Nokia N8 review - part 1 of 3

MobileBurn.com - The Nokia N8 is the first Symbian^3 smartphone to hit the market, and it features an AMOLED touchscreen display, a 12 megapixel HD camera/camcorder, and a newly updated user interface. In this video we open up the box and check out the hardware and UI a bit. More info: www.mobileburn....

[@futrah]

it's not the usual real-time swipe like iOS. it uses the 'slide-after-swipe' technique, intentionally by nokia's symbian^3 os. despite a low cpu processor, still works smoothly. the battery is 'non user removable', meaning usual users like us can't remove it unless we have the tools to unscrew etc. the toughness of its gorilla glass screen is amazing. search for the n8 gorilla glass test; swiss army knife, chopping knife, keys, coins - not a scratch. :-)

[@TheGocZg]

@NetCrack Apparently the lag in main screen is intentional, it switches screens only when you make complete swipe across the screen, there is also menu button at the bottom for instant home screen change. MeeGo isn't finished yet but I would also love that they had put it on N8. The good news is that N8 is getting a new Qt webkit browser, possibly already in November.

[@BackyardSpaceProgram]

I've just noticed. FYI: The text on the broschure is Finnish, and the text on the bottom is Swedish. It says "Produkt och säkerhetsinformation". It means "Product and security information". And the charger is also Swedish.

[@Keestral]

@mobileburn The OTG port is for Mass Storage devices like flash drives or external hard drives.

[@meh-hair-Vaughn]

BTW, the micro USB to regular USB cable is for regular USB peripherals like USB flash/thumb drives. The idea is to take pictures/videos from the phone's 12 mp camera and load them onto the flash drive to instantly get them onto your computer/other devices...

[@TheMusa1979]

@mobileburn You need USB Mouse/keyboard adapter, plug it into UBS OTG and it will work. You can also connect external HD directly to it.

[@dansus99]

@Jackasiasaurus Its not lag, its designed to be that way when you swipe between home screens to avoid false positives. Not sure if im a fan either but its not cpu lag.

[@kamuscasio]

@Thiaaguu change it. install themes to change the icons. use fontrouter to change the font. use mobile shell to change the UI.

[@BackyardSpaceProgram]

Hi Michael! Love the review! Hope the new Symbian works better then the last ones. I've used a whole bunch of different smartphones from Nokia starting with the old 6600. But even though i love Nokia i've always been dissipointed with the phone and been forced to sell it because of bugs in the software. My most recent ones was the 6220 Classic, 6720 Classic and 6700 Slide(i know it's not top of the range) and all of them had problems with the software. The were all unbranded and had...-->

[@NAKAKATAKOTAKO]

@Baddhy It depends on what country you live or where you'll buy the phone. The capacitive stylus is available in countries where people need to where gloves during winter.

[@jb678901]

The USB On-The-Go (OTG) capability with mini USB to USB adapter is for hooking directly to USB capable flash memory devices as well as hard drives...though hard drives will require their own power source. You can read/write from/to storage media with USB OTG as well as play HD video via external storage. Bluetooth 3.0 can be used to connect simultaneously to both BT keyboard and BT mouse.

[@_kache]

This phone has exceeded my expectations. Iphone killer, right here.

[@mrkiller1980]

great review! but i have to say i was really impressed by that star wars r2 d2 phone review u did. i hope it comes to the uk.

[@rajat77sada]

I really like the scrollable widgets.. the speakers are awesome... would have loved the browser review though!!

[@geozec]

@disclaimernotice I totally understand your point but AFAIK they did give out some updates for the N97 AND other companies aren't doing better, sadly. The first Samsung Galaxy was a similar desaster.

[@jaqez]

Seems damn good really. And I LOVE the design of the device.

[@georget10i]

Can you please show/demonstrate to us the "Search" widget? it should be the same thing as the iPhone's spotlight search when you swipe to the left, I wonder how Nokia's search works. It's very handy to search for something quickly. Great review!

[@mikeerv]

I would have liked to see the basic functions like placing a call, texting and taking a picture.

[@Iwatchedyourvideo]

@Adimal001 reasons I think symbian is out-dated; there is no portrait keyboard being forced to used the numeric keypad is ridiculous. when you're typing anything the keypad and text entry take up the entire screen so you're unable to for instance read texts or e-mails as you reply. the whole OS seems laggy and slow compared to iOS and android. OVI store doesnt offer anywhere near as much as the appstore or android market do. there is no joint e-mail inbox support out of the box.

