Updated: read our Hands on: Nokia N8 review.
Due to ship later this year, the Nokia N8 is Nokia's flagship handset, set to replace the N97, and as such, it's packing some serious tech.
With the huge success of Android, and the iPhone HD waiting in the wings, Nokia is going to have to impress if the N8 is to succeed.
The OS seems a little bit similar to what's already out there, and while Symbian^3 is already known to be a pre-cursor to the impending Symbian^4, we still need to see some big progression with Nokia's new flagship phone.
That said, it has some impressive specs, so to help you make up your own mind before our Nokia N8 review, here are eight things you need to know about the new phone.
1. Nokia N8 release date
Nokia says the N8 will go on sale "during the third quarter of 2010". That's after Android reaches version 2.2, likely to be after Apple releases iPhone HD, but probably just before Microsoft release Windows Phone 7.
On the one hand, this is good news, as it keeps Nokia being mentioned in same breath as the other big smartphones around. However, the N8 will need to be something different from the rest, or it could get swallowed up in the swathes of hype surrounding the new iPhone.
2. Nokia N8 price
The N8 is estimated (by Nokia) to go on sale for EUR 370 (about £260), "before applicable taxes or subsidies". Add VAT to that and you're looking at about £305 for the handset. There's no word yet on carrier deals.
This is a pretty fantastic price for a phone of this quality – the Nokia N900 was arguably lower-spec but still costs nearly £100 more. It probably won't land quite as cheaply as this, but one of the main things with any new phone is making it as affordable as possible (something the 5800 XpressMusic did) and the N8 is certainly that.
3. It runs the Symbian^3 operating system
The N8 is the first Nokia handset to use Symbian^3 – the latest version of the open source OS. Symbian^3 has been created with touch screens in mind and supports gestures such as multi touch, flick scrolling and pinch-zoom, which is a godsend to anyone that's been forced to try to love the likes of the 5800 XpressMusic or the Nokia X6.
Symbian^3 also promises better memory management for faster multi-tasking, which is great news for another reason: the general day to day UI should be a much more pleasant experience to use, which has been something of a criticism labelled at the high end phones like the N97 and N97 mini.
4. It's packing a very good camera and media player
The Nokia N8 has a 12 megapixel camera - this is the first time Nokia has included a camera of this resolution – paired with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and, says Nokia, "a large sensor that rivals those found in compact digital cameras."
This is likely true – Nokia has a history of waiting to see what camera tech takes hold and then packing the best into its phones, which will entice a lot of people that like cameraphones from a trusted brand.
HD video recording at 720p will also be a big bonus for some, as it means Nokia is really playing at the sharp end of mobile phone technology with the N8.
The media side of things is well catered for, too, if you believe what Nokia is saying: we're offered an HDMI-out to connect to your latest HDTV, as well as 16GB internal storage (with space for up to 32GB more). There's Dolby Digital Plus surround sound too for those moments when you want your Nokia N8 to replace the Blu-ray player, although we doubt it's going to be able to take on the might of a dedicated home cinema system.
5. The Nokia N8 only has three home screens
The N8 features three live home screens (which, of course, you can swipe between). You'll be able to download more widgets for the screens from Nokia's Ovi Store. Three isn't many when you consider that the HTC Desire has seven and the iPhone has up to 11.
This could be a killer for Nokia as the smartphone public gets used to downloading all manner of applications and working with bundles of widgets. While it might not matter if the Ovi store gets a significant upgrade and the widgets on offer actually work, unlike many of those on the N97, having 'only' three home screens could become a stick to beat the Nokia N8 with in direct comparisons.
6. The Nokia N8 loves social networking
The good news is that with Symbian^3, Nokia has realised the power of totally integrated social networking. We're not sure of the depth of which you'll be able to interact with Facebook and Twitter and the like, but the early signs are encouraging.
For instance, like Friend Stream from HTC and MotoBlur from Motorola, Nokia will aggregate your social networks into one application so you can see what's going on. Updates will be shown on the home screen, and new events will be automatically added to your calendar.
The killer element will be if the Nokia N8 lets you sync your phonebook with your Facebook accounts, and message your friends directly from the device. If it adds in Facebook chat as well, this could be THE phone for social networking.
7. Nokia N8 specifications
As you can see, the specs on the Nokia N8 are dizzying so far – the 12MP camera, HD video recording, 16GB onboard storage, OLED screen are all things we've been after for ages from other manufacturers.
The phone is large, has an expansive screen with multi-touch, a great focus on finger-friendliness and apparently a battery that can play music for 50 hours straight.
Given it's around 20% less powerful on the battery front than other smartphones on the market, we are a little worried about how much juice we can expect from this thing.
But have a look at the spec list yourselves, and while paper often doesn't tell the full story we're at least excited by some of the things Nokia has included.
- Size: 113.5mm x 59mm x 12.9mm
- Weight (with battery): 135g
- Screen size: 3.5"
- Resolution: 16:9 nHD (640 x 360 pixels) OLED
- Internal memory: 16GB
- MicroSD memory card slot, hot swappable, up to 32GB
- Physical keys (Menu key, Power key, Lock key, volume keys, Camera key)
- Finger touch support for text input and UI control
- On-screen alphanumeric keypad and full keyboard
- Capacitive touch screen
- Orientation sensor (Accelerometer)
- Compass (Magnetometer)
- Ambient light detector
- BL-4D 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery
8. Nokia N8 connectivity
If the specs aren't enough for you, Nokia has taken a look at its slogan and realised it's been missing a trick up until now: connecting people is once again at the forefront with the N8.
One of the first phones to support Bluetooth 3.0, expect faster and cooler things to happen with this phone, as well as the aforementioned HDMI slot to perhaps make it into a multimedia powerhouse.
Essentially, we're seeing all the high end connectivity from any phone in one unit here – although we're always, always aware these kinds of phones can try and do so much and end up doing it all badly, the Nokia N8 at least has the potential to be a much more slick phone than its predecessors.
- Bluetooth 3.0
- HDMI
- HSDPA 10.2Mbps
- 2mm charging connector
- Micro USB connector and charging
- High-Speed USB 2.0 (micro USB connector)
- USB On-the-Go
- 3.5mm AV connector
- FM Radio
- FM Transmitter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liked this? Then read more details on the Symbian^3 operating system
Sign up for TechRadar's free Weird Week in Tech newsletter
Get the oddest tech stories of the week, plus the most popular news and reviews delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up at http://www.techradar.com/register
Connect with Facebook
No comments