Steve looks at the Nokia N80 and finds that cutting edge specifications do not automatically give the N80 the title of best S60 smartphone. In his review Steve finds a powerful smartphone, but disappointing camera and battery performance detract from a generally positive picture.
Read on in the full article.
I'd say N70's real "successor" is N73. Same form factor and N7x number. And check the price tag in N80, it's in totally different category.
I agree the N73 perhaps has more similarities to the N70, but the N70-N80 is still a valid comparison. Both time-wise, in that the N80 is out now and the N73 is still months away, and in that when launched the N70 wasn't at that different a price to the N80 now.
The N70's come down a lot in the last year, it's widely available now SIM-free around �250 inc VAT, which is fabulous value, IMHO.
Steve
Its always a bit dangerous to say something is the sucessor to such and such a device. Yes the N73 is the direct sucessor to the N70 in Nokia's thinking, but there'll be plenty of the N70 owners who have or are thinking about the N80 as an N70 replacement. This, is of course, partly the result of the N80 not really having a predecessor. It is a top of the line smartphone, and the N70 was a top of the line smartphone.
N70 attracted more than just top of the line smartphone lovers (it was in some ways the first everyman smartphone), and I'm sure the N73 will do the same. I don't think the same could be said of the N80.
On paper the N73 is only better than the N80 in one department - the camera - its doesn't have WiFi, it has a lower resolution screen etc...
Never having had a N70, I bought the N80 mainly for the camera and WiFi (and screen res and....) and was interested to read that you feel the camera on the N70 performs better. Is this something that can be rectified on the N80 by way of firmware upgrade or will it blight the phone for ever?
For me is N70 right now. Why? Better battery, good camera, form factor (better them a slide) and, for a smartphone is essential, a lot of software available. Next, maybe, not N73, because is not so superior, but N93. Is big, heavy, but replace my DSC and Camcorder (in promise) - pass from 3 pieces to one, with only one kind of battery, memory and charger. In holydays is gonne be great!
No, it's not a firmware thing. As explained in the review, it's to do with different hardware image processing, the moveable lens and the smaller CCD pixel size.
I'm going to do a big AAS feature on photo quality next week, provided Nokia (or a reader) can lend me an N90....
Steve
having read alot of reviews about the N80 and talking to users firsthand... i still think i would buy it. period. i think its the best out there and perhaps there will be another software that would be fully able to utilizie the 3 mp camera on the N80. i love the form factor, the fact it has double the screen resolution and has WiFi and upnp. if the N91 had upnp, i would buy it but nokia missed out on that.
No, for the last time(!), the camera's issues are to do with its hardware. Having said that, it's not a bad camera, I'd rate its detail at better than the average 1.3 megapixel device.
Also, re: screen resolution, yes, but the screen size is identical - if only Nokia had put in (e.g.) a 2.4" screen, as on the N71.
Steve
"and the N73 is still months away"
Steve,
I thought the N73 was supposed to arrive in July... has it been delayed?
-Marc
No idea, actually, but my gut feeling says it's more likely to be August or later....
Steve
I wouldn't be too surprised by a delay, but I would be a little disappointed. I am still using a 6600 (T-Mobile USA is a little slow in getting new S60 devices and currently doesn't offer any) and was considering buying an unlocked N70 until the N73 was announced. An upgraded camera, better resolution, sleeker design and quad-band seemed worth the wait, but I would prefer upgrading sooner rather than later. One of the recent articles on AAS also suggests that games aren't made compatible for the 3rd edition devices as fast as I had hoped. (I guess waiting for the device helps here though.)
-Marc
I've tried a proto N73 and I have to say it is probably the best S60 device so far. An amazing camera (not tried in artificial low light) which works great in macro mode too, very light, great buttons, superb screen, excellent speakers and sound; what else is there to say. I'm getting one for myself and one for my dad as soon as it's out. This device beats the N80 hands down.
Boom
Thanks Boom. I'll wait a little longer I think. 😊
Marc
Just to say that I've done more testing now - see http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/Megapixels_not_everything_when_looking_at_smartphone_cameras.php
Interesting stuff, hopefully!
Steve
i replace nokia n70 with nokia n80 and I must say camera on nokia n80 isn't good
I purchased the Nokia 6680 to gain GSM and WCDMA (JAPAN) band access for true global use. The N80 add 1 GSM band and a whole host of detaures that have been well documented in published reviews. I find the N80 easy to use and the best appointed phone in the world. Battery life could be better, however it is not bad. Turing off the DUAL network search when in the USA, Europe, South America, China, etc...helps.