[@Rationalific]

Although I've preordered an HTC Desire HD and I think that's better overall, I think that this review makes the N8 look better than Nokia's own advertisements. After watching this, I don't think that the N8 is the failure that I thought it was. It is still slow and not very smooth, however...but it's better than I thought before. One thing you should have included in the video was the full time it took to start up. That's actually sort of important.

[@TheTuis]

Haven't you read about the phone at all before you got it? Or seen any other videos? like the one where its plugged into all kinds of hard drives and flash drives and other phones?

[@raksori]

@trussmaker Nokia is a winner already, this has more preorders Nokia has had ever.

[@siralexu]

the micro usb to usb adapter is for using flash drives incase you need to read something of one

[@siralexu]

@mobileburn I saw it months ago at an expo and from what i remember thats what the representer said its used for pulling stuf of flash drives

[@swapper24]

still having a 2nd doubt about this phone... but after watching this nice review, i mean a pretty good review on the phone, there is w/o a doubt i am gonna want this phone.. people should make this kind of review... really appreciate your time doing this "R" on the phone.. keep it up!!!!!!!!!

[@dansus99]

@mobileburn Theres a video about with the N8 using a keyboard and mouse.

[@akse]

@mobileburn You can use a keyboard with bluetooth though :) Weird that they couldn't tell what the adapter was for.

[@stoneheartjp13]

the ultimate camera phone is here at last. and its symbian. the most editable and customizable os. so what for the haters??

[@Denim_____Dreams]

beautiful cell phone mate

[@IInkHeart]

Well, been waiting for a new phone now. HTC Desire or Nokia N8? Any suggestions please? :)

[@Znitso]

The phone looks really nice, but am not sure i would buy it, but that's just me. Thanks for the great review!

[@coendebruin1879]

is the touch screen as reactive as the iPhone, still deciding wich one to get and touch screen is a big issue for me. thanks.

[@Brunoxtr]

I see that when you edit the homes screen you can only add widgets... what about shortcuts?? Can you make the one whole home screen with a bunch of shortcuts only?

[@jb678901]

The so-called lag is not due to hardware...the GPU chip on the N8 is faster than the iPhone 4's SOC integrated GPU. It is rather intentional given the active swipe-able widgets and the design choice to require a full swipe as opposed to a partial swipe to avoid unintentional selections. For those who want a faster transition...plenty of Symbian customizations do these little tweeks with simple patches.

[@kamuscasio]

you can plug in any USB memory stick, hard drive or any USB storage device to the N8 without the need of connecting to a computer. Cool eh? The first phone to have this feature if i am not mistake. Can you test it? please?

[@GroudFrank]

I am always impressed with Nokia! When they don't invent something,the reinvent it much better.So much for the ifail...I mean,iphone...The only thing I don't like is the screen size.A little bit too small but overall it's a beast of a phone!....Hoping to get one before the month is over.

[@Jimbo282]

Definitely a very nice phone especially if you love taking pics, but the symbian OS is harder to use for the average consumer. It's a little less intuitive compared to WP7, ios, and android I find. The phone is absolutely awesome and every customer I've sold one to loves it though, just have to demo it to them a bit more.

[@eberus13th]

which would you guys prefer. Nokia N8 or Samsung Galaxy SL?

[@slatrix92]

when updating e-mail, facebook, and other online widgets, can you update these through wifi? Or do you have to update these widgets through the provider network(such as AT&T or T-Mobile). I am curious because i would like to update these through wifi and not incur internet charges from the network provider.

[@SickleDH]

The homescreen changes after the swipe because it's designed that way to prevent accidental homescreen swap. If you look at the homescreen change via the middle button you see that there is no lag. Anyone calling this laggy needs to get their eyes checked or their head cleared from all the iPhone and Android hype.

[@mobileburn]

@angryy0ungman I was quite aware that it was a USB OTG port, but my U.S. Nokia rep wasn't able to tell me what it could be used for. I tried a keyboard and that didn't work. So if the Nokia guy doesn't know, I can't see how it should be an issue if I don't know...

[@HardcoreJeroen]

Maybe print & check a list with the contains?

