Nokia’s new line of flagship smartphones will tout a spanking new Windows Phone 7.5 Mango mobile operating system. We finally got one of them to take out for a spin — the Nokia Lumia 800.
The design and form factor of the Lumia 800 did not depart much from the first Meego handset Nokia released back in October 2011, the Nokia N9. You can check out our review of the Nokia N9 here.
The few physical differences would be the screen size (3.7″ for the Lumia 800 and 3.9″ for the N9) and the WP7 navigation menu (Back, Home, Search) at the bottom corner of the glass display.
While a 3.7″ screen might not be as big or at par with the other flagship phones and why Nokia did not just use the same 3.9″ display of the N9 isn’t clear but it surely does offer better pixel density with a screen resolution of 480×800 pixels.
Like the N9, the Lumia 800 also uses a micro-SIM card which is housed in a sliding compartment at the top of the handset. The contraption requires that you pop out the cover of the micro-USB port first before you can slide open the cover and pull out SIM card cradle.
And since the Lumia 800 uses an unibody design, the entire body is encased in a soft-matte polycarbonate material and there’s no way you can easily take out the battery.
The AMOLED screen and Nokia CBD technology provides the Lumia 800 a stunning display. The glass panel in the front still has that slightly embossed edge. I remember Nokia executives explaining how that embossed glass is critical to the navigation experience of Meego in the N9. With Windows Phone 7, I don’t think that same principle applies.
The hardware configuration of the Lumia 800 is decent but not as impressive as the specs of other flagship smartphones. Check out the official specs listed below.
Nokia Lumia 800 specs:
Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon 1.4GHz
Adreno 205 GPU
3.7″ AMOLED display @ 480×800 pixels (252ppi)
Nokia ClearBlack display
16GB internal storage
512MB RAM
HSDPA 14.4Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1
8MP autofocus camera, Carl Zeiss optics, dual-LED flash
720p video recording
FM Radio tuner
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Ion 1450mAh battery
Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
Conspicuously absent in the feature-set is NFC which, according to Microsoft, is not yet supported by Windows Phone 7.5 Mango (the WP7 update will eventually support it).
For a better perspective of what I think of the Windows Phone 7 platform, check out my review of the HTC HD7 here.
The Nokia Lumia 800 has not yet been officially launched and released in the Philippines but units are now being sold in some stores online for about Php23,500. You can get one here at Widget City.
Disclosure: Widget City provided for this review unit.
Hi Yuga, would you know anywhere else that sells Cyan Lumia 800? WidgetCity is already out of stock for the Cyan unit. So is GadgetHub. I’ve been asking around but most of their stocks are either black or magenta. Grr..
Usually these days, Android and iPhone is in the spotlight. Windows Phone hmm… Nokia with Windows Phone 7.5, I wonder if they can switch into Android… Nevertheless, Nokia still a decent phone compared on china phones, and Camera / Video Lens are up to standard. Relating to OS, it has a functionality you need, but like i said, i just wish they can switch to Android.
Android???are u kidding?have you tried a windows phone? Android is nothing compared to wp7. Nokia made a great choice choosing windows and dumping symbian..and
Nice to know that Lumia 800 is going to be available in the Philippines. Looking foward for your review of the handset Mr. Yuga.
looking forward to this phone, i’ve been using the htc hd7 since may 2011, and has been flawless in performance eversince, i plan to replace it this year with another windows phone lumia 800 is probably a good candidate.
its not an apple product so abe wont like it.. so simple as that
LMAO! Good one.
Hi Yuga. I do have some questions though:
1. Can this phone do Tethering? Hotspot?
– How’s the browsing speed? Let’s say compared to 4S.
2. Does it have a Photo edit/enhancing feature?
– How’s the picture quality? Does the capture work as fast as 4S’?
3. What’s your judgment on the People Hub?
– Do you think the Social integration is worth-mentioning?
