The Nokia 8800 fashionphone

Remember those spy pics of that new 8000 series slider-style Nokia cellphone that popped up a few weeks ago? They've finally taken the wraps off that phone today, and it turns out the phone is actually the 8800, a new stainless steel-sheathed handset that comes with signature ringtones composed by Ryuchi Sakamoto. The style's the thing here, so the specs aren't exactly spectacular (though they're not all slouchy either): tri-band GSM/GPRS, an SVGA quality digital camera, a 262,000 color, 208 x 208 pixel LCD screen, Bluetooth, 64MB of internal memory, and an integrated FM tuner. There's also the 8801, a virtually identical version that's for the North America market.

[greenSKY @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

a Yellow Magic Orchestra phone??! what the...?!

[rc @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

That is one nice looking phone, pity about the specs. But i'm sure the type of person who'd want it wouldn't worry to much about that sort of thing.

[william @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

you're right, rc -- i'm not too worried about that sort of thing.

(its a very nice looking phone)

[Guido @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Nokia's reply to the RAZR?

[Desert @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Finally a phone with the keys where they are comfortable! I really don't know how people use phone one handed with the buttons at the very bottom. Not to easy to use IMO. Thumbs up!

[cycle60 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

this is a great twist to the slider form factor. having the keypad centered on the phone means your thumb won't be as cramped when trying to dial or sms. my large, arthritis ridden hands welcome a design like this.

[DjF @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Does anybody know when this beauty will actually come out in Europe and the States?

[BenWang @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Its beautiful, a stylistic preequal to the original 8000 series phone the 8810, with updated features of course.

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

If there's one thing I have to curse The Matrix for above everything else, it's the popularization of the slider phone.

[Derrick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Stainless steel? It is going to get fingerprint smudges just like the 8810 like 5 years ago.

[anonymous @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

And here I am saving up my pennies for the K600i. Nice job Nokia.

[nobody @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

For those people who will inevitabley say this is Nokia's reply to Motorola's RAZR (re #4), guess you don't know much about cell phones, because the Nokia 88xx series of metallic phones have been around forever. The 8890 I had 4 years ago is still one of my favorite phones ever. And I was pretty pissed with Nokia when they did not release a GSM1900-compatible version of the titanium 8910. Now that was a sweet-looking phone...

[stencil @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

FM but but no mp3 support?? C'mon, give me the phone I want: all of the above + 256MB + mp3 + built-in SD card slot for memory expansion.

[Et Tu @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

#12, you hit it right on the spot. I still have my 8850 and 8910i. Love the slide on the 8910i, although my needs have grown and I have to use the 9500 now.

Would love to see this phone in person. Nice touch they did with the screen moving up instead of the cover moving down.

[DM @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

The phone has mp3 support....

[purincess @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Sweet!!! The bottom is a bit too curvy but the rest of the phone is cool. I wonder if I can pick up/hang up without having to slide it up/down. It's definitely cooler when it's closed.

I'd give the same score to it as the Moto Candybar SLVR. 9.5/10

I had the 8890 once. It was a sweet phone. I'm glad nokia continues this 8xxx phones.

[macstibs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I so desperately want Nokia to re-enter the CDMA market. I see phones like this and remember the days...

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

The phone is cool, but I think the wireless stereo bluetooth headset (http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,73229,00.html) which is shown on the phone's webpage (http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,73092,00.html) is the future (almost).

Think of a small flash-based MP3, FM music players that could also be used as a headset for your phone. That would be killer. I can never find a product that has all the features I want. This one is missing the MP3 music player.

[brian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

i love this phone, it's got all the stuff i need (BT, speaker, Edge) without the silly (zillion-MP camera, two lenses like the 6680). like above, i have to know:

"...if I can pick up/hang up without having to slide it up/down."

that will make/break it, as i need to decline calls while it's still in my pocket. otherwise, i'm ready to buy.

[Julian Harris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

> a Yellow Magic Orchestra phone??! what the...?!

Welll 25 years ago sure! But his more recent solo stuff is much more 'ringtoneable'...

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

This phone looks awesome! Cant wait to buy it! Can anyone tell me the US price for this? Cant seem to convert EUROs...

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

This phone looks awesome! Cant wait to buy it! Can anyone tell me the US price for this? Cant seem to convert EUROs...

[Suhaib @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I dont think u can answer/hang while the fone is closed, however im sure there will be a setting in the fone where as u can set it so the call isnt answerd as soon as the fone is opened !

[lecco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't US version (8801) usually means strip-down version of 8800, i.e. single band, etc?

[inquiry @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

hey! do any of you guys know the bluetooth support of this phone? does it support ftp or not? the only support that nokia posted was that of headset,sim card profile and device sync.. thanks

[Andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

yes this phone looks great, perfect to replace my 8910i which is a bit lacking in features now as it was made so long ago! Although I'm not sure if it matches the good looks of the 8910i..

