Nokia N8 review: Director of photography

12 October 2010
We’ve come to take Nokia for granted in the low end or the business class but it seems it has lost the knack for killer phones, run out of royal blood. It’s up to the Nseries to fix it all up. The Nokia N8 may just turn out to be the right cure. With that kind of hardware. Update, 08.02.2012: Symbian Belle update hands-on...

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  • C
  • Clint
  • fqj
  • 13 Oct 2010

Nokia shares up at 11.29 on 13 Oct 2010 from 9.82 at market close on 29 Sept 2010. A 15% increase in around 2 weeks!

The N8 seems to be having some sort of positive effect....

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • ii6
    • 13 Oct 2010

    Keane, 13 Oct 2010samsung wave,milestone x10...these r the worthy competitors... moredid u use n8? before using dont tell its laggy..its not nokia released update for camera ..some hacked developers releasef for n8..first know everything abt a phone before complaining..in my android phone i cant even install apps in sd card..so what u will say for it? no idea when u get android updates everymonth and android phones releasing every week n becoming old in a couple of weeks span time..other than eyecandy there is something more need to be seen in an OS

      • t
      • toplasm
      • utt
      • 13 Oct 2010

      Savor, 13 Oct 2010No video light is a deal breaker when I want to record sex ... moreAn app to access flash light is being modified for the sym 3' will release it soon for free.. kepp looking for flashtorch 3'ec

        • a
        • andy burgin
        • 3pH
        • 13 Oct 2010

        Nokia didn"t see the Potential in Touch Screen mobiles an lost out to the others,they are catching up slowly,Symbian never got advanced by Nokia until the iPhone turned up,an really showed Nokia that Symbian was not so fast an not so simple software,with the N8 being a Top Camera mobile will help Nokia sales an shares,Meego will be alot better for Nokia an working with Intel should really good partnership,still will be getting the N8 do not worry,as a new Browser on its way,an with further updates the N8 can only get better

          • S
          • Savor
          • sHT
          • 13 Oct 2010

          No video light is a deal breaker when I want to record sex in the dark. ;) The phone has a great camera and materials used for it. Other than that, it doesn't blow me away. Nokia needs to come up with something that is a gamechanger. Something that makes me want to throw my current phone in the trash. Most of their releases is trying to play catch up to iOS and Android. Nothing that makes me go, "WOW!" Nokia needs to get away from Symbian already. Outdated crap,

            • 2
            • 25fps
            • ucv
            • 13 Oct 2010

            I'm very amused at this fuss over 25fps / 30fps video. The likely reason why the n8 adopted 25fps videos is for exact compatibility with the 25fps standard for PAL - and of course, PAL is the video standard in parts of Asia and Europe (where, as we know, Nokia is from). It has nothing to do with the actual ability of the hardware.

            I'd attribute our obsession with 30fps (along with the obsession with iPhones and Blackberrys), at least in part, to the fact that we all read way too many dumb American tech sites (Engadget, Gizmodo etc) and take their reviews way too seriously. They live in their own little bubble and have little or no idea about how things are panning out elsewhere in the world.

            We've got brains of our own. We've got our own standards.

            25fps is awesome, and in many ways I prefer this cinema-like frame-rate.

              • K
              • Keane
              • K2E
              • 13 Oct 2010

              samsung wave,milestone x10...these r the worthy competitors os n8!!
              AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA...LOL
              i knew this would happen...cuz from the begining nokia were always towards the camera of N8...but what about the OS,what about the speed....even now nokia is releasing updates for the camera...OH COME ON NOKIA.....improve the speed and performance...cuz it lags like hellll!!but even if the updates comes for speed and performance...there will no such groundbreaking results...becuz of low cpu nd ram....nd yeah the main disadvantage of nokia is as days goes by the phone slows nd slows nd slows.in todays days every manufacturer is going for higher processors nd ram nd sp a good OS....nd the outdated symbian OS(don't know why the nokia isn't making MAEMO the mainstream OS for all its devices)...there is hardly any difference between my previous SE SATIO nd N8...its the damn same thing...nd it will be unnecessary to spend money on this device only for the CAM!!!...there r better devices out there ffaaarr better than N8
              1)iphone4...awesome build,excellent cam,lightning fast speeds ,gorgeous display,tons of apps to choose frm,APPLE iOS, facetime(actually it works great)..JAILBREAK....ETC ETC
              2)galaxy S....again the build is not that nice,camera is good but the flash could have made it perfect,it is fast(bt not as fast as iphone 4), SUPER AMOLED display,great apps but the store is not as huge as apple app store but 100 times better than OVI store,android OS..ETC ETC

                • C
                • Clint
                • fqj
                • 13 Oct 2010

                Stuntman, 13 Oct 2010The new browser and Swype is on the way. I think that for ... moreInteresting as I am in the market to by a new top end smartphone and I am looking at getting an N8 and none of those mentioned by yourself.

                I also find it interesting how people feel the need to perfectly box phones into specific genres (business phone, multimedia phone, smartphone blah blah blah) yet in my view these lines are extremely blurred nowadays. I would find it interesting to have a long discussion about the supposed differences between these phones. In my view a "multimedia" phone like the N8 can usually perform all the functions of a "business" phone anyway.

                And why would it not be accurate of GSM Arena to compare the N8 to those phones mentioned? What exactly is it that they can do that the N8 can't? An "easier to use, less complex UI and a large app store"... is that the definition of a smartphone nowadays?

                GSM Arena was perfectly accurate in asking whether there is in fact any phone that can be called the best at the moment. The market is too diverse.

