Review of the first Windows Phone smartphone Nokia Lumia 800

The durability of Nokia phones is already legendary - the classic Nokia 3310 was even re-released in 2020. Nokia 800 Tough is a new KaiOS feature phone designed for any environment. It is covered with impact-resistant rubber and meets MIL-STD-810G and IP68 standards.

The new Nokia 800 is not only a reliable phone for making calls, but it has many other useful features. The model costs about 8 thousand rubles ($130) and is available in two colors – “Black Steel” and “Desert Sand”, and the second version is made in camouflage style.

Nokia 800 Tough specifications

Nokia 800 Tough review: design, ergonomics

The attributes of a secure device give the exterior of the Nokia 800 Tough a certain brutality. The overall picture is complemented by decorative metal grilles for the speakers and microphone, a protective plate for the lens and flash, as well as defiantly open heads of the mounting screws. The anti-slip coating on the case and the rubberized edges with a textured finish, among other things, help to securely hold the phone in the palm of your hand.

The form factor of the Nokia 800 Tough is a regular candy bar with dimensions of 145.4 × 62.1 × 16.11 mm. With such dimensions, the weight of this phone (161 g) is not particularly surprising. Although, having received an even more capacious battery (2,300 mAh), the no less protected Cat B35 device from the Caterpillar family (developed and produced by Bullitt Mobile) looks much more elegant - 138x60x13.9 mm and 130 g, respectively. The colors of the Nokia 800 Tough body are quite calm, without sharp color accents. Moreover, along with the strict black color scheme, there is also a more impressive one - “desert camouflage” (the phone we received for testing).

Almost the entire front panel of the phone is divided between a keyboard with rubberized mechanical keys and a very small screen, below which is the recognizable Nokia logo. Metal decorative grilles were symmetrically placed at the upper and lower ends: on top for the “conversational” speaker, and at the bottom for the “conversational” microphone.

There is an eyelet at the bottom end for attaching a hand strap or carabiner.

This design element will certainly come in handy during active use of the phone.

At the top end next to the LED flashlight there is a thick rubber plug.

Hidden underneath is a microUSB connector (for charging/syncing) and a 3.5 mm audio connector.

The right edge with a textured rubberized surface remained free.

And on the left edge they “camouflaged” a hermetically sealed slot well.

Here, the tray accommodates two subscriber identification modules (nanoSIM format), and the place of the second of them can be taken by a microSD memory card. To remove the tray you need to use a special clip included in the kit.

The back panel was decorated with another Nokia logo.

And in its upper part there was a rear photo module, including a camera and flash. A decorative grille for a “multimedia” speaker was provided on a common metal plate. Generally speaking, the Nokia 800 Tough does not feel too heavy in the hand, and, despite its impressive thickness, it lies quite comfortably in the palm, without trying to slip out of it.

The target audience

Nokia 800 Tough is mainly designed for three types of users. The first is those who do not need large phones that run out quickly and need to learn how to use them. This is usually the older generation or those who do not need a mini-computer in their pocket. This Nokia is easy to learn, but there are a lot of functions here.

The second is those who need a secure phone. The 800 Tough will work great in environments where glass smartphones would break after a couple of days. In addition, the device can be damaged as much as you like without worrying about its integrity.

Third - who needs a second phone with an autonomous battery for certain situations. The device is suitable for hiking and long trips. The Nokia 800 lasts a long time and the KaiOS capabilities offer us almost all the features we need.

Design and protection

Another obvious advantage of the Nokia 800 Tough is the body with impact-resistant rubber coating, which is almost impossible to break. The phone can easily withstand falls even from the second floor onto a concrete surface. In addition, any abrasions can be easily wiped off, after which the case will look like new. The glass on the screen can be scratched, but it is almost impossible to accidentally break the device completely.

The protection of this gadget does not stop with the rubber coating. There are two protective flaps over the 3.5mm and micro-USB jacks on the top side of the case. Next to them is a flashlight with a brightness of 190 lumens, which is turned on by long pressing the navigation button. For it to work, the screen must be unlocked, so there will be no accidental inclusions in your pocket.

