Nokia 8801 Cell Phone (GSM, Bluetooth, 0.5MP, 64MB)

Nokia 8801

8801 Cell Phone (GSM, Bluetooth, 0.5MP, 64MB) Review, by Greg Adler August 16, 2006

Show More Show Less

0 Comments | 0 Topics | Print Only This Review

• Reviewed by: shakasean

  Strengths: Sleek, Eye catching design, Sturdy and durable, Fairly exclusive, Awesome screen, Nokia reliability

  Weaknesses: Headset volume sometimes too low, Keys are very tight, Features lacking given price, Battery life

  Overall: --First of all, let me say that people that are interested in this phone should do their research prior to purchasing. I liken it to buying a Porsche/Jaguar over a Toyota/Honda. The premium price you're going to have to shell out is not going to guarantee all the features and reliability of the Toyota/Honda, but you'll know you have something fairly exclusive and eye-catching in your hands. The strengths of the phone are self evident in its design. The shell is almost entirely steel except for the black plastic over the antenna. The sliding mechanism is based on ball bearings and subsequently gives the phone a very mechanical, solid feel. The steel casing also results in a fairly heavy handset weight which may be a problem for some. Overall, the screen is gorgeous, but does suffer from a image persistence issue which is well reported when using the powersave option. The best compliment I can give this phone is that I've gotten many comments on its appearance. I only wish this phone was as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. --Weaknesses are present and may be substantial depending on your point of view. First, the phone is not quad-band. The key layout is extremely tight and thus results in many miskeys which can be frustrating. The headset mic is situated at the top of the phone but requires some positioning to get it "feed" into the ear suitably. This only becomes a problem on long calls when my arm gets tired and the phone starts to sag. The features are pretty meager as well with a 0.5MP camera, bluetooth, and that's about it. It doesn't have expandable memory. The battery is limited for those of you on the phone all the time. I find under mod-heavy use, the phone lasts one day. Standby is around 2-3 days. You get an extra battery gratis and the included charger is able to charge an additional battery in conjunction with the phone. BTW the charger is also surrounded in steel which makes it the nicest charger I've ever owned. --Overall, this is a phone primarily about beauty than brains. If this is what you want, then this phone fits the role perfectly. I have on/off days with this device. I flirt with dumping it for another handset but once I go shopping I'm quickly reminded that there is no mainstream device out today that matches the aesthetics and tactile feel of the Nokia 8801. Oh well, I guess we do live in the real world and have to make compromises. I just wish the 8801 didn't have so many shortcomings.

• Reviewed by: dhakaia

  Strengths: Awesome Looks, Superior Build-quality, Two-year Warranty, Expedited Support w/ overnight replacement guarantee

  Weaknesses: Battery life, Non-expandable Memory, Voice level, Miniature buttons

  Overall: I got the phone last week.. I must say that, there's a readon why it still lists for $650 on Nokia's site . It looks like a piece of modern art, built like a tank and comes w/ a full 2-year warranty from Nokia along w/ a "special 800#" JUST for 8801 users. They'll even overnight u a new phone, if something goes wrong under warranty. The display rivals that of a mini laptop. The Phone has MP3 capabilities, but since it only has 64MB of memory (even that is sgared), don't ecxpect to load up more than half a CD.It comes w/ two batteries, and there are good reasons for that. The super bright display eats it up quickly. I just wish the volume during calls had similar performance... but instead I struggle to make out a full conversation while driving. It's full stainless body makes it heavy and magnet for fingetprints. The buttons are very easy to "fat-finger"... so heavy SMS users, may wanna skip it. Nokia did use the Best of the Best materials for the 8801. Injection Molded body, Reinforced scratch-resistant glass, Precision ball-bearing slider... reading the manual makes u feel like you're buying a Porsche... =)

• Reviewed by:

  Strengths: Quality of construction, appearance, ease of use, call quality

  Weaknesses: Battery life, small keys require getting used to but no big deal.

  Overall: If you want a cell phone to use as a phone and not a jack-of-all-trades device, this is the best there is. I think it looks better than any of the Vertus that I have seen and it does what I want it to, make and receive cell phone calls clearly and reliably.

• Reviewed by: wiwat_lee

  Strengths: Small, the weight gives a luxuary feeling, anti-scratch screen, comes with the desk stand charger, 2 batteries, handsfree, CD, and a pouch.

  Weaknesses: Battery life, Tri-band, small buttons that take some time to get used to.

  Overall: It is the most solid phone I've ever came across. no cracks, or squeaky at all. The slide mechanism gives you a fantastic feeling when sliding open. Some people might find its weight to be a weakness, but I find it to be a strength; it really gives you a good feeling of an expensive phone not just a cheap plastic phone (hence, Vertu phones are even heavier). If you do not like to carry a heavy phone, do not purchase this phone. The screen is brilliant, it is very beautiful. However, it is a little small if you are used to a bigger screen that most phones nowadays have. The battery life is sort of weak. That's why Nokia give you 2 batteries and a desk stand charger that will charge your phone and an extra battery. If you are a really light user, the battery will last about almost 2 days. For normal users, the battery will likely going to last about a day. If you are a heavy user, you will need both batteries to cover you for a day! I usually just put the phone in the stand and let it charge for the night, and just take it off in the morning. Today, I took my phone off at about 8 o'clock, and it's 5:21 now, the battery indicator still shows 7 out of 7 bars. If you are looking for a full-featured phone, this phone is not for you. The camera (800x600 pixels) is not that good, it is okay to take pictures that you will mostly view them on the phone. I find the RF performance to be a little disappointing, but still better than SonyEricsson (T616 that I used to have). The buttons are a little small, but you will get used to it within a few days. This phone is for you if: - you emphasize more on the looks and feels than functionality - you do not need PDA functionalities - you do not care much about the camera - you do not talk on the phone a lot! (less than 2 hrs a day)

• Reviewed by: vijaianandmm

  Strengths: Well designed, sleek phone. The LCD screen is brigher even in direct sunlight. Amazes all my friends

  Weaknesses: Costly, small keys, Normal Batter life and Normal Reception

  Overall: Cost makes most of the people to double think to go with this mobile. I had used razor for 1 year and Nokia 8801 is better when compared to v3 razor in both Signal Reception and also battery.