Nokia N8 gets severely tortured, lives to tell the story

11 November, 2010
A unibody anodized aluminum chassis and a reinforced glass over the panel make the Nokia N8 certainly look like one of the sturdiest smartphones around. And the Finnish company is keen to show just how...

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  • Anonymous
  • Er2
  • 12 Nov 2010

Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010Because N8 is the flagship of Nokia - just as Galaxy S is o... moreI never saw "multiple" articles about "top of the line" Moto phones like Milestone or XT720 in the "news" section...

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    • Anonymous
    • Er2
    • 12 Nov 2010

    Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010My old Nokia 6600, N91 N95 and N958gb were all tortured lik... moreEither you never tried the N76 or the company would try to deny it ever made the N76...one of the worst "top of the line" model around by the company....broke easily like no other flip phone ever.

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      • Anonymous
      • Er2
      • 12 Nov 2010

      Usetobe gsmarena fan, 11 Nov 2010I am not sure why the editor always put nokia news on the f... moreI know in the business world, there is no free lunch.

      Why this site reviews almost every model (or at least one in each segment) only for the almighty brand? Other brands, from Samsung to HTC, from Motorola to SE, also release many models in different segments, yet only ONE (usually from the top) gets reviewed.

      What's the big deal about this N8 to sustain such impact? Believe the Motorola Defy, which is IP67 certified, was released WEEKS ago (even in Europe) and probably being the first touchscreen smartphone to qualify the IP67 standard. But not a single word was mentioned.

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        • vu0
        • 12 Nov 2010

        Anonymous, 12 Nov 2010Nokia engineers have more important things to do... ...y... moreI'm sure they get headhunted all the time. No doubt Apple could use some of Nokia's existing talent to produce a sweet unibody design for their next iPhone :--D

        But srsly, you'd be an idiot to pay what an engineer earns just to have them stand around dropping phones in a very unscientific manner.

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          • Anonymous
          • Er2
          • 12 Nov 2010

          Sails , 11 Nov 2010I've dropped my Nokia phones probably hundreds of times and... moreI always remember the case below....

          My friend was using the almighty brand "almighty" flip phone N76, he dropped it ONCE and the flip hinge became loose, even though the phone overall still worked. The flip no longer worked as open to answer / close to end.

          Meanwhile, his wife was using the Motorola V3maxx and she dropped the phone over 200 times, and the only reason she switched to another phone was she needed a phone with better cam.

          So much for the "drop test" from the almighty brand.

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            • Anonymous
            • P%n
            • 12 Nov 2010

            TSH, 12 Nov 2010The reasons are simple: 1. They want to drop it many, many... moreNokia engineers have more important things to do...

            ...yeah, like fill out job applications.

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              • vu0
              • 12 Nov 2010

              anon111, 12 Nov 2010I too have an E52. A horrible phone - cannot wait to get ri... moreWhy do apps rule the game?

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                • anon111
                • Lh@
                • 12 Nov 2010

                Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010Last Nokia I had was an E52 - it's the last Nokia I'll ever... moreI too have an E52. A horrible phone - cannot wait to get rid of it. It's had to be replaced once after serious power issues.

                Symbian is horrible - ugly, clumsy, slow, hangs.

                It will be the last Nokia I ever buy, especially as apps now rule the game and even WinMob is now ahead of Symbian on that front...

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                  • Anonymous
                  • wdE
                  • 12 Nov 2010

                  Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010Hey look one million phones hit by a virus in China. htt... moreIt's not a Symbian^3 phone in that news. Plus, they got the virus from using app from untrusted source -- unlike the Trojan virus and the Nazi app that were present on an official Android Market.

                  Case closed. Anymore trolling?

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                    • Anonymous
                    • wdE
                    • 12 Nov 2010

                    Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010yeah yeah ur n8 can't even use to enter web address on the ... moreWhat exactly are you trying to say? At the very least, please use proper English so other people can understand you.

