First Look: Nokia?s N8 Sports Fantastic Hardware, Tired OS

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After a year of lackluster handset launches, Nokia may have a winner on its hands with the N8 smartphone. We spent some time with the new device at Nokia World 2010 in London, and while it wasn’t enough time to draw up a full review, we were able to get some hands-on first impressions.

First off, the hardware is fantastic. Wrapped in a beautiful anodized aluminum body with a 3.5-inch OLED display, the N8 will ship in green, blue, orange, silver, and graphite colors. While the display size is a bit smaller than the 4+ inch options on the market, it strikes a nice balance between “too small” and “way too big.” At 4.76 ounces, the phone is lightweight, feels good in the hand, and can easily be slipped into a tight pocket or purse.

The unit ships with Symbian^3, the newest version of the Symbian platform. Among the improvements, the user is greeted with three homescreens and the ability to add up to 24 shortcuts to each. Simply press and hold the screen for a few seconds to add or remove widgets and applications. It’s a nice revision to Symbian versions of the past and does a decent job of bringing the platform into the 21st century. Despite the updates, the OS still seems a bit tired at this point.

The phone is powered by a 680 MHz ARM 11 processor, which falls below the typical 1 GHz benchmark in today’s high-end smartphones. In our hands-on time with it, we noticed a bit of lag when transitioning between homescreens and opening apps. It wasn’t terribly alarming, but could be a point of contention for those used to the speedy performance of Android and iOS.

Thanks to the capacitive touchscreen, the virtual keyboard is responsive. In portrait mode, the N8 displays a T9-style keypad, while in landscape mode, the user is given a full QWERTY layout to work with. We tested it by typing out several messages, and within minutes, we were clicking away with ease.

The device sports a non-removable battery, so for those that travel on a regular basis, the inability to replace the battery on the go could prove to be frustrating. That said, Symbian has proven itself to be a warrior in the battery life department, and early reports claim over one day of juice with moderate use.

The N8 packs a 12-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash, so pictures look great. It also has the ability to capture HD video in 720p resolution at 25 frames per second, and offers an HDMI port for direct connections to the television. The combination of powerful camera optics and a mechanical shutter creates a bulge on the back of the unit, but Nokia has done a decent job of integrating it with the overall device design.

The Nokia N8 is a solid step forward for the Finnish manufacturer, and given Nokia’s name recognition, it’s a device that should sell well worldwide. The hardware is top-notch and feels fantastic, but the user interface seems a bit tired in comparison to other options on the market.

What’s more, no carrier partnerships have been announced in the United States, so those wanting the device will be forced to pay the full retail price.

The combination of an unsubsidized price and inability to view it in a retail store (yet) will likely lead U.S. buyers to choose other devices.

The Nokia N8 is expected to be available in the last week of September, and you can pre-order it for $550 from NokiaUSA.com.

For more on the N8 and its business-oriented sister phone, the Nokia E7, check out PhoneDog’s video of the N8 and E7, below.