- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 68 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Best-of-breed features in a quad-band world phone for an unready US Market."
Pros: Screen color and resolution, dual-camera, compact design, tactile keypad, expandable non-proprietary memory, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth, IrDA, full multimedia featureset with one-button access.
Cons: A full host of features unavailable on non-UMTS (3G) networks, unremarkable battery life, no carrier support, proprietary headset connection (Nokia PopPort), unimpressive built-in memory
Summary: The N Series for the Nokia line marks their flag-ship product with each phone carrying an impressive feature set in addition to each catering to a specific industry set (music, photography, etc).
The N80 is no different, being packed with a number of impressive features.
Text messaging users will love the enhanced T9 Nokia dictionary which has a spectacular learning feature as well as tactile keys that feel truly responsive to each tap. A dedicated input mode key allows unique versatility in each and every application and alpha-numeric prompt.
Nokia's website also allows for an easy web-based setup wizard that will send your carriers basic settings (text, internet, MMS) direct to your phone without any need for prior knowledge of the carrier settings.
Unfortunately many of this phones incredible features will be unrealized in US markets which still lag behind our European counter-parts. IP-based PTT, live in-call video calls are just a few to point out. Even with Cingular providing UMTS in a few markets, they have no server support for these features - and no plans to adopt them soon.
However, the phone still offers impressive traits with an impressive 3Mega-pixel flash-camera, and dynamic PIM functionality with free, downloadable Nokia PC Sync software. What's more unique is that with any internet connectivity request, the software prompts for the best connection method - and even allows for on-the-spot WLAN access point searches.
This combined with an excellent HTML rendering browser (which also handles java and flash), anything from surfing to streaming media becomes a breeze.
Included in the N series is Nokia Lifeblog (in partnership with Typepad) which is a unique movement, and application, to easily allow those that wish to integrate technology into their day-to-day lives as a medium to record specific or any events. Text messaging, note taking, videos, photos, etc.
The only over-shadowing concerns of the N80 are the unimpressive battery life which can quickly be drained while using bluetooth and wireless simultaneously. In addition, the Symbia S60 software handles open applications poorly (a legacy problem) which may lead to memory management problems for users who find themselves frequently switched between applications; however, holding the Menu key down allows quick and easy access to a task-bar for open apps. (Press the 'C' button to forcefully close open apps).
All-in-all this phone is not ideal for the brand new or novice phone user. In addition the phone purchase will need to be made with no carrier subsidy - which means you'll need your own sugar-daddy subsidy to purchase this phone. Even on the black market (eBay) my purchase cost me $480. However, because of Nokia's incredible support, I would recommend this phone to anyone needing any one of it's many features.
Where to buy
Nokia N80 (Unlocked):
$5.66 - $229.95
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
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Badass Wireless
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$229.95 | No |
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eBay
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$5.66 | Yes |
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