Nokia 808 PureView review: Photo Finnish

22 June 2012
The Nokia 808 PureView is the best cameraphone ever made. End of story. Now, how do you proceed from there? And why is this particular phone so hard to write about? How about because a picture is worth a thousand words and we just had a...

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  • S
  • Sausage
  • pd6
  • 02 Jul 2012

nobody!!, 02 Jul 2012go buy a camera instead of buying this bulky shit .. that w... moreWhy you recommend camera if thickness is main thing for you? There is no camera this thin and 808 even beats most p&s cameras with ease and there is no need for carrying two devices all the time. I think this is very good buy for one who is active and like taking photos. There is no way that one would always have camera when it is needed. This is almost always with you.

And 808 shouldn't be compared to high end phones, cause it's not high end. It's mid range device and camera in one and makes it cheaper if compared to same quality phones and cameras.

    • n
    • nobody!!
    • LhT
    • 02 Jul 2012

    AnonD-57661, 01 Jul 2012i'm not against android or ios or any os. but its unfair to... morego buy a camera instead of buying this bulky shit .. that will serve u better ...

      • D
      • AnonD-22393
      • vIh
      • 01 Jul 2012

      808 PureView’s continuous autofocus and lossless zoom demo during video capture.

      http://nokiapoweruser.com/2012/07/01/808-pureviews-continuous-autofocus-and-lossless-zoom-demo-during-video-capture/

        • D
        • AnonD-57661
        • K7g
        • 01 Jul 2012

        i'm not against android or ios or any os. but its unfair to compare 808, the god of cameraphones , with other phones. 808 is in a league of its own. i know the main reason for all these bashing though, everyone snaps on 808 because their so called high end smartphones with "advanced cameras"'s ego is busted. i think nokia released 808 as a test product thats why it isnt that much advertised, to see how people will respond, but as planned nokia will bring pureview tech to lumia range. and the lumia pureview will absolutely be a hit. an iphone slayer indeed. you see? people loved loved pureview even if it has low res screen, thick body, and one core. can you imagine the support the lumia pureview will get? for sure, lumia pureview will have wp8 out of the box, meaning it will sport dual or quad core, and windows only supports screen of wvga or higher res... oh my god! lumia pureview will be the phone to be afraid of! samsung, apple, and htc must be trembling with fear now.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • 7um
          • 30 Jun 2012

          alex, 30 Jun 2012Frankly speaking da camera is gona b d plus point fr d fone... moreWell well, my friend, what do you call a new idea?

          Releasing quad cores, that feel threatened by a single core phone(coz the single core one does most of the job those quad cores do)?
          OR new idea means including 1(even 2) gigs of ram with dedicated graphics and still not able to break record of maximum number of running apps in a phone(74) using only 256 mb of ram and that too without dedicated graphics? (and he says "multi-taskin wnt b dat fast")

          "as a smartphone,nokia is way behind samsung & apple"
          well i can do copy and paste, have one of the best files manager(considering stock file managers), have one of the most easiest user interfaces available(you find everything were they should actually be), is the most optimized os(well it can record 1080p videos which are best in industry with just single core processor and half a gigs of ram) which are better than those quad cores.
          Well, you can tell me what symbian does not have compared to android and iphone and we will see which one is better.
          And thats not all Nokia N8 is still the best camera phone as far as photography is considered(iphone and android are still trying to catch up with it even after 2 years of N8).

            • a
            • alex
            • KFP
            • 30 Jun 2012

            Frankly speaking da camera is gona b d plus point fr d fone. Bt if v are 2 focus on its 41mp camera,dn y dnt v buy a camera of sony or nikkon....?
            as a smartphone,nokia is way behind samsung & apple. Symbian needs 2 go,nd android os needs 2 b introduced.
            besides da ram is poor,it is using a single core processor instead of a quad core processor.
            multi-taskin wnt b dat fast.
            In short Its a high range fone whch has les 2 offer. It was a gud attempt by focusing on the camera,bt NOKIA needs 2 cum up wid mre ideas if it has cum in the level of other smart-fones.

              • m
              • mobo
              • 2Gn
              • 30 Jun 2012

              Adamant, 28 Jun 2012How can enjoy videos & photos with that low resolution ... moreoh so you just buy a phone to play COOL apps ok.

                • a
                • armin
                • HF2
                • 30 Jun 2012

                I love it & I'll buy it
                It has both xenon and led flash
                perfect

                  • J
                  • J
                  • mxW
                  • 29 Jun 2012

                  Very good review GSMa. Well done.

