Nokia N8 Review

The first time Nokia's N8-00 popped up on our radar was way back in early February of this year. On that chilly, misty morning, we learned of a mythical being capable of shooting 12 megapixel stills, recording 720p video, outputting via HDMI, and -- most importantly -- ushering in the promised Symbian^3 touch revolution. It's been a long road of leaks, teasers, hands-ons, and previews since then, but at long last, the legend of the N8 has become a purchasable commodity. All the early specs have survived, including the 3.5-inch AMOLED display, but the key question today, as it was at the beginning, relates to that all-new software within: does Symbian^3 succeed in elevating Nokia's touchscreen experience or does it drag down an otherwise stellar combination of high-end parts? For that verdict and much, much more, join us after the break.

Hardware 

Let's not waste any time equivocating here, it'll be quite obvious to anyone with a set of eyeballs that Nokia has fashioned one of the most ruggedly handsome devices of recent memory with the N8. In a sea of identikit touchscreen-dominated phones, the N8 manages to stand out, thanks to its (mostly) aluminum construction, wide palette of color options, and atypical mixture of curvy sides and sternly straight lines at the top and bottom. The biggest distinguishing feature will of course be the protruding camera compartment on the back, which houses the world's largest image sensor yet seen in a smartphone, a Carl Zeiss lens, a Xenon flash, and a loudspeaker. 

Display

We've got two words for you: Gorilla Glass. We had to confirm this with Nokia since nobody seems to have bothered to make an official announcement on the matter, but yes, the N8 comes with the bulletproof scratch-resistant glass that's garnered so much admiration since making its mainstream debut on the Motorola Droid. We scratched, clawed, poked and prodded the N8's front, but nothing we did caused it any discomfort. That's just what we've come to expect from these Gorilla Glass screens, which offer a real sense of assurance when plopping your expensive gadget into a pocket or in a bag that includes more than just fluffy toys.

What lies beneath it is a 3.5-inch AMOLED display stretching to 640 x 360 resolution. That's obviously not the densest panel you can own anymore, but neither is it a slouch. The N8's vibrancy and color saturation look highly accurate while the auto-brightness guesses correctly most of the time and gives you enough power -- unless you've got the sun shining directly down on the phone, of course -- to get on with your Symbian^3 business. That resolution is really the only thing holding this display back, but it's not like Nokia can do too much about it now.

           Specifications

	Network
Technology / Frequency Bands	GSM : 850/900/1800/1900 MHz HSDPA : 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz
	Battery
Type	Li - Ion
Capacity	1200 mAh
Standby	400 hours
Talktime	720 mins
	Built
Dimensions	113.5x59x12.9 mm
Weight	135 g
Antenna Type	Internal
Form Factor	bar
Colors	Silver white,Dark grey,Orange,Blue,Green
Touch Screen	yes
	Display
Size	360x640 pixels
Type	color : AMOLED
Colors	16000000 colors
Secondary Display	no
	Camera / Imaging / Video
Camera	Yes 12MP
Resolution	4000x3000 pixels
Image Formats	JPEG
Zoom	yes 2x
Flash	yes
Video Recording	yes Resolution :1280x720 25 fps
Video Formats	RealVideo / MPEG-4
Video Out	yes
Features	Video Stabilisation
Secondary Camera	yes
	Secondary Camera
Resolution	640x480 pixels
Flash	no
	Connectivity
Bluetooth	Yes , version 2.1 + EDR
Irda	No
Wlan/Wi-fi	Yes Modes: 802.11b / 802.11g / 802.11n
Pc Sync	yes
SyncML	yes
USB	yes
GPS	yes
	Data
Data Modes	GPRS / EDGE (EGPRS) / WCDMA (UMTS) / HSDPA 3.6
GPRS	Yes
EDGE	Yes
3G	Yes
HSDPA	yes
Internet Browsing	WAP 2.0 , HTML
	Media
Audio Playback	Yes
Audio Formats	MP3 / MP4
Video Playback	Yes
Video Formats	RealVideo / MPEG-4 / DivX
Ringtones	MP3
FM Radio	Yes
Streaming	yes
3.5mm Headphone Jack	yes
	Memory
Inbuilt	16 GB
Memory Slot	Yes microSD/TransFlash Hot Swappable Expandable Upto : 13
USB Mass Storage	yes
PhoneBook	Capacity : Based on Internal Memory , Photo Caller
	Messaging
SMS	Yes
MMS	Yes
Email	Yes Protocols : IMAP/POP3/SMTP
Predictive Text Input	T9
Instant Messaging	yes
	Calling / Voice
	Software
Operating System	Symbian^3
Java	MIDP 2.0
Flash Lite	yes
Games	yes

 

Features

SMS Yes
MMS Yes
Email Yes
Bluetooth Yes
Infrared No
Wi-fi Yes
3G Yes
Camera Yes
Video Capture Yes
FM Radio Yes
Audio Player Yes
Video Player Yes
Memory Slot Yes
Java Yes
SmartPhone Yes
Touchscreen Yes