It is October 2010, and Nokia has just released its ‘last stand’ for the Symbian empire. The Nokia N8 is a technical masterpiece trapped in a software time capsule. In an era of plastic slabs, the N8 is a refreshing outlier, milled from a single block of anodised aluminium with glass-reinforced plastic ‘caps’ at the top and bottom. It feels like a precision industrial tool, cold to the touch and incredibly robust. In the UK, it has arrived as the ultimate choice for the mobile photographer, carrying a lens that makes the iPhone 4 look like a disposable camera.
The technical headline is the 12-megapixel camera, which features a massive 1/1.83′ sensor, the largest ever put into a phone at the time. It includes Carl Zeiss optics, a mechanical shutter, and a genuine Xenon flash. While the rest of the world is struggling with grainy LED ‘torches,’ the N8 is freezing motion in pitch-black rooms with professional clarity. It records 720p HD video with stereo sound and features an HDMI-out port, allowing you to plug your phone directly into a 50-inch TV to watch your home movies in full digital quality. It is, quite simply, the best camera-phone in existence.
Under the hood, the N8 is a connectivity beast. It features Pentaband 3G (meaning it works on every 3G network on Earth), Wi-Fi, GPS, and ‘USB On-The-Go’, a technical first that allows you to plug a standard USB thumb drive directly into the phone to transfer files. It also includes an FM transmitter, letting you beam your music to any car radio. The screen is a 3.5-inch AMOLED with a 360 x 640 resolution; while the pixel density can’t match the iPhone’s Retina display, the colours and blacks are spectacular.
The tragedy of the N8 is Symbian^3. While Nokia has added multi-touch and multiple home screens, the interface still feels like a 2005 OS with a 2010 coat of paint. It’s clunky, the browser is mediocre, and the ‘Ovi Store’ is a ghost town compared to the App Store. However, the battery life is exemplary, and the call quality is the best in the business. The Nokia N8 is a hardware triumph; it’s a phone for the person who wants the best camera, the best build quality, and the best signal, even if it means sacrificing the latest ‘must-have’ apps. It is a legendary bit of Finnish engineering that proved Nokia still knew how to build the best hardware in the world.