                    • J
                    • Jason
                    • wiX
                    • 29 Jun 2012

                    Adamant, 28 Jun 2012How can enjoy videos & photos with that low resolution ... moreI really enjoy watching videos with N8. PV and N8 don't have too much different in terms of resolution. It is actually good enough though not the best.
                    I can capture high definition video and image without loosing any details and view it at my dekstop if needed. But i cannot do it with any other phone in the market. Pls don't tell me to bring a bulky DSLR to everywhere i go.
                    I think Belle is really smooth and user friendly already. Have you personally try it before you comment? Can share to me which part of belle is not smooth or user friendly?
                    I don't need those cool effects that Androids & IPhones have. What is it for? To me those are not really helping me or practical in my daily usage.
                    I have enough apps on my N8, i don't think i have miss out any "cool" apps that are really "useful".
                    Well i will go for "useful" apps instead of "cool" but not so useful.
                    True that i dont buy a cellphone because of the camera. I buy N8 and going to buy PV for lots of features that i needed and i cannot find on other phones like i mentioned in my previous post.
                    I think Nokia have did what they suppose to do with PV. I agree with you that higher resolution screen is better. But i can live without it as long as it can play 1080p videos.
                    Again, i don't think Belle is any where near to outdated. It is just lack of "cool" but not really that useful apps.

                      • d
                      • david
                      • w4s
                      • 29 Jun 2012

                      That was detailed long review. Here is a quick one page review http://pickadvice.com/nokia-808-pureview-41-megapixel-camera-phone/

                        • D
                        • AnonD-23984
                        • t7U
                        • 29 Jun 2012

                        Adamant, 28 Jun 2012No offense taken. The review actually is just one of the fe... moreWhy do we care on those review bias sites(The Verge,Mobile-review etc.?Im aware on Symbian's shortcoming and its lack of apps ecosystem(since I used the Maemo OS which was superb)but the main point use of this phone is to cater on camera lovers(those users who enjoy the outdoors and nature),not on couch potatoes(app lovers).The simplicity and easy to use of this phone was enough for casual Mobilr users.

                          • D
                          • Dakkk
                          • M}Z
                          • 28 Jun 2012

                          Just amazing,
                          I would buy it if I had the money.

                            • J
                            • Jay
                            • n7}
                            • 28 Jun 2012

                            Adamant, 28 Jun 2012No offense taken. The review actually is just one of the fe... moreYou think Belle is a bad OS? Think again.......

                              • S
                              • Sausage
                              • pd6
                              • 28 Jun 2012

                              Adamant, 28 Jun 2012Those websites used to admire Symbian a lot. I did to. I ha... moreHave you red any of GSMA Belle-phone reviews? They said in this very review that Belle has caught up Android and iOS. Only what is behind is ecosystem.

                              I'm a bit Nokia fanboy but I still can face the facts. But when I looked for my first smartphone I tested Belle and I tested Android and I found nothing seriously better in Android, they were both good and my decision was Nokia because I wanted to support it. If there wouldn't have been N9 I would write by Symbian phone now.

                              Symbian^3 and Anna were behind others but that isn't same with Belle. It really is good. Or can you tell me some serious disadvantages in it besides ecosystem?

                                • D
                                • AnonD-47095
                                • PIN
                                • 28 Jun 2012

                                Jason, 28 Jun 2012Depends on what you mean by everyday use. Other than takin... moreAgreed with you. It has capability to delight everyday use with it's multiple useful function as smartphone. Not just smartphone that only 'smart' for entertainment.

                                Huh... USB on the go, practical offline navigation, sharing audio via FM transmitter, usefull out of the box apps, quality build, practical stunning camera, better power house management and many more.

                                I think those bashing this 808PV just who feel jealous about attention that mostly given on this phone. Even they also felt want to know more about this phone to see what they can influence as many people not to support Nokia's product anymore. They might not try this phone and pretend to comment like pro who knows more. Or they just proudly to be in a group which is on top right now and bashing who is not??

                                This is round up smart phone that can deliver many astonishing function in a sigle device. Open mind and stop being so fanatics about brand. Technology evolve and it's not only destined for certain brand only.

                                I have using Samsung droid, even Blackberry too. But not a fanatic. Every product has it's own advantage & disadvantage. Same also like us HUMAN... Who is perfect.. where as we were made by GOD. what do you expect things that made by HUMAN???? always perfect???

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-60910
                                  • 0TE
                                  • 28 Jun 2012

                                  I don't understand, why GSMArena team didn't make the battery test for the nokia 808 PV?
                                  Also is strange that none of the previoue symbian 3 has the battery test!!? Any thought guys????

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • ms4
                                    • 28 Jun 2012

                                    Why do you need high resolution of the display? In real world almost all things have soft edges, if you look close, the letters of a book too. This the natural way, the most pleasant for the eye. A sharp display is unnatural,hurts the eye and affects the brain.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • fwV
                                      • 28 Jun 2012

                                      Sausage, 28 Jun 2012From what website was that? Because there is many of those ... morei heard they sold almost 2 million units of N9...Im not really sure....

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • fwV
                                        • 28 Jun 2012

                                        Adamant, 28 Jun 2012How can enjoy videos & photos with that low resolution ... morevideos and photos is not really a big issue(depends on personal preference though & one's eyesight. LOL)...but reading text is a problem...

                                        since nokia made this as a camera phone, that resolution is best suited for it...its battery life is one of the issue..when you have more pixels, it drains off more battery...you need more battery when you are outdoors especially at night, the time when you need the flash & videolight(not to mention the need for an emergency call..LOL)

                                        the OS is not really that ugly, though transitions & animations are not as good as android, what i really like are the icons(its like N9)& the home screen(it looks simple & practical)...apps are really a problem for me...hope skype videocall is available for it soon...