Ben
4th June 2006, 05:48 PM
Well hello there.
It's been a couple of days since my Nokia N80 arrived from The Order, software version 3.0614.0.3, 11-04-2006, RM-92 (Nokia N80 58.01). In that time I have been able to compare how the N80 performs as a trusty sidekick compared to the trusty and ahead-of-its-time Sony Ericsson W900i.
Music
It's clear that the Nokia N80 isn't as capable a music player as the W900i in software terms. It is very acceptable, though, and the ability to control the volume with the inline remote is commendable. Sound quality through the supplied headphones is excellent and even better through my Sennheisers. You'll need to use your own headphones as the Nokia ones are far too uncomfortable. The external speaker is also shockingly powerful, more so than the one on the W900i that was already acceptable, but still isn't exactly going to replace your Hi-Fi. I really appreciated the quality of the external speaker when watching Vodafone's Mobile TV service.
Camera
Oh dear. Getti had warned me about the camera quality on the Nokia N80 but it's only by seeing it for myself that I can guage quite how terrible it is. First off, some of my pictures have white spots all over them. All of them have high levels of digital noise, and some are very blurry. You'd never in a million years think Nokia had used 3.2mp optics in this device. The W900i blows the N80 out of the water in every conceivable way on the camera front. Note that I've only used it indoors - I strongly expect decent shots to be obtainable outside. Auto-focus, Nokia, PLEASE!
Wi-Fi
The implementation of Wi-Fi is a little curious, but commendable. Connecting up to a random Wi-Fi hotspot for quick net access is very simple indeed, providing the service you are connecting to automatically dishes out details over DHCP, though it took me a little longer to figure out how to make the handset remember my home's network so I didn't have to repeatedly search and enter the WPA key. Tools > Settings > Connection > Access Points allowed me to make an Access Point for my home network. I don't see any way to use the N80 as a Wireless Router.
As a phone
As a Nokia S60 Smartphone the N80 is flawless. It's compact, well designed, and sports the trusted Made in Finland badge. Interestingly of the two N80's I've handled one had a definite 'click' upon using the slider mechanism while the other one has no such sound/sensation. Both are equally as good, however, and Nokia's choice of mechanism feels sturdy and smooth. Whether this remains the case over time is yet to be seen.
Call quality is typically superb. Interestingly the Nokia N80 can also be set to just UMTS mode, as well as just GSM or mixed. I'll find this useful when wanting to watch mobile TV in areas of variable signal, and I'm sure you will too. Keypad quality is fine, better than the W900i, but I think back favourably on my 6680's mesmorising keypad that had me so hooked I actually bruised my thumb. Still, this one has just enough travel and each key is large and well spaced. Even the central button feels good... though on that front personal preference will have a big part to play.
Battery life is short. Yes, I'm using the phone quite a lot at the moment, and in return getting a day between charges. The N80 uses the new, smaller Nokia charger, but an adapter is included so your old ones need not go in the bin just yet. Do be careful to check the various voltages/currents though, not every Nokia charger is made equal.
A word on size: Bravo. It's extremely compact. Depth-wise, though, it's a little chunky. Like the W900i, you'll know the N80 is in your pocket and so will others - though not to the same extent. A fine choice of materials have been used (Silver model), despite the faceplate being a fingerprint magnet. Nokia alluded to this 'feature' before I'd even picked up the phone due to the inclusion of a polishing cloth in the box. A large power button is very welcome, though the failure to include automatic 'dismount' of the memory card when the door is opened, a feature on my 6680, requires an annoying trip through the menu's if you want to remove the miniSD card. Infact the whole door mechanism is pretty poor, a cheapening of a previously excellent implementation.
Conclusion
It's a good phone. It's an excellent S60 Smartphone. It's a good music player but a poor camera. The complete package is better than the W900i and the N80 now becomes my main handset, but Nokia has left plenty of room for improvement. Looking at the currently announced future NSeries models I'm not sure when, exactly, that improvement will come. In sales terms the N80 is almost certain to be a hit, though the camera issues may well lead to a lot of returns and possibly the need for a software flash. It's nice to be back with Nokia and a welcome change, but even with the Wi-Fi feature there's just nothing groundbreaking about this device. It leaves me fondly remembering just how good the Nokia 6680 was when it arrived, and what a superb (though large) handset the W900i still is.