[@BeOutstanding]

I really wonder why pple always condemn symbian. Its good, works smoothly, allows me to open multiple applications at the same time. The touch screen isnt as sensitive as iphone but it still works fine.

[@OTRABlog]

the lag you feel behind sliding is symbian ;) why on earth didn't they ship this with maemo/meego?

[@Aerosmithfan507]

should i get this phone or the Motorola Quench?

[@Iwatchedyourvideo]

@Adimal001 I'm giving the reasons why people would hate on symbian 3 which is what your original comment was about, and most videos i've watched about the N8 have been pre-release so... don't know where you got 'mostly show pre-production' from people watch reviews of phones before they buy them, at least I should think they do... the general consensus isnt necessarily that its bad, just that it cant hold a candle to the lastest versions of iOS and Android. MeeGo would've been better tbh

[@cashfornothing]

I like my Nokia N8 very much! Its a phone for the seriuos user. Perfect for a user on the go.

[@Duracelbunny]

@mobileburn but, e.g. pc usb headsets should work (my logitech one works fine)

[@risingkratos02]

@Adimal001 nice one with the chipmunk!!..but!! WOWW i didnt know that u can speed up screen scrooling...impressive!

[@kamuscasio]

@1234fllf it's not about the names though. it's about the functions. a good reviewer needs to know the features of the thing he reviews. in this case, the n8 can be connected to any usb storage device with that cable without the need of a computer. that's a great, new, and revolutionary feature that should be mentioned.

[@jjrosaria]

can you remove the other homescreens if I only want one??

[@morell21212]

what is better nokia n8 or nokia c7 on samsung glalaxy s

[@Brunoxtr]

waiting for part 2 and 3 :)

[@Mattojumala]

In nokia manual it says "info about product and its safety"

[@shivam443]

@ChannelVortex right

[@NEVER2FORGETu]

I don't think it matters that it's hard to get into the sim, after all most people won't be taking it out anyway. Personally i won't be taking out the micro sd either if i have one.

[@raksori]

"Tietoja tuotteesta ja turvallisuudesta" = Information about the product and safety

[@Iwatchedyourvideo]

@Adimal001 every demo or video of symbian 3 i've watched has lagged my old phone which was S60 lagged really bad in places not sure if it feels as bad as it looked but that really put me off this phone and for instance people with an e-mail account for work and one for personal use may not want to push them both into the same inbox, on top of this maybe someone wouldn't want to receive push e-mail on their personal account at work and vise vera features you'd expect in a high end smart phone.

[@Enkaeify]

can you change the colour of that blue menu bar?

[@fedeel22ymedio]

@adimal001, thanks that comment and the 9 thumsb up convinced me of buying this phone

[@VinceGaoPH]

i think people now are more matured when it comes on choosing the right phone for them. it may because of the continuous depression of stocks and economies. People not look just because of the hardware but also the OS. Hardware is useless if the core OS is taken for granted

[@1234fllf]

@angryy0ungman I see someone hasn't had their cookie yet... This is a good review and Michael is a good reviewer if you want the exact names of things go look at some written reviews

[@aimatmee]

where is the battery? can it be replace?

[@jDadial]

great review..

[@serenerhapsody]

wow. there is no easy access to the battery? that sounds a little dangerous.

[@paice95]

@tequeterequeteque Android has a file manager and a task manager.

[@AYHAMW300]

@Adimal001 who every said it look's bad any way's? . Symbian is good but not that good i can tell you that i have used Nokia all my life a and i have tried android and IOS(IPHONE) . there is soo many app's, and support for the IOS like. game's ,netflix, app, im not sure but i think there is Photoshop as will. but there is one thin Symbian does that ISO doe's not do. Symbian is street-forward it's really easy to use.

[@laelprais]

making those comparments difficult to deal with is for people like me who opens those comparments alot as a bad habbit, so that we wont do it so much

[@simonwellander]

@gFrenken97 Not longer with Symbian Belle!

[@arjea1996]

@thundappan1 on earth man.... are u bisayan filipino or something??

[@mobileburn]

@siralexu Ahhh, good call. I had asked Nokia what it could be used with, but they haven't gotten me an answer yet. I tried a keyboard and that didn't work.

