Nokia N82: review
Reviewed by Frazier Barretto
Good 5MP camera with Xenon flash, lightweight, large
screen, good battery life, A-GPS Nokia Maps Poor
alphanumeric keypad, bulky
A First Look
The N82 is the latest in Nokia's N-Series range, and
the third iteration of a 5MP camera phone from Nokia.
The N-Series phones are now challenging each other:
there are already two that sport a 5MP camera, and
here's a third. The major difference is the form
factor; the Carl Zeiss optics, paired with a Xenon
flash, put this one a step ahead of the cameras in the
N95 and the N95 8GB.
The N82 is meant to be a value phone with loads of
features.
The Bundle
Nokia N82, Stereo Headset, Data Cable, Charger, User
Manual & Software CD
Specifications
Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 / HSDPA 2100
Dimensions: 112 x 50.2 x 17.3 mm
Weight: 114 gm
Screen: 16 million colours; 2.4-inch TFT; 240 x 320
Battery: 1050 mAh; Talktime: 4:10 hours
Layout and Design
This phone surprised me the moment I got it out of the
box. It's light, in contrast to the impression the
N-series has created, but it's still bulky. The large
2.4-inch screen, however, makes you immediately
neglect the fact that it's bulky. The navigation keys
reminded me of the N81 -- the main difference being
that the D-pad doesn't offer the touch navigation.
The navigation keys are soft, yet very tactile. The
alphanumeric keypad has similar keys to the ones on
the N91, which are too thin for quick texting. The
face of the phone overall flashes a metallic look.
In between an unshielded microUSB port and a charging
port is the memory card slot (with a dust cover) on
the left, while the right side of the phone has the
volume controls, two camera buttons, and speakers on
either end to provide a stereo effect. The top of the
phone has the power button and a 3.5 mm earphone jack,
so you can connect your choice of headphones instead
of having to use the standard headset.
The rear of the phone has the camera and the Xenon
flash. There is a slider that opens the lens cover
while also activating t
Camera and images
Camera:
many tries at perfecting a camera phone, this one is
the best Nokia has managed, and it does well to take
it right up to the camera phone king Sony Ericsson.
The Carl Zeiss optics with auto-focus does very well
indeed. The maximum resolution offered is 2592 x 1944;
for videos, it's VGA (640 x 480) at 30fps, and it
delivers pretty decent results. The camera offers
various modes for still images.
In auto mode, you can notice that the colours are a
bit washed out. The image is not too sharp, nor too
blurred. It's a result of the image being
over-processed -- something you'll see on all Nokia
phones.
Landscape Mode, too, sees similar results because of
the over-processing.
Portrait mode;
The portrait image is good; it is much clearer.
A Macro Mode sample:
In Macro Mode, a bit of blur is noticed on the object
being focused if you try to get too close. The phone
confirms a focus and gives a green signal to capture,
so maintaining the required distance, you get good
results, with good colour reproduction and more
sharpness.
Sports mode:
In Sports Mode, the post-processing of the images is
reduced to make possible the option of quickly taking
the next shot. There is still a bit of blur in the
image. The shutter speed is not as fast as on the
K850i. For example, the image above was captured when
the car just got into the range of the viewfinder; at
a speed of around 50 to 60 kmph, the car was captured
on its way out of the viewfinder.
The N82 with its Xenon flash is pretty good at
capturing images in the dark. The camera doesn't
feature an LED, though, like the one on the SE K850i,
which helps while capturing a video in the dark.
Overall, the camera has outdone most Nokia camera
phones. You can expect very acceptable results from
the N82 -- the best from Nokia, and this is probably
the best 5MP camera after the K850i.
Interface and Multimedia
The Interface
The Nokia N82 runs on the latest iteration of the
Symbian Series 60 OS i.e. v9.2 release 3.1. The phone
has a 332 MHz ARM 11 processor, which keeps the phone
quick through its menus. It doesn't take too long to
open apps, and switches between them quickly. A motion
sensor detects the orientation of the phone and
accordingly rotates the screen. Unlike the UI-rotate
on the K850i / W910i (restricted to Multimedia), it's
unrestricted on the N82. Leaving the Standby Screen,
everything else, be it phone applications or installed
applications, rotate.
The phone comes pre-loaded with Nokia Maps; the maps
are more or less accurate, and you have the option to
update them. Turn-by-turn Navigation isn't available;
you can use the demo, which will last you only three
days, after which you'll have to purchase it.
There is a new app on the N82 called Video Center. It
basically groups all the video options under one app
-- My Videos (videos captured through camera),
Internet Videos, Nokia N-Series Video, and the option
to add RSS video feeds. The N82 also supports the
N-Gage gaming platform from Nokia. The games have to
be downloaded, and in some instances, paid for. The
N82 has another new app, Home Media. This app lets you
share files over a Wi-Fi network -- something along
the lines of sharing files over a LAN. The Search app
makes it easy to search for files on the phone as well
as over the internet; this app reduces lots of
navigation through and to the File Manager.