Unlike some comments, I found the voice command working very well. N80 maps the text entered contact to computer voice and adapts somewhat when the end-users uses the feature. No Match Found is emitted from the phone when Pronounceation or label is incorrect. I "worked" with my contacts to make sure I could use the voice control when the phone is in the slider-closed configuration. Sometimes a phonetic spelling helps to get the contact just right.
I use a Krussel multidapt case...so keeping the slider closed helps.
As an ex manager of 3 different leading phone stores, I was delighted when my upgrade finally came with the offer of a fantastic offer too good to miss..but I already knew I wanted this handset! The features/looks/nokia's renound abilty to come in at no1, I expected everything to work with simplicity and reliability.
Sadly I was wrong. I have just received my 4th handset replacement in just 5r months...and it is worse than the last.
Common faults are, fact, slow to respond, Freezes screen & switches off when ever! Does not like charging when prompted, Shows random messages regarding unexistant voicemail and if you're super lucky doesnt like to use the memory card as it's "unaccessable!"
By far the most disappointing I have owned, as a true die hard nokia fan i have unfortunatley now decided it will be time to go to the "dark side" and learn a new menu structure to whichI am alien.
What happened Nokia?
Why are you not testing these properly?
Give us back the 8210, simple, small, does what it says on the tin!
Hannah Scott
Huddersfield.
I agree completely with the previous reviewer. I dislike my N80 intensely. It is so slow and ponderous to use. I've had it for 9 months and have been frustrated all the way through. You have to keep "re-building" it to keep it nimble. It keep slowing down (and it's slow to start with) and eventually gets to a point that it's so slow you can't even lock the handset until it's finished sending a text. It's the second one I have had as the first one slid off a polished table onto the carpet and stopped working! A 1 metre fall onto a carpet should not kill a phone.
The synchronise with PC Suite stopped working (display just says "System Error"😉 and after re-installing everything several times, replacing the USB cable and working through a number of proposed solutions off the web, it still doesn't work and I just cannot get it to work. It's cost me hours and hours trying.
For the first time ever (since my first phone in 1997) I am (nervously) going to try a non-Nokia phone. QA department at Nokia must have their feet up - the N80 has driven me awaaaaaay!
Hello. My N80 has been quite quirky from day 1 and I must say I've been very dissappointed. I've been using Nokia for 15 years & i'm normally a very strong advokate.... I love everything this phone was supposed to be, but in reality it has proven more buggy than many prototype builds I've seen...
The latest issue has me frazled as it has stopped my phone altogether and I'm hoping someone out there has a tip?
The "handset" icon is lit & the phone thinks I have a handset attached, but I do not. Hence, I cannot make/hear any calls. Attaching a handset doesn't fix the problem and I cannot connect to Bluetooth Headsets because I get a message which says to "disconnect the Handset first".. which is impossible to do... I've pulled out the SIM & battery & reinstalled with & without SIM all to no effect.. Any tips, please email me at shawn 'AT' mysapnet .. com ... Thanks...
Have one and wish I'd saved my money. Its an absolute piece of junk or to me more correct the software is complete rubbish. It was hanging, rebooting and misbehaving until I upgraded the system on line. Now its stable but still totally inflexible and almost unusable. Most documentation I find appears to refer to features I cannot find... maybe because its out of date.
I cannot find a way of turning the internet link off so the battery last a few hours. Its difficult to use and totally out of character with Nokia's previous products. Nokia is only where it is because their phones were easy to use if this is the direction its taking and this the QA it putting into its new products then I'm off to find something else!
I was totally pleased with a my 6230 all I wanted more was WiFi, SIP/Internet telephony and a slightly bigger screen. But there is nothing out there. N80 great camera and nice pics but what about the bloody phone? If I wanted to buy a camera I would have got a Cannon to a friking phone! Camera a nice to have and handy to take a pic if you forgot you main camera but what the hell this N80 is bigger than my camera and all it does properly is take pics! One more gripe... that nice feature that was supposed to pull in all my contacts, birthday's, notes and appointments from my old 6230... I ran it and after checking if my 6230 was compatible it proceeded to totally mess up my diary, changing all my 6230 entries to appointment and even managed to mess some dates up. Now all my birthday reminders are appointments strewth... what the hell is the matter with you. If you phone ain't ready then don't sell it!
