The Nokia N8 is Nokia’s flagship handset, and one we’ve been waiting for for a few months now. Following our hands on with a prototype a month or so back, we’ve now managed to get our hands on a sample running Symbian ^3. Join us after the break to find out how we got on…
The Nokia N8 currently sits at the top of Nokia’s Symbian range, featuring stunning build quality, a 12-Megapixel camera and a brand new operating system. We’ve been playing with the Nokia N8 for the past hour or two, so read on to find out our first impressions.
As we mentioned before the last time we managed to get our hands on a Nokia N8 prototype, build quality on the Nokia N8 is truly excellent. There’s no sign of any flex under pressure from the anodised aluminium casing, and it’s as robust a smartphone as we’ve seen so far.
Along with the handset itself, we also managed to get our hands on several partly built units – and even the metal plating on its own is incredibly tough, and doesn’t bend when pressure is applied. We even saw keys being scratched down the back of Nokia N8, with marks easily wiping off thanks to the anodising process.
Check out our Nokia N8 hands-on preview
Although we’re big fans of the Nokia N8, one thing that stands out on the design is the use of several different materials – we don’t mind this, but it would have been nice if the colours were all matched to each other, rather than having a host of different shades.
Other details on the handset are impressive, with the aluminium being diamond cut around the buttons to bring out the true bright silver colouring. While the buttons are aluminium, we’re told the plastic covers for the ports are there for safety.
What about the brand new Symbian ^3 OS, we hear you cry? We’ll be bringing you more on it tomorrow, but first impressions are extremely positive. The first thing, when compared with our trusty Nokia N97 Mini, is just how fast it actually is. Even when running a couple of intensive applications – Ovi Maps included – it responded incredibly quickly, with the graphics chip handling everything you see onscreen, and working in tandem with the CPU.
While it may look similar to the outgoing Symbian S60 OS then, the fact it’s a lot quicker makes it much nicer to use. Check back here tomorrow to find out everything you need to know about Symbian ^3, but in the meantime feast your eyes on our hands-on gallery below.
Check out the Nokia N8 hands-on photo gallery below:
