Nokia Lumia 800 Review

Love

• Tough polycarbonate chassis
• Free Nokia Drive sat nav
• Camera and screen

Hate

• Average battery life
• Media still a pain to transfer
• Port flaps won't last

Nokia Lumia 800: OS

Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS is fast becoming a decent competitor to the likes of Android or iOS, although it’s still a way from being their equal.

We love the easy way you can link together contacts with a swish of a finger and the simple Live Tiles to help see information in a trice, but there are still some issues: having to convert any video you want to watch is tiresome.

But many will love the simplicity of Microsoft’s OS - simply flicking the finger left and right will jump between the informative Live Tiles and the list of downloaded applications. It’s apple-esque in its speed under the finger, and something newbies will warm to instantly.

Nokia has added some of its own tricks in there too: Nokia Drive is the first free sat nav service to come bundled on any Windows Phone device, and while basic, does get you from A to B.

Nokia Music is another little gem, with dedicated radio stations offering the latest tracks packaged up in genres you’ll enjoy.
Nokia Lumia 800: Design

Using the design of the ill-fated Nokia N9, the Lumia 800 brings a curved polycarbonate chassis that’s coloured the whole way through, making it light in the hand and very hard to damage.

The curved nature of the chassis also lends a neat design aesthetic to the handset, marking it out well from the reams of sharp looking behemothic handsets on the market right now.

Nokia Lumia 800: Screen

The ClearBlack OLED screen is also top notch, with the edge to edge display beneath the curved Gorilla Glass looking the part, especially impressing when taken out into blinding daylight and you don’t have to simply guess at what you’re prodding on the screen.

It’s not as impressive when it comes to internet browsing, as despite packing in 800 x 480 pixels words still look a little rough around the edges when zoomed out.
Nokia Lumia 800: Camera

The camera is similarly cool, as while it lacks the speed of the Xperia Arc S or the iPhone 4S, the snap quality is clear and vivid while the ability to quickly post to Facebook and tag your buddies is another tech-feather in the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango cap.

Windows Phone handsets have a big advantage over most rivals with prescribed camera button, and the chrome key on the Nokia Lumia is excellent - hold it down from anywhere in the phone (even under the lock screen) and you’ll be snapping away in seconds.

It’s a simple thing, but everyone loves taking pictures, and this makes it so much easier.
Nokia Lumia 800: Verdict

Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop called this the ‘first real Windows Phone’ and based on this performance, it’s hard not to agree - if you can stand the slightly smaller screen, that is.

Battery life isn’t stellar, and while we like the contrast ratios of the ClearBlack Display, it’s not the best on the market.

However, it’s going to be more than enough for those that pick up the Lumia as their first Windows Phone, and both Nokia and Microsoft will be pretty pleased with the first fruits of their partnership.