Camera

There are slight variations in color balance, but the photos are very detailed

Nokia Lumia 800 Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800

The Lumia 800 has the same 8-megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss f/2.2 lens as the N9. The camera is good, the pictures are very detailed, there is almost no noise, however, during post-processing, color artifacts appear due to which the pictures turn out to be a little greenish. Perhaps the whole point is in the incorrect use of white balance, but be that as it may, we can say that this is not serious, a good camera should not do this.

Camera speed is a less critical parameter, although quite important. Microsoft initially reported that the camera on Windows Phone is very fast, and the Lumia 800 smartphone was no exception. The camera application opens by long pressing the camera activation button, after which you need to touch anywhere on the screen (viewfinder), the camera will automatically focus on the place where you pressed. Half-pressing the physical camera button causes autofocus to the center of the picture. The focusing speed is not very fast (the N9 has software AF acceleration), standard for all WP smartphones, but quite satisfactory.

There is motion blur in the video

The dual LED flash works well even when shooting close-up subjects without causing blur. The flash itself determines how much light needs to be added. If you try to photograph your hand in a darkened room, the light will be very soft, and if there is a dark object in your hand, the hand will be overexposed. The solution may not be ideal, but the system works predictably and reliably.

The video is also recorded with good detail, but sometimes there is excessive motion blur. The Samsung Galaxy S II has mastered the ability to perfectly shoot video in motion at 1080p resolution, so why can't the Nokia Lumia 800 cope with this task even at 720p resolution? Unfortunately, Nokia is not willing to live up to such high standards. Moreover, this smartphone does not have a front camera. Of course, most users never use video calls, but the front-facing camera has become the de facto standard these days, so it's surprising to see Nokia not following the general trend.

Phone display

The screen here is not the best. Nokia 800 Tough has a 2.4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 320×240 pixels, a density of 167 ppi and an aspect ratio of 4: 3. The display is reminiscent of the panels of models from ten years ago; a slight increase in detail would definitely not hurt here, especially given the miniature size.

This makes 800 Tough difficult to use on a regular basis. It's good for calls, voice search, navigation, music and taking random photos, but viewing media content here is very inconvenient. Yes, YouTube works, and the rear-mounted speakers (two behind bars at the front for calls) are very loud and have good sound quality. However, music videos from YouTube are more comfortable to listen to than to watch. In addition, we have access to FM radio, but it only works with headphones.

Convenience and control

The disadvantages are the interface and the amount of time that needs to be spent on launching the desired function. The lack of a touchscreen means that you have to use arrows to navigate around the screen of the Nokia 800 Tough. This is convenient in simple menus, but when surfing the web or watching YouTube, it quickly gets boring.

The same applies to typing. If you've never typed by repeatedly pressing a button to select a letter in T9 mode, you'll hate it. And if you ever typed, you will still be surprised how you used to manage to do this every day, many times. The advantage is that you will begin to write much more concisely. Fortunately, in the settings there is an option to autocomplete words using T9, and after a while you can learn to type even faster than with a standard QWERTY keyboard. You just need to get used to switching between input modes.

However, even with this addition, typing becomes a challenge, especially compared to the continuous typing and voice messaging on modern smartphones. However, the rubber buttons are pleasant to the touch and quite comfortable for touch typing. There is also a backlight for typing in the dark. A smart cursor with a navigation button to select items on the screen makes the process a little easier. For example, on the search results page in the browser, arrows will allow you to jump between links immediately, rather than just gradually scrolling up or down the screen, however, this is still slow. This is especially true with regard to YouTube, which is almost impossible to use on a regular basis in the Nokia 800.

There are also disadvantages

Be prepared for the fact that after using a touchscreen smartphone, navigating with mechanical keys will take up a lot of your time. The four-way joystick allows you to navigate the menus and interface of the system comfortably, but when you try to scroll through search results on YouTube or navigate a web page, you realize that it is a rather tedious process.

The same goes for typing. If you've never typed using multiple taps on a mechanical keyboard or T9 predictive input before, you'll probably hate it on the Nokia 800 and end up sending shorter text messages than usual. Let the retrogrades claim that this is the best way to type, but it cannot be compared in terms of convenience with any Swype keyboard.