Nokia go back to your drawing board look at the software and think about how people are going to use it just lik ethe good old days that got you where you are now. I want 1 key to start writing sms and 1 key to find contacts 1 key to head music 1 key to take pics... Not a bunch of menus with scattered options which take months to learn and become obsolete with the next version!
10 for features 1 for implementation = a nice paper weight!
Regards
Anthony
Ok Guys...
I really have to stick my head up from the ramparts here to defend a very good piece of kit from the negative experiences of a handful of people, who seem to be struggling with the fact they've got themselves something that you won't find in Woolworths or Argos.
Firstly, stability........ I've got a generic, non-branded, non-locked N80 handset with the most up-to-date firmware and it is ROCK SOLID. No crashes, no hangs, no resets or restarts, no white screens.... Just a rock solid phone. Why? Because Orange haven't had their hands on it, so it is exactly as Nokia intended it to be. So don't complain to Nokia that Orange polluted their phone with buggy software; it is NOT the fault of the handset manufacturer. The same will affect battery life. FACT.
Size...... Nokia clearly advertise the size of this handset. It is large because of the internal hardware required to do so much. If you want a thin phone get an Samsung Ultra. It won't have WiFi, or the amazing screen resolution of the N80, or Symbian software, but it will fit in your handbag with your Silk Cut, no problem. Labelling the N80 a "brick" just makes you look stupid.
Slow texts........ Download and install Nokia's SMS accelrator. Problem solved.
Keylock........ People are whining that the slider only has to move 1mm before the keys unlock. I have to slide my keypad almost the entire way to get the keys to unlock. Also, if it locked automatically upon closing the slider you'd all be complaining that it locks itself when you're still trying to do things with the other keys. It says "lock keypad?" when you close it. How much easier could it be.....?!!!!
Battery life......... Don't buy a handset that does as much as the N80 and expect it to last as long as your old green-screen 6310i. Nokia are clever people but they cannot change the laws of physics. There are some simple steps you can take to make your battery last longer. I get 1.5 to 2.5 days of life with average calls/txts/camera/mp3 usage. Turn off WLAN scanning when you don't need it, same goes for Bluetooth. Car chargers and desk chargers were invented for a reason. If you buy a laptop you can choose between a power-thirsty workhorse or a goes-easy-on-the-voltage weaker model. The N80 just happens to be a workhorse. That's what it was designed for.
Camera.......... The N80 has a good camera, that is let down by a lack of auto-focus. It is no secret that there are better 'camera-phones' out there. I get fantastic results outdoor in good light, and less so indoors. Which is what I expected from the advertised spec. I never expected something to compete with a Canon SLR.
Nokia PC Suite.......... This is excellent software for people that actually want to use the features of the N80, rather than just get a phone that plays the latest Britney Spears song. You can use it to back-up your phone, update the Firmware (very, very, simple...) and install extra software to the handset. It couldn't be easier. Again, on my modest Dell laptop it is ROCK SOLID.
So....... I'll admit that every manufacturer must send out a faulty unit from time-to-time, no-one's perfect. So apart from the occasional user review of someone who's had one of the bad units, I can't understand where all the bad reviews are coming from. Oh, hang on, I can... They're from people who got their phone upgraded and just went for the handset that did the most, or looked the most expensive, then complained because what they had in their greedy little paws was a piece of kit you have to appreciate to enjoy.
Get a de-branded, unlocked hand-set and update the firmware, install Nokia's SMS accelerator, and you've got an amazing phone.
It's a very advanced peice of technology that simply wasn't made for people that want to sit in McDonalds texting their mates on the next table and setting Eminem as their ringtone.
Thank you.
i�ve been reading coments and it is incredible the number of persons who had bought a phone the dont understand how to use it. almost all of the complains are becuse people dont know, or didnt explore enought the phone as they should. sometimes is better to buy a phoe that does less things but is more simple to use. the reason the nokia as so many models is for us to choose the most suitable for us. it�s also very important for today users to be sure of the mobile os sistem the phone has. next time you buy a mobile phone be sure that it is really what you want, and that has as many features as you�ll need and not to much of them. sometimes a cheaper equipmant is the best for us. i have a n 80 and sure is has some troubles with it (and in it�s majorite you havent mencion them) but for me it is what i need. for me it is a great phone. only the os sistem will have to inprove a little. after using all my life nokias and also some other brans by comparisson i beieve nokia it�s better and they will solve those problems and present us good produts in the next years.
mn sam dovolem ot tel.si
I find the N80 easy to use and named the best phone in the world. Battery life could be better but not bad. Turn off the search network DUAL when the United States, Europe, South America, China, etc.