vB Easy Archive - Nokia N81 review & impressions

Pages: 1

Nokia N81 review & impressions
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: sammifan

I'm doing this review because I didn't find another review on the phone. I got this phone a week ago.

First of all I got the 2gb version. Contents in the box included:

-phone, battery, charger, 2gb micro SD card, remote control w/ headphones, case w/ handstrap, PC Suite dvd, manuals.

My previous phone was the Sony Ericsson W900i which I have been using for the past 2 years. I used to change phones every 3-4 months so 2 years is an eternity for me! Maybe my phone swapping days are over. The Nokia N81 is my first "smartphone" as well as the first time I try the S60 platform. First impressions of S60 is best described with one word; impressive. I'm really impressed with the flexibility of the platform. Please keep in mind I haven't tried any other smartphone interfaces so I can't compare it to them.

Build quality of the phone is decent. Not the best but not the worst either. My W900i felt more solid. The N81's slider feels great but the battery cover creaks a bit too much for my liking. Some people have complained about the "abundance" of buttons on the front (there are 12 buttons plus the navi wheel). I don't have a problem with the buttons being packed in since I have small fingers.

Reception is slightly better than my W900i. I'm guessing it's because it's quad band compared to tri band on the W900i. Sound quality through the earpiece is clear and loud, and I haven't had complains from the other side.

Feature-wise, this phone is packed. Quad band, 2mp camera, great screen, card slot, *WiFi*, *Talking Dictionary*, customizable themes, mp3 player w/3.5mm jack, video player...

I've played with most features and some of the best are the WiFi (pretty quick), mp3 player sounds great with some good earphones, and the Talking Dictionary is great! The phone's size is nice and comfortable in hand (similar to the W900i but a lot thinner). It's still not the smallest phone though.

Breakdown of phone:

-features: 4/5 (would've scored 5/5 had there been a better camera) but I use my digicam most of the time anyway

-reception: 4/5 (good but I haven't tried enough phones to say it's great)

-build quality: 3/5 (creaky battery cover can get annoying and the little play when the slide is open makes it feel a bit cheap)

-aesthetics: 4/5 (good looking phone, pro-looking, good size, but front is a bit of a fingerprint magnet since it's glossy black)

-overall score: 4/5 (I'm happy with this phone so far, quite an upgrade from my W900i which I loved.)

Some more pics:

Posted by: Topy

Thanks for the review! Build quality with this phone seem not the best. Might it have the same prob as the various N95's by that i mean that it's a bit like hit and miss?

How about that navi wheel do you use it(does it have any use)?

Was looking this phone first, but as i dont have any hurry with any new phone i might just sit and see the next wow phone that comes. E90 will of course stay as my loyal work horse

Posted by: sammifan

Maybe build quality is hit or miss but I wouldn't know, I haven't compared it to other N81's. As for the navi wheel, which is touch sensitive, it's great to use when browsing through the gallery and music player. Very fast and accurate. Problem is you can only use it for these operations. Browsing through the other menus of the phone requires you using it as a d-pad

Posted by: wazitup

nice pictures lol

Posted by: samsung.user

Wirelessly posted (d900i: Opera/9.50 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/4.0.9800/209; U; en))

How is the battery? How many hours would i get from strictly browsing on wifi, or playing games, java or other programs?

And how is the keypad? You think this is a good phone for playing s60, java, and emulators?

Posted by: samsung.user

Wirelessly posted (d900i: Opera/9.50 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/4.0.9800/209; U; en))

Even though the camera isn't that good, really like this phone.

Looking for a smallish phone that has a nice keypad, and good for gaming, net, and media. And of course a battery that can last. You think the n81 is for me?

Thanks.

Posted by: sammifan

Battery life is good. Better than my W900i. I listen to about 4hrs of music, make a few calls, send a few sms's, and am constantly playing with the phone and by the end of the day I still have 4 out of 7 bars on the battery. The keypad however is not the greatest. There's not much separating each number key and the tactile feedback when you press the buttons is not very noticeable. As for using the phone for gaming, it should be great since it's got dedicated buttons and the navi-wheel/d-pad specifically designed for it. Browsing with Wifi is great. Faster than what I expected from a phone. Overall the N81 is a great multimedia phone.

Posted by: iN10Se

Nice review, im thinkin of buying an N81 soon. Good taste in women too

Posted by: samsung.user

Wirelessly posted (d900i: Opera/9.50 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/4.0.9800/209; U; en))

Cool, thanks for the reply. The n81 keeps getting cheaper and cheaper. Which is good to get the popularity up.

Posted by: samsung.user

I was wondering about the d-pad on this phone. Looks to be the same as the n82, but just a little thicker ring. Also looks to be raised exactly the same as the n82. Also many buttons close by.

Yet nobody seems to be complaining about the d-pad.

Either way, even if the dpad was great on the n82, still impossible to play many games that require good reflex movement. Need to get one of these.

Posted by: satya_love

Nice review indeed.

Nice pics and well explained also

Posted by: Ronnie11

hmm i wasn't too impressed with this one...there are some build issues with it & didn't feel right while holding it in the palm...but its music quality is awesome...one of the best so far...but sadly wasn't enough to impress me to buy this phone...

Posted by: miekk

the d-pad looks so out of place

Posted by: earpon

Don't even bother getting this phone and I am considering selling ASAP. The antenna on this phone is at the bottom so when you're holding it, doing an SMS or dialing a number or getting a call. As long as your hand is covering the bottom part of the phone, the reception will drop like there's no tomorrow and cut your connection. I just don't get why Nokia placed the antenna at the bottom of this nice phone.