The buttons themselves on the phone are well implemented; they are quite large and convex, press softly and are backlit, allowing you to type in the dark. Using the “hash” you can turn on silent mode, and holding the “star” locks the phone. There is a password unlock function, which will be useful to anyone who cares about the security of personal data.

What is KaiOS?

KaiOS is a fairly easy OS to use, and we have plenty of ways to speed up navigation through the system. After touch screens, you will have to relearn, but it is not as difficult as it seems, especially if you already have forgotten experience of using a push-button telephone.

Below the screen of the Nokia 800 Tough there are seven main buttons: two keys on the right and left for displaying the context menu, a message button, call log, back, power, and a multifunction navigation key. Clicking on the central part of the latter will open the KaiOS application menu, including the software store.

In other parts of the interface, the central button serves to select an option, where a long press anywhere on the system will bring up the Google Assistant. On the home screen, the central part of the navigation key will open a quick settings area with shortcuts for setting Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connection, airplane mode, volume level, mobile data information, screen brightness and turning on the flashlight. It can also be turned on by long pressing the “up” button.

The “right” key opens the contact list, and the “left” key is responsible for quickly selecting applications. There are shortcuts for WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Assistant, Google Maps and YouTube. Once you remember this, navigating the Nokia 800 Tough becomes a relatively quick process. Fortunately, you can use a voice assistant to navigate to the desired function. It's useful for searching Google, writing messages on WhatsApp, or selecting videos on YouTube.

If you're used to controlling your phone with your voice, using the Nokia 800 will be a much easier experience. Through the voice assistant you can make calls, write messages, turn on the flashlight and do much more. That is why this model is perfect as a second phone. True, the older generation, not accustomed to voice control, is unlikely to be able to appreciate all this.

It is also worth mentioning about the main Android applications - although their basic functionality is the same, they are, however, greatly reduced due to limitations in data transfer and performance.

⇡#About APPEARANCE

...which, by the way, would be difficult for the back rows to distinguish from the N9 - the bodies are identical. No, we're deceiving you - there is a camera/shutter button required for smartphones running Windows Phone 7. All in due time, we’ll praise Microsoft for this a little later.

The body, as Sergei Malenkovich has already noted, is simply wonderful - entirely cut out of polycarbonate. This type is often called unibody in specifications, and in the design of the device it is load-bearing. There are many advantages - radio transparency, abrasion resistance, relatively high impact resistance.

I would also like to praise Nokia for the tight-fitting case included - a wonderful thing, it does not collect dust, fits as tightly as possible, provides easy access to all the necessary connectors and buttons, is pleasant to the touch and does not slip. And at the same time, it somehow manages to not disfigure the appearance of the device at all - at least the gloomy black device that Nokia provided us with for testing.

As with the N9, the measures taken to ensure it looks great, has a great grip and is compact will not please power users - don't expect a removable battery. Otherwise, everything is done wisely, the connectors are conveniently located (see photo). The microUSB cap looks solid, but the connector itself is recessed so that cables with thick ends may not be inserted all the way.

The display, compared to that of the N9, has lost 0.2 inches in diagonal and 54 pixels in height, which were used to install touch buttons required for WP7 - “Back” (also a list of recently opened programs by long pressing), “Home” " and "Search". There is a whole story with the latter in Russia: Microsoft gave in and allowed Bing, which is frankly flawed in our area, to be replaced with search from Yandex. To be precise, when you click on this button, a new tab opens in your browser with a mobile version of the Yandex main page - quite convenient and functional.

As for the AMOLED display itself (for experts, this is PenTile), it is distinguished by its convexity, the absence of an air gap and the presence of a polarizing filter on top of the matrix. Nokia denotes the latter with the abbreviation CBD - clear black display. Blacks are truly beautiful - in photos with very dark backgrounds and dark movie scenes, it's almost impossible to see where the screen ends.

CBD AMOLED matrices have good color rendering (the colors are less artificial than those of the Koreans), contrast and viewing angles, and readability in the sun is simply excellent. The last statement was made solely based on experience with CBD displays on other phones, because this December there was no sunny weather in Moscow and, it seems, there will never be any more. Overall, the display performed well both when watching movies and when reading web pages. Pressure sensitivity and accuracy also did not cause any complaints - for example, the number of errors when typing is noticeably less than in the case of HTC Mozart, even on the portrait Cyrillic keyboard.

