The Nokia N82 that I’m reviewing here is one of the latest Nokia N-Series top-end mobile phones. Nokia have tried to get people to call their N-Series phones “multimedia computers”, and you can see where they’re coming from with the N82.
With a 2.4″ TFT screen capable of displaying 16 million colours, a great 5 megapixel camera, DVD-quality video recording, MP3 player, stereo loudspeakers and 3D graphics, it’s certainly capable of playing any kind of media you can throw at it. Add to that GPS, HSDPA and WiFi all packaged in a slim form factor, and you’ve got all the makings of yet another super mobile phone from Nokia.
Does it live up to what its specification suggests though? Find out with our comprehensive hands on Nokia N82 Review.
The Nokia N82 has some great specs, but it’s not meant to be a flagship phone. That honour currently goes to the Nokia N96, which was designed to take over from the N95 as Nokia’s best featured phone. However, the N82 actually matches, and in some cases exceeds, the N95 in terms of features, which, given its current price (Free on O2 with a tiny £25 a month contract), is an amazing feat by Nokia.
The N82 is a candy bar phone designed for playing, downloading and uploading media of all forms, whether its video, music or games. Every aspect of it has been designed to make playing and creating media as easy as possible, and there’s a plethora of options for uploading your videos or pictures to a range of Web sites.
Based on the Symbian S60 platform, the N82 shares many of the Nokia E90’s features. The interface is mostly the same, as its core set of features, including the ability to read and edit Microsoft Office documents thanks to the QuickOffice software program. Indeed, if it had a QWERTY keyboard of some form, you could class the N82 as a smartphone.
However, that would detract from the N82’s primary purpose: fun! Everything about the N82 is designed around video, pictures or music, and making it as easy as possible to create your own media, or view or listen to it.
Time to stop the waffling, then, and see what this baby can do!!
The N82 comes with a neat candy bar form factor that fits easily in the hand as well as the pocket. Despite its huge range of features, it’s just 50.2 x 112 x 17.3mm in size,or as thin as the original RAZR was.
On the back, as you’d expect, is the camera, with xenon flash just above it and a shutter to protect the lens when not in use.
Around the sides are a plethora of buttons, including:
The media gallery button is particularly neat as it takes you directly to your photos and videos with just a single push. No hunting for the gallery menu or trying to work out what icon does what. Just push the button and your videos and pictures are displayed instantly. Perfect for when you’re trying to show your mates a pic while blind drunk!
One thing that is a bit annoying is the keypad. The buttons aren’t exactly big, and it’s easy to hit the wrong button. Not too much of a problem when calling someone, but it can be really annoying why typing in a Web address in the browser, or worse, trying to play a game.
The Nokia N82 is a high-end phone with a budget price. We’ve found the best deals include: