It's touchscreen o'clock for Nokia and the stage is set for the 5800 XpressMusic. Go ahead and touch it. We did and we've got a story to tell.
Now, it's technically not the first time Nokia get their hands dirty with touch screens, but it sure feels they really mean business this time. For Nokia 5800 is not the only story here. The smart platform with the most influential touch receives its first trial by touch. Being the first device running Series 60 5th alone is enough for the 5800 to be remembered by.
You can check whether you have the latest firmware for your Nokia 5800 XpressMusic over here.
It's a first try and proceeding with caution is only fair. Nokia 5800 is unthreateningly and unobtrusively positioned in the mid-range and the XpressMusic branding helps share some of that first-S60-touchscreen weight. Still, it's way more than an affordable music-centered handset. The 5800 has a strong and unmistakable Nokia identity and delivers multimedia prowess. So, let's touch, shall we?
Key features:
- 3.2" 16M-color TFT LCD 16:9 touchscreen display (360 x 640 pixels)
- Symbian S60 5th edition
- ARM 11 434 MHz CPU, 128 MB of SDRAM memory
- 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash
- VGA video recording at 30fps
- Dual-band 3G with HSDPA support
- Quad-band GSM support
- Wi-Fi
- Capable GPS receiver and Nokia Maps 2.0 Touch
- microSD card memory expansion, ships with an 8GB card
- TV out
- FM radio with RDS
- Bluetooth and USB v2.0
- 3.5mm standard audio jack
- Excellent audio quality
- Landscape on-screen virtual QWERTY keyboard
- Proximity sensor for screen auto turn-off
- Accelerometer sensor for automatic UI rotation and motion-based gaming
- Rich retail package
- Affordable price
- Office document viewer
- OVI and MySpace integration (direct image and video uploads)
Main disadvantages:
- Limited 3rd party software availability
- UI is still immature with somewhat dodgy user experience
- Touchscreen sensitivity not the best in the class
- No smart dialing
- Poor camera image quality
- Touch web browser not quite polished
- No office document editing out-of-the-box
- Doesn't charge off microUSB
Retail package: hats off
What's a better way to start a review than a retail package brimming over with goodies. We cannot quite remember a handset to offer this much in the box without getting out-of-reach kind of high-end.For starters, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic comes with an 8GB memory card - not bad for a sub-300 euro handset. There is also a microUSB cable to use for your data connections, a TV-out cable that normally ships with high-end N-series models only and a two piece handsfree. It's 3.5mm on either end so you can easily replace the provided headset without sacrificing the remote.
And if you're still not impressed, Nokia 5800 won't stop there. That sweet touchscreen needs protection and the carrying case sure comes in handy. Made of rubbery plastic, the case is pleasantly soft to the touch and seems durable enough. Another nice surprise is the desk stand which according to Nokia will also be included in every retail package. Well, we didn't get it so we guess there is some market dependency here.
Update: For some reason Nokia have replaced the rubbery carrying case with a TV-out cable in the 5800 XpressMusic retail package. To be honest we liked it better the way it was before but it's still one of the best (if not the best) retail packages you can get in this price range.
It also has an eyelet to attach the spare stylus or the plectrum-shaped alternative. Yep, if stylus ain't your game you're not entirely optionless. Now, for all we know, there's no better substitute for stylus than our very own thumb but we're yet to see about that with Nokia 5800.
To complete exploring the retail box, we should also mention the mandatory DC charger and the bunch of manuals and quick start guides provided. There is also a mini DVD containing a presentation of the phone features and the required PC sync software.
So far so good - the mid-range Nokia 5800 XpressMusic passed the first test with flying colors but let's see if it can keep the pace through the rest of the review.
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