A bit over to the business apps front: the phone has
QuickOffice, which needs an upgrade if you wish to
edit files. Adobe PDF and ZIP is provided. There is a
barcode reader provided as well, but I don't
understand the application of this software in an
N-Series phone.
Multimedia
The Multimedia aspect of all the N-Series phones to
date has been average; the N82 follows along similar
steps. The audio player is the same, with an 8-band
equalizer. Audio enhancement options -- like Loudness,
Stereo Widening, etc. -- are seen on this N-Series
phone as well. Visualization, though, is something not
all N-Series phones share; the Visualization uses the
entire screen rather than a small window, making it
uncomfortable to use.
The audio quality of the N82 depends a lot on the
headphones being used; especially since a 3.5mm jack
is provided, it's best to use your own (good) set. The
provided headset is poor if you want to listen to your
music; it's OK for FM, though. The FM tuner is decent,
and surprisingly, non-RDS, though it doesn't really
matter at this point in India.
Video playback is really good, thanks to the 2.4-inch
display. That makes the major difference -- a large
screen. RealPlayer remains the default player, with
the capability to play most of the mobile formats.
The N82 also has a TV-out through its 3.5mm jack,
which is good, because you can display presentations
etc. on a large screen. The cable for this comes with
the package.
Other Details, and Conclusion
Connectivity
Loaded to the brim! The only missing connectivity
option is infrared, but if you consider that obsolete,
you're fine with this phone. The N82 has GPRS and EDGE
Class 32 with HSCSD for fast data transfer rates. 3G
connectivity is covered with HSPDA 2100 and Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g with UPnP technology. Being a multimedia
phone, it has Bluetooth with A2DP profile for wireless
stereo audio. The microUSB of the N82 is a USB 2.0,
and the data cable transfer rates are about
acceptable.
Battery Life
The 1050 mAh battery is a powerhouse, and provides the
phone with at least two days of run time. The Xenon
flash, Wi-Fi, and GPS, when used, do drain the
battery. But if either of the three is used
extensively, it still provides a decent battery life
of around a day and a half with 2 to 3 hours of
talktime.
Our Conclusion
The Nokia N82 sells right now for just Rs 21,000, and
comes with a one-year warranty -- a great buy. Talking
about the camera again, the N82 has the best 5MP
camera on a phone after the Sony Ericsson K850i, but
nevertheless, it's way ahead in terms of overall
features. The phone just doesn't disappoint at what
it's meant to do. Even though it's bulky, it surprises
you with its weight -- and not at the cost of build.
Just a little complaint about the keypad; otherwise,
the phone is a winner.
Considering that the better camera phone, the K850i,
sells for around 19K, a drop of around 1 to 1.5K in
the price of the N82 will kill the competition!
NAME: Nokia N82
MRP.: NA
Editorial Synopsis:
Good 5MP camera with Xenon flash, lightweight, large
screen, good battery life, A-GPS Nokia Maps Poor
alphanumeric keypad, bulky
FEATURES:
Camera - 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics,
autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), xenon flash; secondary
CIF videocall camera / Dual slide design / Push to
talk.. Interfaces:
USB - Yes, v2.0 miniUSB Card slot
Card slot - microSD, hot swap, 2 GB card included
Form Factor: Candybar
Phone Type: Quadband
Networks: GSM 850, 900, 1800 , 1900
HSCSD: Yes
GPRS: Yes
EDGE: Yes
WLAN: Yes
Wireless Internet Technology: GPRS
Height (mm): 112
Width (mm): 50.2
Depth (mm): 17.3
Weight (g): 114 g
Battery: Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BP-6MT)
StandByTime (h): Up to 225 h
Talktime (m): Up to 4 h 20 min
iRDA: No
SMS: Yes
Email: Yes
MMS: Yes
Bluetooth: Yes
Java: Yes
Radio: Yes
Camera: Yes
Camera resolution: 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels
Colour display: Yes
Number of colours: 16M
Video recording: Yes
Memory: 100 MB internal memory
Ringtones: Polyphonic, Monophonic, True Tones, MP3
Polyphonic: Yes
MP3: Yes
Games: Yes
Voicedialing: Yes
Predictive text: T9
WAP version: WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
WAP: Yes
Display width (pixel): 240
Display height (pixel): 320
LCD Type: Color
LCD Size (pixel): 240 x 320
Voicememo: Yes
Handsfree: Yes
Vibrate: Yes
Phonebook Capacity: Practically unlimited entries and
fields, Photocall
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