Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic gets reviewed, coddled

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 7:33AM

Given that most of the world won't see Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic until 2009, you may be better off just forcing yourself to overlook this here review until you can snag one without importing. If you're just too impatient for all that, however, you should know that an early critique of the affectionately dubbed Tube deemed it mighty impressive. Call quality was solid, the OS was stable in most areas, and the display was a joy to look at and interact with. In fact, reviewers had a difficult time finding anything exceptionally negative to say, noting that this is the handset for anyone after a "well-rounded, do-it-all solution." It was also made clear that this phone and the iPhone were really two different animals not worth comparing (advantage, Tube), but that didn't stop critics from confessing that the 5800 packs an "unparalleled price / quality ratio that changes the rules for all phone makers out there, including Nokia itself."

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Tags: 5800, 5800 XpressMusic, 5800Xpressmusic, Nokia, review, reviewed, Tube, XpressMusic, XpressMusic 5800, Xpressmusic5800

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

smover @ Oct 9th 2008 9:54AM

I want it badly !!!

Neutral

carlo2 @ Oct 9th 2008 10:54AM

279 euros? How is that a deal?????

Neutral

zephxiii @ Oct 9th 2008 2:34PM

$380 (current exchange rate) unlocked unbranded retail w/ 8gb card, is not bad.

Neutral

derX @ Oct 9th 2008 12:23PM

Yeah, looking at the feature set of this device for that amount. Yeah, it's COMPLETELY a deal. Just for comparison, most WinMo phones enter at about $400-$500.

I must say, of everything they said about the device, the pricing is what surprised me the most. I honestly cannot wait to see how much this will be when subsidized.

Highly Ranked

efekt @ Oct 9th 2008 11:07AM

Of course they'll be impressed... when you compare a medium-range product of a company that's used to pack lots of technologies into their products (like Nokia), to a company that most of its concern is to pack their products into a well-designed package - never mind what's inside (Apple) - you're bound to be impressed.
Sure, the iPhone looks sweet, but its overpriced and outdated. Its a 2004-era phone with a 2007-era touch screen... Unless Apple start straightening the lines between them and the other cellular-phone manufacturers, the iPhone and its descendants would be just another cell-phone that only stuck-ups would want to buy.

Neutral

derX @ Oct 9th 2008 12:20PM

"[T]he iPhone and its descendants [will] be just another cell-phone that only stuck-ups would want to buy."

Yeah, I can't agree with you there. I'm fair unbiased towards Apple and I've gotta say what they lack in hardware that make up for with software and design. I absolutely LOVE WinMo, but I don't recall any device ever having included an application store. WinMo and S60 kill all other OSs in the amount of application available for users--both free and paid--but they apparently have made very little attempt to centralize them. (I'm sorry for just focusing on apps, but I'm simply in love with 'em.) I guess the gist of what I'm saying is that Apple products are more about the user experience; they're pretty and easy to use.

I can't say their pricing is as friendly though....

Neutral

Nippero @ Oct 9th 2008 2:49PM

I'm not positive about which came first... but i know Android introduced it's app store feature a longgg time ago, back with the start of its developer competition thing.
WinMo does have something like an appstore, although I'm not sure if its present on their phones as I dont have a WinMo phone yet.. But lookie: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/totalaccess/default.mspx

Also.. I think I'd rather have an unrestricted source of apps, unlike the Apple Appstore where apps have to be approved by Apple first.

Neutral

nonesuch @ Oct 9th 2008 12:19PM

Much respect for Mobile Review--nobody else does reviews that in-depth on cell phones.

One gripe, though: where in hell did they get a 32gb Micro-SDHC card? Do they have those in Russia, while we're just now getting 16gb ones? Jealousy!

Neutral

PH0ENIX @ Oct 9th 2008 2:20PM

Sweet phone, looks like it has all the basics covered.

Neutral

Nippero @ Oct 9th 2008 2:51PM

Did anyone else notice something a bit odd in their battery comparison section?

"Below is our chart of battery times we managed to squeeze out of the N85:

* GPS-navigation – 4-4.5 hours
* Video playback – 3 hours 20 minuts (H.264 in speakerphone mode)
* WEB-surfing (EDGE) – 4 hours
* Wi-Fi (non-stop data upload) – 5 hours
* Music (in earphones) – 34 hours
* Radio – 25.5 hours
* Games – 5 hours"

I think they meant the 5800 and not the N85 right?

Neutral

El Cartel @ Oct 9th 2008 3:19PM

I want this phone did anyone know that this device also supports flash videos unlike the iphone. Seems like this device will be good
plus the price for it being unlocked you can't beat.