[@drkvenger]

I like the 12MP camera optics and hardware design is ok, but the UI is ugly and unresponsive. Notice the reviewer tried toggling different option panels and ran into lag and on numerous occasions had to repeatedly push tiles to get it to respond. Android and Apple iOS are light years ahead of Symbian in comparison.

[@r0wd3]

In 2010 having a USB cable and a separate charger seems old school.

[@Aightnigguh8D]

@TheC0Dnetwork hmm desire hd is too big for a mobile phone imo...almost like a tablet, which makes it very hard to use if you're on the go...and ofc poor battery life

[@russia086]

how much it costs in euro??

[@sitadriver]

@shiznoes who said you this ? some iphone fanboy ?? i know its not polished like ios neither open/useful like Android but the new version is better and the os Don't need a very powerful processor and high ram and separate GPU ...it is also easy and do its job pretty well. its cheap so Nokia can Afford making High Spec headset of it at very low prices.

[@arcitore]

@ChannelVortex the N9 is only 8mp ...... fail

[@ivan134]

great looking phone(besides the color for the my taste). either the processor isn't very good or the OS is badly optimized. fix which ever is the problem and i dont see a need to slap on android of windows phone 7 OS.

[@DarkMerchant2222]

i like the phone, good video.

[@jb678901]

@jb678901 ; correction...micro USB to USB apdapter

[@kencrc1987]

I have nothing against Symbian^3 since I havent used it yet, the previous versions are slow, but theya re the easiest to use cell phone SW and I thinks thats the reason why nokia is the # 1 in the world I would have loved that they hadnt discontinued maemo 5 that SW was absolutely gorgeous I would have liked this n8 and in the future an E7 with Maemo5 would be great what a shame

[@BlackvvvFist]

Sweet camera

[@leonghk12]

@07liberian Hey yeah it looks awesome and it makes symbian much more usable. Well that definitely was a saving grace for symbian! The camera quality is top notch but unfortunately the N8 is kinda pricey, even more so than the iphone 4...Thanks for the info tho!

[@Baggarbilla]

NOKIA TILL DEATH !

[@smelllybelllyjellly]

@TEF84 So true, it is a mini computer. I hate to call it a phone when it's so much like a pc... Poor iPhone users

[@BackyardSpaceProgram]

[@Rome1017Lights]

@07liberian Yah I know, either way I have never ever been a fan of symbian I just like the designs of Nokia phones.

[@daavee03]

@crowfaceltd It doesnt matter how powerful it is, symbian OS 3 has been written to work with that hardware, so no matter how fast the hardware is it wont make a difference, ive had a play with it and tbh, it kicks iphones ass! not alot of phones have been able to do that. so well done nokia!!! oh btw the gorilla glass screen is alot tougher then the iphones screen, my girldfriend dropped hers on concrete floor and it cracked watch the n8 gorilla screen test!

[@scootcity4]

@Adimal001 good way of not using any swear words in that outburst of true statements:)

[@HokiesACC]

Nokia reps have claimed that lag on the homescreen is a feature so you don't accidentally swipe it when you don't mean to.

[@meh-hair-Vaughn]

Couldn't you get a better colour for a review unit? ;-)

[@tven99]

i thought built in was 32gig?

[@boydarkus123]

Is this android

[@Ganibase]

@thundappan1 You'r saying it wrong!

[@T73mr]

symbian.... is it still exist??:P

[@vjunloc1]

The thing is, IOS is the most refined OS in the market neither android nor symbian come close to it...i have used all three of them n i can say symbian is nt in the same league(based on performance foget abt UI) android is okay(it has just started n will take some time to mature) bt ios is most heavily worked upon mobile OS ever...it gets maximum out of the hardware..which other two don't

[@MattShonan]

the cables are the best part on this phone, ... :D

[@Lectrosoul]

@axelin493 There's a company called Android making phones?? eejit..

[@daavee03]

WOW! this phone is amazing i had a quick hands on at the 02 store a few days ago and tbh it kicks iphones glossy black butt! i mean LOOK at all the features : HDMI out, 3.5 mm jack, 12mp camera full 1080p recording.. you dont need a camera, mp3 player or anything again.. its brilliant, but if people cant see past thier own arogant views about apple or android then dont post.. leave it for people INTERESTED IN THE PHONE! nokia has made something very special. and yeah n97 was bad.

[@Manmeetthebadboy]

@daavee03 But it's only good at hardware not software...