Flashback: the Nokia 808 PureView was from the future

17 November 2019
A higher resolution sensor with pixel binning for zooming and low-light shots six years before Androids started doing it.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • I8m
  • 21 Nov 2019

Samath N8 808 owner, 21 Nov 2019Nokia 808 had 1.3Ghz single core processor, with 256MB RAM.... moreSymbian was quite a gem. Just like the 808. And my omnia HD, galaxy beam, z ulta, axon m, r2d2 droid, etc. I still want the evangelion phone.

    Anonymous, 18 Nov 2019We all remember what happened to Windows Phone but the ques... moreNokia 808 had 1.3Ghz single core processor, with 256MB RAM.
    Try giving it just a 2.8Ghz single core processor with 2 GB RAM, and tell me what you found reg the UI...

    Symbian was an obstruction to Americans in way of their Global spying. In fact, they rewarded Elop for destroying the original Finnish Nokia... So it won't come back, at least not in its older form and privacy setup.

      Anonymous, 19 Nov 2019There is two major problem for this 1.reviewers will bash ... moreBy that logic we would only have one type of everything, but luckily that is not so.

      But as long as people like sheep buy the same crap no matter what they actually need you are right. If they stop buying and asking what they want things will change fast.

      If clothing stores only offered one type of uni-sex purple nylon burka $500 a piece, they would soon be asked if that is really all they got, and shortly some would offer something different.... But as long as people keep buying the overpriced crap, that is what we are offered.

      It is called "supply and demand"...

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        • AnonD-731363
        • SH3
        • 20 Nov 2019

        Anonymous, 20 Nov 2019So true. But unfortunately not happening. Though quad bayer... moreWell yes you are right.
        Lets see what next year will bring on the fields of justice and mobile technology.
        The year of 2019 was very proising. Foldable devices, much better cameras, entry level devces with 3GB ram. Entry level devices with 4-5k mAh batteries, a lot better CPUs and GPUs improved QI charging and much more.

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          • AnonD-476622
          • yuq
          • 20 Nov 2019

          Anonymous, 19 Nov 2019That, it lacked ois, even though it had large 2.2ish um pix... moreyip, true.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • I8m
            • 20 Nov 2019

            AnonD-731363, 20 Nov 2019Still its a lot better camera evice than most phones of tod... moreSo true. But unfortunately not happening. Though quad bayers bring us a little closer. Not there still. But we are also possibly going to see what a flagship does with one soon so hopefully some improvement.
            Not quite as good in pure sensor quality and resolution. But better focus, hopefully ois, better aperture, hdr, night, video should all be improved.

            And a couple of these sensors are chasing larger surface area.
            But if they would just improve a sensor like this it would be better.

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              • AnonD-731363
              • SH3
              • 20 Nov 2019

              Still its a lot better camera evice than most phones of today.
              If the new phones will use same camera but with curent specs and image processing we get a very easy winner.

                Anonymous, 18 Nov 2019We all remember what happened to Windows Phone but the ques... moreNot even Symbian. They should go back to Meego and work on that. That was a legendary phone and was too ahead of it's time

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • I8m
                  • 19 Nov 2019

                  Carol, 19 Nov 2019Ah yea, i forgot gsmarena has sudden experts commenting in ... moreYeah... one's like you.... an ff with f9 will not beat out one of these devices with f1.5. That's just insane.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • I8m
                    • 19 Nov 2019

                    AnonD-476622, 19 Nov 2019Just a pity Panasonic couldn't get the processing quite rig... moreThat, it lacked ois, even though it had large 2.2ish um pixels it had f2.8, and they didn't update it very much.

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                      • AnonD-476622
                      • yuq
                      • 19 Nov 2019

                      Anonymous, 17 Nov 2019"keep in mind that we’re talking about 1.4µm pixels h... moreBut remember that at 10 MP the pixel size was 4 x 1.4 micron, due to the combining of pixels into larger pixels (so when in 10Mp mode the 808 still used the full sensor size, it only became smaller as you used the lossless zoom). So without zooming in when in 10MP mode your pixel size is over 6 micron which means a lot more light getting in, so you had what Nokia called 'super pixels'.

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                        • AnonD-476622
                        • yuq
                        • 19 Nov 2019

                        Anonymous, 19 Nov 20191 inch. So bigger. They don't seem to fact check here so we... moreJust a pity Panasonic couldn't get the processing quite right with the CM-1, its output still has a slightly processed look.

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                          • AnonD-476622
                          • yuq
                          • 19 Nov 2019

                          Anonymous, 17 Nov 2019I loved my 808, and the SymbianOS running it. Camera was gr... moreWhat worked for me was to change auto white balance and also adjust exposure, and sometimes use built in ND filter.

                            Anonymous, 19 Nov 2019If there is not already, you should write an article about ... moreNokia N9 was best phone at that time and nokia left that alone like step child for the sake of Windows Phone. BB10 came after with same swipe gestures and then apple followed the same with iPhone 10

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                              • AnonD-476622
                              • yuq
                              • 19 Nov 2019

                              Anonymous, 17 Nov 2019Nokia 808 and 1020 do downsample. Exactly was later used b... moreExcept Sony's processing was horrid, photos were a horrid smeary mess, unlike the 808 where Nokia spent 4 years getting the sensor and processing to match the look of DSLR photos in terms of processing, still the most natural looking photos from any phone, ever.

                                • v
                                • vicken808
                                • aXK
                                • 19 Nov 2019

                                I still shoot my best photos with my 808, and even 360@30fps with 12* loosless zoom on this phone is superb, great camera with woarse cpu woarse screen woarse os, but the most beautiful phone ever made by nokia, I love my 808

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                                  • Pnkj
                                  • 8rp
                                  • 19 Nov 2019

                                  Can you do a full camera review of Nokia Pureview 808 as you do with present smartphones?

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • iAU
                                    • 19 Nov 2019

                                    If there is not already, you should write an article about the development of gesture navigation, and Nokia too.
                                    Because, N9 was from the future too.
                                    I would still rather use its MeeGo instead of the spyware android

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • Ic7
                                      • 19 Nov 2019

                                      Nokia was so far ahead of its time.

                                      They were also producing smartphones well before Apple and that were far more powerful than the original iPhone (which was really a feature phone with a fancy touch interface and not a smartphone at all--it couldn't install third party apps, it couldn't run a server or act as a hotspot, it had a complete crap camera). Anyway, Nokia doesn't get the credit it deserves.

                                      It's sad that the original Finnish cell phone division that made all the great N series phones doesn't exist anymore and Nokia is just a brand operated by a totally unrelated company now.

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                                        • AJ
                                        • PyA
                                        • 19 Nov 2019

                                        Thanks for this amazing article. Took me back in time since I once owned an 808 and it was truly much ahead of its time. Nokia was seriously one of most innovative companies of all times. Not just the 808, even if we think about the innovations in design I think they were far ahead! I recall that Nokia was the one to come up with the first non-antenna mobile. Thanks Nokia! Happy that HMD Global took the challenge & are working on building the Nokia brand again. Good Luck!