[Hani @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

its perfect ,better than my nokia 8910i .
How much does it cost ?

[taipan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

anybody know where i can buy this beautiful phone?

[Andrew J Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Not sure I like it in Silver ... I had an 8910i and have been waiting desperately for a replacement. However, it looks rather cheap on the back with the silver and (presumably plastic black) mix. Maybe they will bring out a titanium version in black aka 8910i and MOTOROLA "BLACK" RAZOR. :-)

[Priya @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

This fone looks awesomme!!!.
can any one temme how much does it cost in US dollars?????????

[M@rCu$ @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Nice phone-certanly has the looks of a winner-everyone keeps mentioning the v3 and motorola but they just dont compare, motorla has lost its way and sony ericsson phones are slow and boring (s700i),Lets hope this is a fast and intelligent phone as well as great looking.

[Lauren @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

VERY nice phone ;) i want it, badly!

[Sebastien @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

where can i buy this phone, the titanium version 8890 was great but only dual band so i m exited to get this one!

[matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

it says on the nokia website that the phone will be released quarter 2 of this year, so i am presuming it will not be out to buy until next month at a guess

[Mark Kay. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

They have not yet officially released, but you can preorder one 1,499.

[Pat @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

How does this phone compare with the Samsung D500 or the new D600?

[Anton @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

This phone is great. Just picked one up from a local dealer here in NYC. Although IMO, not worth the $1,000 I paid for it, you have to pay a premium for something when it is first released (like the RAZR when it had all the hype; now I see 13 year olds with them). This phone is great for simple calling, basically nothing else as it has a [somewhat] limited feature set compared to like, let say, the K750i. But this phone is great as an alternative to their Vertu if you can't afford it or just don't want to shell out $5,000 for it.

[Mr. Gay K. Yan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Dear Sir,

I want to find out when will 8800 avaliable in Hong Kong market. What will the retail price of 8800.

Thank you.

Gay Yan

[Arran @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Check out the customized Gold version of the Nokia 8800 some guy's selling on Ebay! http://www.mobiles-online.net/2005/06/gold-nokia-8800.html

Looks beautiful...

[Funkmeister @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Heh - just bagged one on Vodafone for �89.99 (handset price) on their Anytime 200 tariff!

The site I got it from has just increased the price to �199.00 so looks like I got a bargain!

Will report back when I get it. Damn, can't wait!

[Dada @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

is the nokia 8800 a manual slide phone like the 8850? or does it have a buttons like the 8910i ? cuz i had a 8910i for two years and loved it and had to replace it with a black razr cuz i cudnt find another 8910i...

[Funkmeister @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Have got it. It's stunning. Love it to bits and it was worth the wait. The Desktop Charger that comes with it is worth the asking price alone.

One downside is that keys are a little fiddly to begin with, but other than that it's awesome. Women seem to like it a lot for some reason. Which is no bad thing.

The slide is manual, the action is judged to perfection and it's VERY solidly built. Would recommend this phone.

Funk

[nyssa @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

its a gorgeous looking phone, but geez, could they atleast have given it a (now standard in most high end phones) 1.3mp camera if not a 2mp... i probably would have forked out the cash for it, but it's just not worth it without the highest possible specs. its such a shame to waste such a fantastic oppurtunity for a timeless piece of technology. i love my gadgets, and i hope they bring one out that looks as awesome with the best features... no matter what it costs

[nyssa @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

forgot to say that it doesnt have enough memory either....

[Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I review it at:

http://www.symplification.com/n8800/review

[Shahryar @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

random question - what's the standby behavior of this phone? If you've left your phone unattended for a while, is it easy to walk by and glance to see if you have had any missed calls/new messages/new voicemail? or do you have to physically press something as you do in a lot of these newer phones?

important question - how soon is this phone coming out in America? I don't want to get non-US version because if something goes wrong, I dont think nokiausa fixes it.

[Wayne Ding @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

As one of my customer's request, I need the best offer for 50000 pcs Nokia 8800 OEM.
Can anyone give me the help?

[brian bento @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I live in California, and was stationed in Germany for 12 years (US army). Fell absolutely in love with the Nokia 8910i, does anybody know who or how the 8910i can be changed to the USA frequency (1900). I have tried and need some help!!!! I WANT THIS PHONE. Thanks

[Tony Smith @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Hi,
We are into the sales of mobile phones, presently we have the Nokia 8800 in stock, for more information on our website, prices and shipping, please send us an email and we will get back to you, thanks.

[sohaib @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I also need my 8910i to be changed to the USA frequency. Is there anyone who can do that ???
Is it any way possible ?

Please mail me at: [e-mail]