Camera Nokia 800 Tough

When it comes to the camera, the Nokia 800 Tough is definitely not a camera phone you should use to try and capture your life's most important moments. The 2MP lens resolution speaks for itself. This is disappointing because at this price point many Android phones have significantly better cameras - like the Nokia 2.2. The reasons why the same could not be done here are not entirely clear to me.

However, the interesting thing is that the photos I received turned out to be better than they looked on the display. Colors are decent, although dynamic range and low-light performance are well below average. However, under ideal conditions, you can take an acceptable photo at 2 MP resolution.

Nokia 800 Tough review: camera, sound, video

By modern standards, the 2-megapixel rear camera installed in the Nokia 800 Tough seems to cause nothing but a grin. However, push-button mobile phones, including secure ones, do not spoil their owners too much with their photo capabilities. For such devices, a 2-megapixel sensor is quite common. That is why the 5-megapixel camera, for example, in the “indestructible” Kyocera Dura models, looks quite flagship-like in this narrow niche.

The size of pictures taken from the Nokia 800 Tough camera is 1600x1200 pixels. Standard video quality is 320x240 pixels (4:3, CIF), and the best is 720x480 (3:2, NTSC, 29.97fps). The camera does not have autofocus, but it has an LED flash and digital zoom. In the Camera app settings, you can display a grid in the viewfinder, go to Gallery, switch between Photo and Video modes, and decide on the timer (3, 5 or 10 seconds) and flash (Auto). On off."). By the way, it is suggested to use digital zoom and flash (in backlight mode) when recording video. Photography and video recording are activated by the main scroll key (joystick), but there is no dedicated button for this. The video recording results are packed into a 3GP file container, where AAC LC compression is used for audio and AVC compression for video.

The “multimedia” speaker in the smartphone is quite powerful - the manufacturer estimates its maximum volume level at 103 backgrounds. This logarithmic unit differs from decibels in that it correlates loudness values ​​with the sensitivity of human hearing at different frequencies. Thus, for a pure tone with a frequency of 1000 Hz, the level in the backgrounds is numerically equal to the level in decibels. Let us remember that 100 dB is the noise in a subway car or the sound of thunder. However, even high speaker volume cannot have a positive effect on the sound quality, which is not surprising at all. The manufacturer does not mention any means of active noise reduction (after all, there is no second microphone). The developers, not without reason, believe that the power of the speaker is quite enough to “shout out” the surrounding noise.

In the Music application (MP3 player), you can create your own playlist, save tracks (as a ringtone), sort them by artist, album or composition, etc. Files with WAV and AAC extensions are also supported, but FLAC, alas, is not. The sound level can be adjusted during playback by scrolling the joystick up or down. But the volume controls in the settings for multimedia, ringtones/notifications and alarms are made separately.

Let us remind you that a wired audio headset is connected to the Nokia 800 Tough via a 3.5 mm connector, and a wireless one – via Bluetooth. There's even a Volume Balance option in the device's Accessibility settings tab (five steps to the right and left).

The Voice Recorder program offers two recording speeds and saves the results in a somewhat unusual opus format. Note that the codec of the same name was created to transmit sound in real time over the Internet. It supports multi-channel, bit rates from 6 to 510 kbps, sampling rates from 8 to 48 kHz, low encoding latency and good compression. By the way, you can listen to an opus file downloaded from your phone not only with the “omnivorous” VLC media player, but also with the Mozilla Firefox browser.

The pre-installed Video application plays files in MP4 (H.264) and 3GP (MPEG-4) formats, but you won’t be able to watch a movie in MKV or AVI using it. The Nokia 800 Tough e-Manual goes into great detail about. Wouldn't it be better to clarify? For videos in full screen mode, select the “Wide (16:9)” option in the settings. However, viewing on a tiny phone screen is a very dubious pleasure. By the way, from the Video application there is a direct link to the Camera program.

