Nokia 5800
3 DirectVideo shooting outperforms many competitor handset video modes. Add to that, you can easily view your videos by plugging your handset to your TV or computer
Our Nokia 5800 Review
Design
Upon first look, the Nokia 5800 looks like a run-of-the-mill Nokia candybar handset traditional with its curves and solid look. Here’s where the twist kicks in: the awesome 3.2 inch touch screen. Such a twist helps the Nokia 5800 compete with Apple’s iPhone without breaking a sweat.
While the design is quite bulky, we couldn’t help but wonder what the handset would look like with some accentuated curves, smoother border and a more polished look. In terms of design, the Nokia 5800 isn’t a fashion king, but it certainly passes the design check. The black and red colour scheme contributes to the Nokia 5800’s appeal, as we felt its energy and potential before even testing it out.
Screen
Moving on to the Nokia 5800’s screen, we root for its performance. With 16 million colours at a 640 x 360 resolution, we couldn’t resist viewing photos and videos. The colours are alive: sharp, bright, and beautifully contrasted. The built-in accelerometer enables you to automatically switch between portrait and landscape mode.
One thing we had trouble with was the 5800’s touch screen’s responsiveness; we had to apply more pressure for a response. Using the stylus is easier on the long-run, as you’ll get sore thumbs if you don’t.
User Interface
For Nokia 5800’s user interface, we felt that we should’ve bought a compass. The menus are quite confusing with many features tucked away. Add to that, scrolling through menus is quite tedious. At times, we’d be waiting for a certain application or action only to realize we need an extra click with your stylus or index. To sum it up, we thought that the user interface was definitely a department to work on.
Keypad
Nokia 5800’s QWERTY keyboard is one of our favorite features. You can easily type in your messages without any discomfort. Not to mention, a handy multimedia icon is available to launch music, image, and video applications. Nokia did not forget to include shortcut buttons on the sides such as: camera shutter, a volume rocker, and a power key.
Camera & Multimedia
Nokia 5800’s 3.2 megapixel sports a stunning Carl Zeiss lens capable of shooting magnificent photos. With standard features such as: auto-focus, 3x zoon, self-timer, flash (with red-eye removal), and image adjustment tools, you feel the true power of the 5800’s camera. The image adjustment tools help you adjust the contrast, sharpness, color levels, white balance, and many more.
Video shooting outperforms many competitor handset video modes. Add to that, you can easily view your videos by plugging your handset to your TV or computer.
Moving on from the amazing camera, it was time for us to experience the Nokia 5800’s main attraction: the music player. The Nokia 5800 Xpress Music brings a plethora of music settings for optimum sound performance with five equalizers, bass, and stereo options. It’s a full-house party using the shuffle and repeat mode. We easily synced our music using the USB 2.0 cable.
Our speakerphones test wasn’t as impressive in comparison with Sony Ericsson’s Walkman series. Overall, the music quality was up-to-standard with the music still sounding good at high volume levels. A 3.5 mm sound jack is available for you to plug in your favourite headphones.
Connectivity & Battery Life
The Nokia 5800’s connectivity lives up to the market’s state: 3G HSDPA, WI-FI, GPRS, Bluetooth 2.0, and USB 2.0.
The embedded web browser’s main interface is simple and easy to use. On the negative side, it does not support flash technology. If we were to compare the Nokia 5800’s with its director competitor the iPhone, the latter would win hands down, as its scrolling and zoom movement is smoother and faster.
One thing that caught our eye was the lack of GPS integration given that Nokia Maps is installed.
What We Liked
We liked the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic for its 3.2” touch screen; compact, attractive design; excellent 3.2 MP camera, and great connectivity support.
What We Disliked
The Nokia E63’s for its less-than-perfect user interface and touch screen’s low-responsiveness.
Our Final Verdict
The Nokia 5800’s is a strong competitor with great features. Though rough around the edges, it brings a strong camera, great connectivity, and impressive multimedia features to the table. One point to watch out for is the Nokia 5800’s price tag that is deep in the high-end range.
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| Read Review | |||
| Nokia 5800 | |||
General | |||
| Form Factor | Candybar | ||
| Dimensions | 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 (mm) | ||
| Talk Time | 200 mins | ||
| Standby Time | 350 hours | ||
| Weight | 109 g | ||
| Quad Band | Yes | ||
Photo and Video | |||
| Integrated Camera | Yes | ||
| Camera | 3.20 megapixels | ||
| Camera Flash | Yes | ||
| Video Player | Yes | ||
Phone | |||
| Vibrating Alert | Yes | ||
| Voice Recognition | Yes | ||
| Polyphonic Ringtones | Yes | ||
| Smart Phone | Yes | ||
| Internal Memory | 81MB | ||
| Memory Card Type | microSD | ||
Messaging | |||
| MMS | Yes | ||
| Photo Messaging | Yes | ||
| Predictive Text | Yes | ||
| Video Messaging | Yes | ||
Screen | |||
| Colour Screen | Yes | ||
| Touch Screen | Yes | ||
| Handwriting Recognition | Yes | ||
| Screen Resolution | 360 x 640 pixels | ||
| Screen Colour Depth | 16M colours | ||
Connectivity | |||
| 3G | Yes | ||
| EDGE | Yes | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | ||
| Yes | |||
| GPRS | Yes | ||
| HSDPA | Yes | ||
| WAP | Yes | ||
| Web Browser | Yes | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | ||
Music and Radio | |||
| FM Radio | Yes | ||
| MP3 Player | Yes | ||
| MP3 Ringtones | Yes | ||
Additional Content | |||
| Downloadable Content | Yes | ||
| Downloadable Games | Yes | ||
| Downloadable Ringtones | Yes | ||
Nokia 5800 Full Specification
General
| Form Factor | Candybar |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 (mm) |
| Talk Time | 200 mins |
| Standby Time | 350 hours |
| Weight | 109 g |
| Quad Band | Yes |
Photo and Video
| Integrated Camera | Yes |
|---|---|
| Camera | 3.20 megapixels |
| Camera Flash | Yes |
| Video Player | Yes |
Phone
| Vibrating Alert | Yes |
|---|---|
| Voice Recognition | Yes |
| Polyphonic Ringtones | Yes |
| Smart Phone | Yes |
| Internal Memory | 81MB |
| Memory Card Type | microSD |
Messaging
| MMS | Yes |
|---|---|
| Photo Messaging | Yes |
| Predictive Text | Yes |
| Video Messaging | Yes |
Screen
| Colour Screen | Yes |
|---|---|
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| Handwriting Recognition | Yes |
| Screen Resolution | 360 x 640 pixels |
| Screen Colour Depth | 16M colours |
Connectivity
| 3G | Yes |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| EDGE | Yes |
| Yes | |
| GPRS | Yes |
| HSDPA | Yes |
| WAP | Yes |
| Web Browser | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
Music and Radio
| FM Radio | Yes |
|---|---|
| MP3 Player | Yes |
| MP3 Ringtones | Yes |
Additional Content
| Downloadable Content | Yes |
|---|---|
| Downloadable Games | Yes |
| Downloadable Ringtones | Yes |
User Comments
AT. submitted on 5 April 2009While the review says that the 5800 is too expensive, I'd have to disagree.. there are a lot of crappy phones floating around with higher prices… this phone delivers great results, so worth every penny
Jayden Z. submitted on 20 March 2009The Nokia Xpress series are great for music lovers. I think it's the simplicity of the music player that makes this mobile phone popular… add to that its cool touch screen
Please note all submissions are subject to manual review prior to appearing on this website.
Images of the Nokia 5800
