MobileTechReview.com Phone, Smartphone, Notebook and Gadget Reviews and buyers guide
Phone Notebooks & Tablets Gaming Gadgets iPhone & iPad Shop Forum

Advertisement

Home > Windows Phone Reviews > Nokia Lumia 800

line

Nokia Lumia 800

Editor's rating (1-5): rating starrating starrating starrating star
Carrier: Unlocked GSM
Manufacturer: Nokia
Discuss this product

What's hot: Elegant and pocketable design, excellent display.

What's not: Only available as an import for US buyers right now.

line

Update, April 2012: Check out our review of the Nokia Lumia 900 on AT&T.

Editor's Note: This is a lightning review with a full video review. This review covers the Euro import version with AT&T 3G on the 1900MHz band. The Euro version is the RM-801, and there's an RM-819 variant that came out in late Feb. 2012 both AT&T 3G bands (850/1900MHz).

Reviewed November 8, 2011 by , Editor in Chief (twitter: @lisagade)

Love the Nokia N9 but afraid of the high price tag, new OS and dead end path? No problem, the N9's twin is here as the Nokia Lumia 800 running Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. It shares the same physical design, polycarbonate unibody design and luscious AMOLED display too. The Lumia 800 has an elegant, high quality design with a completely unique look that sets it apart from the crowd. From the curved Gorilla Glass to the unibody polycarbonate body, it's simply luscious to look at and hold.

Nokia Lumia 800

This is the Windows Phone many folks have been waiting for. It's available in Europe, but Nokia hasn't released a date for US availability (they said it will be coming, have no fear). We have the Euro unlocked version, which happily has AT&T 3G HSPA 14.4 on the 1900MHz (but not 850MHz) band for 3G data speeds. In late Feb. 2012, Nokia released the RM-819 version with both AT&T 3G bands (850/1900/2100MHz). The phone has a 3.7" AMOLED ClearBlack Gorilla Glass display that runs at 800 x 480 resolution (Microsoft's standard resolution requirement). It's every bit as sharp and vibrant as the N9's, just a little smaller and 54 pixels shorter because Nokia had to make room at the bottom for the usual Windows Phone capacitive buttons. The display is a head turner, with vivid colors, rich blacks and decent outdoor visibility.

Nokia Lumia 800

The Nokia Lumia 800 runs on a 1.4GHz single core CPU (MS doesn't do dual cores in Windows Phone 7.5 Mango), and it's supremely fast. Really. The standard live tiles and UI are here, and Nokia hasn't customized it with MeeGo-like gestures. Perhaps that will come in a software update. The phone has 16 gigs of storage with no expansion slot-- you know Windows Phone isn't the friendliest to removable storage.

Nokia Lumia 800

We've got an 8 megapixel camera on the back with dual LED flash and 720p video capture, same as the N9. We're thrilled to see better cameras on the new crop of Windows Phones, and Nokia knows how to make a good camera phone. Alas, there's no front camera.

Nokia Lumia 800

For those of you intending to hit importers' virtual storefronts, keep in mind that the Lumia 800 has 3G on AT&T and overseas, but it does not have T-Mobile's 1700MHz 3G band so you're rocking with EDGE on T-Mobile. And the more commonly available Euro version RM-801 has AT&T 3G only on one of their two bands, though you should get coverage in many if not most markets. The phone uses a micro SIM, just like the Nokia N9 and iPhone 4S.

Call quality is excellent, as per usual for Nokia and earpiece volume is just average.

Nokia Lumia 800

Above: the Nokia N9 and Nokia Lumia 800.
Below: the Nokia Lumia 800 and iPhone 4S.

Nokia Lumia 800

 

 

 

 

Nokia Lumia 800 Video Review

 

Conclusion

We're very excited by the Nokia Lumia 800: it's one of the most elegant, pocket-friendly and unique Windows Phone 7.5 handsets on the market. The AMOLED display is extremely sharp with accurate and vivid colors that pop. The phone feels wonderful in hand and is very fast. Though it hasn't yet taken the world by storm, we're bullish on Microsoft's mobile OS-- it's extremely fun and easy to use, yet powerful. Zune music literally rocks and XBOX Live is heaven for mobile gamers. IE 9 mobile is improved over Windows Phone 7, but it still trails Android and iOS. Beyond that, we love it.

Price: approx. $700 from importers

Website: www.nokia.com

 

blog comments powered by Disqus

Specs:

Display: 3.7" capacitive AMOLED display (Gorilla Glass). Resolution: 800 x 480, supports both portrait and landscape modes via accelerometer. Has an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor and gyro sensor.

Battery: 1450mAh Lithium Ion rechargeable. Battery is not user replaceable.

Performance: 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon Scorpion CPU (single core) with 3D hardware graphics acceleration. 512 megs RAM, 16 gigs of internal flash storage.

Size: 4.58 x 2.41 x 0.47 inches. Weight: 5.01 ounces.

Phone: European version (RM-801) GSM quad band unlocked phone with triband 3G UMTS/HSPA 900/1900/2100MHz). Works on AT&T 3G in the US (1900MHz band only, lacks 850MHz, but works in most markets). Uses a micro SIM card. Americas version (Nokia Lumia RM-819): quad band GSM with triband 850/1900/2100MHz.

Camera: Rear 8 megapixel camera with f2.2 Carl Zeiss lens (28mm equivalent). 4x digital zoom, dual LED flash. Can record 720p video.

GPS: GPS and A-GPS, comes with Nokia Drive and Maps.

Audio: Built in speakers, dual mics and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack.

Networking: Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR.

Software: Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. Apps include: Bing Maps and Search, Internet Explorer 9 mobile, Marketplace (for apps, currently 40,000 apps available), Zune Music, XBOX Live gaming, PIM apps, MS Office mobile, Nokia Maps, Nokia Music and Nokia Drive. Email support for Hotmail, MS Exchange with push, Gmail and POP3/IMAP email.

Expansion: None.

PHONE

All Phone Reviews
Smartphone Reviews
Android Phone Reviews
BlackBerry
Windows Phone Reviews
iPhone
HTC Phone Reviews
LG Phone Reviews
Motorola Phone Reviews
Nokia Phone Reviews
Samsung Phone Reviews
Sony Phone Reviews
AT&T Phone Reviews
Sprint Phone Reviews
T-Mobile Phone Reviews
Verizon Phone Reviews
Unlocked GSM Phone Reviews

TABLETS

All Tablet Reviews
Android Tablet Reviews
Tablet Comparisons
Android Tablet Comparisons

 

LAPTOPS & ULTRABOOKS

Laptop Reviews
Ultrabook Reviews
Laptop Comparisons
Best Ultrabooks

 

GADGETS & GAMES

Bluetooth Headsets
iPhone and iPad Accessories
eBook Readers

iPhone Game Reviews
iPad Game Reviews


iPhone Case Reviews
iPad Case Reviews

SITE TOOLS

RSS News Feed

About Us

Contact Us

Advertising

Site Map