We don’t do very many technology reviews here at M4M but when we do find something worth raving about we take every opportunity to enjoy it whilst giving an honest opinion. Ok hot on the mobile techno heels is of course the advancing of smartphone technology. Smartphone’s isn’t anything new I must stress the idea has been around for a long time. I remember my first smartphone which was an SPV C550 designed for Windows mobile back in 2004 and it rocked. These days Smartphone’s have advanced to becoming the essentiality of modern living.
Ok let’s take a look at the new Nokia N8. If you’re looking for a more elaborate review then I’d recommend reading the full review on Tech Radar.
Design
The design of the phone is sort of aesthetically pleasing I guess and fits comfortably in your hands; however I do think it lacks any real excitement in offering anything more than the average design features of other smartphone’s, I’m not over keen with the rigid square design but that’s probably down to personal preferences. With its metal anodised construction it makes’s the N8 feel pretty robust and comparative to the iPhone 4 construction. The battery is inside the phone on a permanent basis with no real easy access unless placed in a vice! The N8 features easy access closed slots for MicroSD card and SIM. It has a 3.5 inch capacitive 16:9 HD (640 x 360 pixels) AMOLED screen with great colour definition.
Features
The Nokia N8 has some great features such as a HD 12MP sensor and Carl Zeiss optics allowing you to capture some great images and movies, a dedicated HDMI connection projecting HDD (high definition digital) 720p of resolution with Dolby Digital Plus technology (TM).
The powering of Symbian^3 allows you to take advantage of the visual task manager, multitasking between apps and more without putting demand on your battery power.
You can have access to thousands of paid and free apps from one touch of the screen from the Ovi Store. The Nokia N8 also boasts satellite navigation features, up to 50 hours of music playback, high definition gaming experience and on demand access to your favourite social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter plus much more.
Inside the N8
Ok inside the phone for those tech head, the Nokia N8 runs on Symbian^3 for Nokia with available updated over air and the internet. It has an internal memory of 16 GB that is upgradeable to make your phone up to 32 GB with a MicroSD card. Connectivity includes Bluetooth 3.0, HDMI, a Micro USB connector which can be used for charging from laptop or PC, a 2mm charging connector and a 3.5mm AV connector.
The Nokia N8 applications include calendar, contacts, music player, internet access, messaging, photos, maps, videos, web TV, office document viewers, video & photo editor, mail, radio and more available from the Ovi Store.
Accessories
In the box you will find the N8 funny enough, a Nokia pin charger, a HDMI to mini HDMI adaptor, earphones with inline remote and a USB lead adaptor / charger.
Against its Rivals…
I’ve found very little to fault with the Nokia N8 but if I had to be real nit picky I’d probably mention that the internet experience lacked any real impact and usability. Other than that comparing some of the key features with the iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S are as below:
Review & Final Verdict
I’m a great fan of this phone even with its boring look it still has somewhat of a supercar look and feel to it. If feels a lot more resilient and robust than my Samsung Galaxy S, it feels more like the iPhone 4. I love the bright colourful screen where again my Samsung phone lacks of even on max brightness. Surfing the internet can be a bit of a letdown however as I’m really not impressed by the general usability such as moving from page to page, scrolling etc. It isn’t poor but it could be improved. The battery life is impressive once again compared to its rivals wins hands down. Price wise it’s a lot more sensible than either the Galaxy S or the iPhone 4 at around $550 without contract. So in theory my verdict should suggest that it’s overall better than Apple’s expensive overhyped iPhone 4 or Samsung’s wannabe iPhone, Galaxy S? Maybe but I can’t really make up my mind even now.
Summary: The phone retails at around £300 in the UK with various deals available on UK contracts. US prices vary from around $550 without contract. You get a fantastic smartphone for your money enough to give Apple and Samsung a run for theirs, final verdict / rating… 8.5/10
About Fabrizio Van Marciano