Actually, I am eyeing for Lumia 900, and currently have a 4S, it’s good but I think I’d buy the 900 since I already have an iPad2 (and having the 4S is kinda redundant) – If you’d recommend me to do so. What do you think?
tethering isn’t enabled yet in the lumia 800 but is enabled on other wp7 phones but nokia promised to enable it in the future.
os has a built in enhancing feature, quality is not as good as the 4s but is good.
Any news on the Lumia 710? Thats what I really want. :)
ill wait for the lumia 900 in white that has a front facing camera which the lumia 800 lacks.
Agree.. Lumia 900 is better than 800… I think it’s worth waiting
I friggin love this phone. I got mine when the phone was launched in Singapore in December. I love it better than my iPhone.
Heres why: http://bit.ly/wADXhr
You guys should really try out Windows Phone Mango.
windows phones do not require quad core/ it could run smoothly, even better than android, on par with iphone with just a single core/
windows phone 7.5 does not need high end specs, It works faster than dual core phones.
true :D
ive used a samsung focus heavily in the philippines, its been very nice/speedy. Although i’m sure this phone is expensive compared to other offerings at the moment. Eventually the price will come down
While WP7 is good, this is too pricey for a midrange phone.
The phone is not yet launched in the country. It might turn out cheaper by the time it does.
“midrange phone”
-ouch! What’s a high end smartphone for you?
@Jade:
The Lumia 800 is marketed as a midrange phone by Nokia. The 900 is their high-end.
Try reading tech sites for a change.
Actually it’s NOT a mid range phone. Nowhere on any nokia site do they mention it as a mid range phone – it is actually one of the highest spec’d phones that Nokia has in its line, and they are marketing it big time. They wont spend their biggest ever marketing money on a mere “mid range” phone.
It’s just that there phones out there that do have higher specs than this, although more doesn’t mean better. So it’s just the consumers who might label it as mid range.
The Lumia 900 is coming later this year (probably in the same time as iPhone 5) and it has better specs – but it’s but natural in tech world to out a new, better model every so often. Until then though, the Lumia 800 is king of the hill and Nokia’s highest-end phone.
nice review. !
“why Nokia did not just use the same 3.9″ display of the N9 isn’t clear”
Same case. Shorter screen used to make used to make room for the Windows buttons.
I think you should do a review again for wp7.5 as it is so much better than the first release.
Agree. So much has changed from 7 to 7.5
Agree – 500+ new features more than the prior version, to be precise.
Yuga, is it possible for you to use the Lumia 800 for 1 to 2 weeks as your main phone? I would really like you to experience windows phone to see the functionality packed into the phone. It’s just sad to see some comments from you being one of the most famous tech person in the country.
the 800*480 screen resolution is a requirement of windows phone to ensure the 50K apps will work on each and every phone as it was intended.
the windows phone design language (Metro) for Hubs and Apps involve alot of side scrolling and definitely the curved glass is a pleasure to use.
Btw, I suggest if you’ll use the lumia for a longer time is to initially set a fake account with US as location. So that you’ll experience a somewhat full windows phone experience (but you’ll only be limited to free apps) the problem with setting up a Philippine account is that not all apps have enabled Philippines (I think it was just launched last week) and there is no xbox live and you can’t see your avatar.
I actually bought and used a Windows Phone 7 back in December 2010, the HTC HD 7. I used it for about 6 months as my primary phone. Here’s my review of it — http://www.yugatech.com/mobile/htc-hd7-review/
Well probably people wants a faster phone, faster response time, etc. But Like the same comment above, do you really need a dual or quadcore phone if all you do is Sms and calls? Hmmm I myself, usually do, sms and some surfing, plus a little game. I assume the OS makes the phone requirements high, not the user itself.
for me, this is a very decent phone. if i have the spare money, ill definitely get one to experience the Windows 7.5
saw the N9 and it looks good.
i guess, for those die hard Nokia fans, this is a must.given as well as the price point,this is also a good buy (given my iphone 4 and Galaxy note range).
and i still believe Nokia and its Carl Zeiss optics are still one of the good cameras out there.
cheers!
Specs? Nokia doesn’t really focus on that one, as long as it it’s function and workability as a phone works great, it’s okay. who needs dual-core if you’re just making text and calls?