phone 8 – nokia n8 (a)

bought on 2013, released on 2010, this phone qualifies as a collector’s item – or at least i bought it for such reason. but, i can say that it has more capability than some of my previous phones.

however, i was not able to test the battery since the display is unusable.

the design is unique and the build quality is obviously sturdy. good on hand, for most of its use cases.

the amoled display is quite sharp on paper, but the perceived sharpness is on par with my sony xperia miro. but being an amoled display of yesteryears, the display deteriorates faster than lcd displays. the problem will start as a blackhole until the entire panel will be covered in pitch black. this was one of the problems of amoled displays aside from the slight burns and pink lines. and that, exactly, is what happened to this phone. but the quality of the display when it was still usable is good. good contrasts and good readability outdoors.

the processor and software are nice pair since the user experience is snappy. looking for an app, starting them up and actually using them is not disappointing.

one of the reasons of buying this, is the camera experience. 12mp carl zeiss optics produces good quality photos and looks better when transferred on pc. xenon flash also made good shots on dim situations or when the backlight is quite strong. it gives proper illumination on the subject that i never saw on any smartphones up to this day (modern smartphones settle with hdr), even the pulse led cannot produced images on par with a photo shot with nokia n8 with its xenon flash. the dedicated shutter button is also helpful. some smartphones allow you to use volume rocker as a shutter button. but since the shutter button is two-staged (half-press to focus and do necessary exposure adjustments, then press all the way down to take the shot), it provides better experience and output, generally. the camera ui is also good as it allows you to adjust some settings based on what you wanted to shoot or how you want to shoot the subject – macro, portrait, landscape, etc.

music play is also good, though it only has a tiny grill embedded on the camera bump. insert an earphone or speaker, then you can appreciate the music more. bluetooth connectivity is also present.

you also get fm radio – tuner and transmitter. the first one is common those days, but the latter is only on few phones. and i did some countless pranks with this fm transmitter. i practice at home, playing my own tracks and some funny voice overs. then tried it on my friend’s car. funniest one, was when i used it on a public transit, skipping every song on my playlist. if only you were there when i skipped a tract, the moment some random people are already “into” that song. apart from that “childish” use, i also used such feature during family gatherings. speaking of that, since the phone has built-in hdmi port, i can immediately show everyone during those gatherings, the pictures i took with the phone.