N82

The N-Series of mobile phones from Nokia have rapidly established themselves as the most wide-ranging and feature-laden set of mobile phones currently available in today’s market. The 2007 release of the N95 was a bold move that confirmed their ambitions and was arguably the first device in this series that fulfilled the majority of the requirements for a high-powered mobile phone and in some areas competed with mobile smartphones.

The latest high-profile addition to this series is the Nokia N82, which carries on in this tradition but adds in even more features that make you wonder a) how did they do it, b) how is this phone not literally bursting at the seams? Although I doubt I would be able to provide a direct answer to that, I sure can give you all the lowdown on whether or not the N82 can live up to its own self-generated hype.

As always, the first thing to take a look at is the overall design and build of the phone. Happily with the N82 all is well thanks to a solid weight of 114 grams and a width of 17.3mm. Both of these aspects make the N82 relatively comfortable to hold and while it isn’t anywhere near being compact, it’s still pocketable (just) and pleasant enough to hold without causing too much of a fuss. When compared to its competitors (i.e. other 5 megapixel phones), the N82 is much lighter than you would expect as only the compact LG Viewty KU990 and slim line Samsung G600 weigh less than the N82, which puts it properly into perspective.

The front of the phone is a silver coloured plastic, which thanks to its glossy finish is (inevitably) susceptible to fingerprints, but not anywhere near as much as you would think. As fingerprints are such a common issue with mobile phones these days it’s a little comforting to see a high-profile release at least attempting to minimise this problem for a change.

Overall, build-quality & design isn’t exactly unique or groundbreaking, but it’s suitable for a phone of this type and more importantly is almost perfectly proportioned and is likely to withstand more than the normal amount of bumps & scrapes.

The battery life in N-series phones seems to have been a major Achilles heel and a prominent reason for many potential consumers steering clear of them. The N95 8GB version did offer some improvements but the N82 seems more dedicated to clearing up the problem with a little more solidity. Approximate standby time with moderate usage is around 3 days which although isn’t exactly brilliant, it’s not too bad for a device with this amount of power and capabilities.

The UI (User Interface) is based on the Symbian 9.2 platform and this seems to suit it perfectly, as the speed and overall usability is indisputable. One of the main reasons in fact for the impressiveness of the UI, is the 128MB of RAM inside the N82, which even for a device of this kind is still plenty to go round, so many business users can take solace that their time won’t be wasted by slow interfaces. HTC TYTN II – Are you listening!?

As you would expect the N82 packs in all the usual high-end mobile phone features such as high speed 3G connection (HSDPA); Wi-Fi; Bluetooth, USB (microUSB in this case though); music player compatible with the majority of formats (MP3, AAC, AAC+ etc) but there is much more than meets the eye in this case. In addition to all of these mentioned capabilities, you also have a GPS receiver with the Nokia Maps application built-in, motion sensor with auto-screen rotation and compatibility with the fairly recent 8GB microSD memory cards. This coupled with the 100MB of in-built memory means that storage is doubtless one of the N82s strong points.

The Nokia N82 really comes into its own when you look at what the camera is capable of. It’s clear from this evidence that Nokia are eager to make the N82 its flagship cameraphone, possibly eclipsing the still-excellent N95. The N82 has a 5-MegaPixel module coupled with autofocus, the renowned Carl Zeiss Optics and a secondary video calls camera. What does make it stand out is the addition of a Xenon flash, which was most recently seen in the Sony Ericsson K850i.

There’s no other way to say it, the Nokia N82 is quite possibly the best cameraphone currently available, as they’ve used the same specs seen in the current ruler (N95) and added a superior flash, making it difficult to suggest anything else when the topic of high-end cameraphones comes up. To make things even better, a sliding lens cover is also used to protect that precious component from marks and scratches – a wise choice I might add.

As the Nokia N82 is the logical update to the still-popular N73, it’s understandable that expectations will be sky-high. What is surprising is that the N82 seems to not just meet these expectations head-on, but trample them underfoot. In reality, the Nokia N82 is a non-sliding version of the N95 as it boasts all the same features plus improved speed and camera functionality. The only aspect that in my opinion lets it down is in the look department. Although it definitely isn’t an ugly phone, it doesn’t offer quite the same ‘Wow’ factor when compared to the N95, at least to me.

Putting that (admittedly minor) issue aside, you’re left with one of the most capable all-round handsets on the market,boasting arguably the best camera module seen so far in mobile phones to date, along with a wide-array of features that make it difficult to recommend anything else above this. For a good-looking mobile phone, go elsewhere, for everything else there’s Nokia N82 – need I say more?