to draw much inspiration from its Lumia 1020 predecessor, but Geek on Gadgets (click to see images) argued that the device could be nothing but hoax. The source pointed out several claims why the surfacing pictures had to be fake, despite the strikingly similar overall design, camera bump and aluminum architecture.

1. First, the outlet pointed that no high-end Lumia model had on-screen buttons other than HTC's M8. Apparently, the model had a spacious bottom which seemed to provide room for keys.

2. Another reason cited by the source is that the model's camera lens appeared smaller than the current Lumia 1020. This may suggest a retrogressive move for Microsoft.

3. The model's camera hump reportedly looked like it's made out of glass -- a direct shift from Lumia 1020's black plastic version.

4. Finally, Geek on Gadgets said the model seems to take an LED flash in lieu of the "more powerful" Xenon type.

Some of Lumia 1030's rumored specs include a quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB internal storage, 5-inch display and Windows 8.1 support, wrote IBT.

The device has also been coded "McLaren," as reported by Phone Arena. Citing Lumia 1020's PureView camera, the outlet is convinced that Lumia 1030 (or McLaren in this case) may pack a whopping 50 MP main snapper. If this holds true, Lumia 1030 may set its record as the highest MP-packing-smartphone on the face of the earth.

The source added that the device is also hinted to feature a physically-larger camera sensor and a 4th-generation short-pulse LED flash.

However, IBT said in its report that McLaren has been Microsoft's cancelled flagship. The outlet believed that the prototype model could actually be McLaren, sporting multiple sensors that ultimately give the device a Kinect-ish feel. Allegedly, the device will be featuring a 3D Touch technology, since it was internally dubbed as "3D Touch" and "Real Motion."

VR-ZONE reported that the Lumia 1030 could arrive either at next year's Consumer Electronics Show (Jan. 6 - 9) or Mobile World Congress (Mar. 2 - 5).

Check out this earlier concept video of Lumia 1030 (via i Tech) below.