                  • S
                  • Stuntman
                  • NGf
                  • 13 Oct 2010

                  dude, 13 Oct 2010Nokia phones are something like cigarettes for its fans/use... moreDude:

                  Very interesting analogy. I know that I want to upgrade my N97 to something else. What draws me to stay with the Symbian platform is all of the time and effort I have already spent in configuring the N97 and the Ovi suite and other apps. I've only had it for half a year and I want to get at least a few more months out of the effort I have put in. Maybe then either Nokia comes up with something I want to use rather than simply being the path of least resistance or some other platform's device really blows me away enough for me to break free. :)

                    • S
                    • Stuntman
                    • NGf
                    • 13 Oct 2010

                    Jon SWE, 13 Oct 2010Havent read thru the comments, to see if any one else poste... moreThe new browser and Swype is on the way. I think that for the purposes of this review, they only talked about what is here and now because it is a review. They do mention that you can use Opera Mobile as an alternative which is available here and now.

                    Overall, I do feel it is a fair review of the N8. The conclusions also compare the N8 to other similar phones. Note that the iPhone, Galaxy S and Desire are not amongst them. If the N8 is the best that Nokia has to offer at this time, they are months behind the competition and are not a player in the top end phone market.

                      • C
                      • Clint
                      • fqj
                      • 13 Oct 2010

                      Coolworld, 13 Oct 2010That was a great review,thank you for that.N8 is the closes... more"How to reboot the phone from N8 user guide:

                      If your device stops responding

                      Reboot your device. Press and hold power button for about 8 seconds. The device vibrates three
                      times and switches off. To switch your device on again, press power button.
                      No content, such as contacts or messages, is deleted."

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • t@x
                        • 13 Oct 2010

                        Alui, 13 Oct 2010I know and I agree with you. I just wanted to tell the quy ... moreHonestly dude, give it a rest... It's about personal choices in the end, so don't go trying to push yours down others throats. Also, this is an N8 review forum. You love your SGS, good for you! Let the others decide what they want...

                          • B
                          • Big_bang
                          • uth
                          • 13 Oct 2010

                          its n8 thread and android and iOS users should avoid bashing nokia .. Its agreed that n8 has worst ui then why are u here talking abt ur great ui .
                          Btw i am going to buy n8 asap .

                            • J
                            • Jon SWE
                            • mhB
                            • 13 Oct 2010

                            Havent read thru the comments, to see if any one else posted this.
                            But there is a new browser on the way, and its official! Just not exactly when... rumours talk about november.
                            GSMarena should have written something about that in the browser section... Sure we dont know how it will perform, but it would be nice for potential buyers to know Nokia is working on an iproved browsing experience...

                            Swype is also on its way.
                            Sure, it wont fit all, so the input is still somewhat a downer.

                            There is also an update of Ovi maps on its way.
                            But GSMarena didnt see the current version as a problem, so that is just a bonus for the readers.

                            No phone is perfect.
                            All mayor smartphone OSes has some quirks.
                            Symbian is good at deep level functions and customization.
                            Others might be more straight forward, but lack some of the depths and customization.

                              • C
                              • Coolworld
                              • SXp
                              • 13 Oct 2010

                              That was a great review,thank you for that.N8 is the closest to my dream phone, with good speaker/earphones sound,camera,video,screen, storage & connectivity and quality build, love that it can read from a flash drive . Disappointed with one thing and one thing only, the battery. You can't change it or take it out. It means if the phone freezes, you're fucked until battery runs out, unless there's a reset hole Apple style i've missed somehow ?
                              But guess what, i still want it, maybe for xmas

                                • A
                                • Anonymous
                                • YQA
                                • 13 Oct 2010

                                Alui, 13 Oct 2010@Xis I agree with you. S^3 is better than WP7. But, hello,... moreNokia and symbian is great and nothing can beat it.even glaxy i phone

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • fvF
                                  • 13 Oct 2010

                                  what about active noise cancellation????????????

                                    • C
                                    • Clint
                                    • fqj
                                    • 13 Oct 2010

                                    Oh dear, further bad news for the naysayers! It is already being reported on GSM arena that a "hack" exists to improve still image quality as well as increase video recording to 30fps with continuous autofocus :

                                    "It's the video recording that got the more worthwhile boost though. Team HX managed to increase its framerate to 30fps and added… wait for it… continuous autofocus."


                                    Seems that those negatives about this phone are already dwindling quickly! :D

                                      • C
                                      • Clint
                                      • fqj
                                      • 13 Oct 2010

                                      dude, 13 Oct 2010Nokia phones are something like cigarettes for its fans/use... moreI'm in exactly the same boat as you when it comes to touch screens. I have not been a fan and have been very reluctant to take the plunge but it seems we may well be forced to do so as this is the direction the market is taking.

                                      It seems our reluctance may have paid off though as by all accounts this touch screen rendition by Nokia is far superior to the previous offerings. A benefit of not having the need to be the first to use something! :D

                                        • d
                                        • dude
                                        • 2SR
                                        • 13 Oct 2010

                                        Nokia phones are something like cigarettes for its fans/users nowadays. We want to get rid of them and jump to other platforms, but like a bad habit, it sticks. Can't do so easily. In my case, I use a s60 phone and would like to jump to the Android/wp7/iOS platform but like them cigarettes, they're hard to let go of. So, what do you do if you plan to quit? Make the next transition to a substitute- in this Nokia smartphone case- Symbian 3 phones. I might just do that... I'm having second thoughts about this handset now since nokia's marketing it so aggressively. I still use a 5320 (s60) and I've got no experience with other touch screen platforms- this might prove to be a springboard for me. Use the N8 for a year or two and then jump onto the Android or wp7 bandwagon :-P