                    Do you mean to say that the N8 can display the browser in full-screen? If that's the case, yes the N8 can display the web pages in full-screen.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • wdE
                      • 12 Nov 2010

                      Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010no matter what N8 sold very slow. very slow. Not even a mil... moreQuit trolling, please.

                      The N8 has received the highest number of pre-orders in the company history. Many press state that millions have been sold and soon more than 10 million units will be sold. (And this is really only one model (just different colours), unlike the Galaxy S which come in how many models: regular S, S with TV, Fascinate, Captivate, Continuum, Epic, & Vibrant - a total of 7 models.)

                      http://www.unwiredview.com/2010/11/09/nokia-n8-has-received-the-highest-number-of-pre-orders-in-the-companys-history/

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                        • TSH
                        • vu0
                        • 12 Nov 2010

                        Tacktick, 11 Nov 2010I always wonder, why do they have to engineer all this fanc... moreThe reasons are simple:
                        1. They want to drop it many, many times. Each drop test lasted for two minutes, with one drop every few seconds. How long would it take you to pick up and drop a phone from a reasonable height 50 times?
                        2. More importantly, the drop has to be consistent for the test to be valid. The "drop-boxes" design ensures that there is as little variation in the drop height, surface and other variables such as temperature, pressure and humidity as possible. Imagine trying to get all of those things exactly right 50 times in a row, dropping the phone from waist height.
                        3. Engineers have more important things to do. A machine like that, you can set-and-forget while you go and do more important things. Combined with the advantages above, a single machine can be used for drop-testing any number of small devices released over the course of many years. The machine will always apply the same test to whatever you place inside, providing a consistent testing environment that is required to make a rational judgment as to the true durability of the test subject.

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                          • b6@
                          • 12 Nov 2010

                          Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010no matter what N8 sold very slow. very slow. Not even a mil... moreReally???? Where did you get the numbers from??

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                            • vu0
                            • 12 Nov 2010

                            Shihab, 11 Nov 2010I dont understand why ppl have to feel so strongly abt it. ... moreWell put. This is just one test. It's unbiased, repeatable and valid for the purpose of testing a certain range of impact resistance. And we get to see the results without having to risk our own phones.

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                              • aaptk
                              • 3LU
                              • 11 Nov 2010

                              Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010yeah yeah ur n8 can't even use to enter web address on the ... morewow, is that the best you can do?

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                                • Anonymous
                                • 3LU
                                • 11 Nov 2010

                                Anonymous, 11 Nov 2010I don't want to have to "understand" anything, I ... moreyou prove my point, you dont need a smartphone at all

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                                  • vu0
                                  • 11 Nov 2010

                                  Ed, 11 Nov 2010Hmm, nice to see, but flawed by the design of the testing a... moreIf you look carefully when the tester opens the boxes (0:22-25) there is a little platform inside the boxes themselves, which prevents the phone from sliding more than a few inches before it drops.

                                  As for the materials the box is made of - you seriously think steel has that much "give"? It's not a heavy device that would force the steel to "give" (as compared to a hammer or bowling ball).

                                  Also don't forget the test was for two whole minutes, and was done repeatedly. I reckon if you counted every time I've dropped any handset, it wouldn't be that many times! :--D

                                  No single test can cover all possible drop situations, but once again: show me any other handset being subjected to the same test and I'll be very interested in the result. I don't doubt that other handsets are as tough, but this has been quite a good demonstration.

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                                    • suru
                                    • 0U6
                                    • 11 Nov 2010

                                    what is nokia?in 2010 we have iphone4 and galaxy with android.reast in peace nokia

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • TqC
                                      • 11 Nov 2010

                                      aaptk, 11 Nov 2010so many sad, jealous people bashing this amazing phone y... moreyeah yeah ur n8 can't even use to enter web address on the full page!!

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • P%n
                                        • 11 Nov 2010

                                        aaptk, 11 Nov 2010so many sad, jealous people bashing this amazing phone y... moreI don't want to have to "understand" anything, I just want to use it to do stuff I want to do.

                                        Endless tinkering gets boring after a while.