It's been a couple of days since my Nokia N80 arrived from The Order, software version 3.0614.0.3, 11-04-2006, RM-92 (Nokia N80 58.01). In that time I have been able to compare how the N80 performs as a trusty sidekick compared to the trusty and ahead-of-its-time Sony Ericsson W900i.
Music
It's clear that the Nokia N80 isn't as capable a music player as the W900i in software terms. It is very acceptable, though, and the ability to control the volume with the inline remote is commendable. Sound quality through the supplied headphones is excellent and even better through my Sennheisers. You'll need to use your own headphones as the Nokia ones are far too uncomfortable. The external speaker is also shockingly powerful, more so than the one on the W900i that was already acceptable, but still isn't exactly going to replace your Hi-Fi. I really appreciated the quality of the external speaker when watching Vodafone's Mobile TV service.
Camera
Oh dear. Getti had warned me about the camera quality on the Nokia N80 but it's only by seeing it for myself that I can guage quite how terrible it is. First off, some of my pictures have white spots all over them. All of them have high levels of digital noise, and some are very blurry. You'd never in a million years think Nokia had used 3.2mp optics in this device. The W900i blows the N80 out of the water in every conceivable way on the camera front. Note that I've only used it indoors - I strongly expect decent shots to be obtainable outside. Auto-focus, Nokia, PLEASE!
Wi-Fi
The implementation of Wi-Fi is a little curious, but commendable. Connecting up to a random Wi-Fi hotspot for quick net access is very simple indeed, providing the service you are connecting to automatically dishes out details over DHCP, though it took me a little longer to figure out how to make the handset remember my home's network so I didn't have to repeatedly search and enter the WPA key. Tools > Settings > Connection > Access Points allowed me to make an Access Point for my home network. I don't see any way to use the N80 as a Wireless Router.
As a phone
As a Nokia S60 Smartphone the N80 is flawless. It's compact, well designed, and sports the trusted Made in Finland badge. Interestingly of the two N80's I've handled one had a definite 'click' upon using the slider mechanism while the other one has no such sound/sensation. Both are equally as good, however, and Nokia's choice of mechanism feels sturdy and smooth. Whether this remains the case over time is yet to be seen.
Call quality is typically superb. Interestingly the Nokia N80 can also be set to just UMTS mode, as well as just GSM or mixed. I'll find this useful when wanting to watch mobile TV in areas of variable signal, and I'm sure you will too. Keypad quality is fine, better than the W900i, but I think back favourably on my 6680's mesmorising keypad that had me so hooked I actually bruised my thumb. Still, this one has just enough travel and each key is large and well spaced. Even the central button feels good... though on that front personal preference will have a big part to play.
Battery life is short. Yes, I'm using the phone quite a lot at the moment, and in return getting a day between charges. The N80 uses the new, smaller Nokia charger, but an adapter is included so your old ones need not go in the bin just yet. Do be careful to check the various voltages/currents though, not every Nokia charger is made equal.
A word on size: Bravo. It's extremely compact. Depth-wise, though, it's a little chunky. Like the W900i, you'll know the N80 is in your pocket and so will others - though not to the same extent. A fine choice of materials have been used (Silver model), despite the faceplate being a fingerprint magnet. Nokia alluded to this 'feature' before I'd even picked up the phone due to the inclusion of a polishing cloth in the box. A large power button is very welcome, though the failure to include automatic 'dismount' of the memory card when the door is opened, a feature on my 6680, requires an annoying trip through the menu's if you want to remove the miniSD card. Infact the whole door mechanism is pretty poor, a cheapening of a previously excellent implementation.
Conclusion
It's a good phone. It's an excellent S60 Smartphone. It's a good music player but a poor camera. The complete package is better than the W900i and the N80 now becomes my main handset, but Nokia has left plenty of room for improvement. Looking at the currently announced future NSeries models I'm not sure when, exactly, that improvement will come. In sales terms the N80 is almost certain to be a hit, though the camera issues may well lead to a lot of returns and possibly the need for a software flash. It's nice to be back with Nokia and a welcome change, but even with the Wi-Fi feature there's just nothing groundbreaking about this device. It leaves me fondly remembering just how good the Nokia 6680 was when it arrived, and what a superb (though large) handset the W900i still is.