Software

Nokia 800 Tough is almost a smartphone, because it has Google voice assistant, WhatsApp, Google Maps, YouTube and much other software. As I mentioned, it all runs on KaiOS, an ultra-lightweight operating system that's built half for a smartphone and half for a feature phone.

If you need a cheap dialer with a push-button keyboard, a device running KaiOS OS will be an excellent choice. Even if the 800 Tough is a second phone, it's often easier to communicate than any smartphone. The powerful battery also makes it better for GPS navigation and listening to music. The only problem is the screen, which makes it much easier to rely on voice control.

Nokia 800 Tough review: software features

The Nokia 800 Tough can be called “smart” because it runs on the KaiOS operating system (version 2.5.2), which supports 4G/3G networks, Wi-Fi and GPS navigation. As already noted, KaiOS works well with devices with small RAM sizes (from 256 MB). In addition, a device based on KaiOS can usually be used as an access point to distribute mobile Internet. Note that another well-known “extreme” phone, the rugged Cat B35 phone, also runs on KaiOS.

But most importantly, KaiOS has its own app store that allows users to download the programs they need. So far, their range is quite small, and the most popular of these applications are already pre-installed on the phone. This primarily applies to Google, Assistant, Maps and YouTube, as well as Facebook and WhatsApp. The Twitter client has not been forgotten either.

By the way, the WhatsApp messenger appeared on push-button phones only last year, so it does not yet have the function of voice and video calls, you can only correspond.

To work in the KaiOS interface, the selection, return and scroll keys (joystick) are most often used, and the power button, of course. By the way, in “Special Features” you can enable vibration feedback for the keyboard. Scrolling up brings up the quick settings panel, where you have access to adjusting the sound and brightness, activating Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, turning on data transfer and the flashlight. Scrolling to the left opens the “orbit” of the main applications with icons for YouTube, Maps, Assistant, Facebook and WhatsApp. But after scrolling to the right, you can see your available contacts.

Long-pressing the primary scroll key launches Google Voice Assistant. True, it will be much more useful if its version on KaiOS finally masters the Russian language.

After a short press of the main joystick key, a screen opens with application icons in a 3x3 grid, where their position can be changed. Move through the icons using the scroll key - up, down, left, right. The options suggest displaying program icons in a list or one at a time (“Single Image”).

Some models of rugged phones, such as the Blackview BV1000 mentioned above, have a short-wave antenna built right into the body, so the FM tuner does not require connecting wired headphones to operate. But the Nokia 800 Tough cannot do without such a procedure. At the same time, let us remind you that the wired headset itself is not included with this phone.

Nokia 800 Tough battery life

The best and main advantage of the Nokia 800 is the battery, which, given the tiny screen, lasts for a long time. On the available battery capacity of 2100 mAh, the phone will work for one to two weeks, when in standby mode it will last more than a month.

There is even an energy-saving mode, and in talk mode over the GSM network the operating time will be approximately 12.5 hours. Considering how little people talk on the phone these days, this is more than enough. Talk time on 4G is 9.5 hours.

Review of the first Windows Phone smartphone Nokia Lumia 800

So, finally, what everyone who is even slightly interested in mobile technology has been waiting for has come true. The Finnish company Nokia presented its first Windows Phone smartphone. Skeptics awaited the new product with undisguised hostility and argued that Nokia's transition to WP was the beginning of the end. However, everything turned out to be not so bad - the Nokia 800

It turned out to be a very worthy device. The device attracts with its excellent design, high-quality image display on a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, a very decent 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, and, of course, the new Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system. Nokia 800 is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8255 processor with a clock speed of 1.4 GHz and is characterized by fast operation without any stuttering or freezing. The smartphone is able to bring together all user accounts in social services and email services for more convenient and faster use. There is a lot to tell about Nokia 800, which we will do below. However, first of all, it is worth noting that our laboratory tested a non-commercial sample of the new product, but the first Nokia WP smartphone will reach the end user in perfect condition. After loading the 3D model, hold down the left mouse button and move the cursor to rotate the Nokia 800.

general information

Equipment

Nokia's corporate blue color, which has already become familiar, is also used in the design of the box in which the Nokia 800 smartphone is supplied. The packaging is very small, very compact and made of high-quality hard cardboard. Naturally, it bears an image of the device, its name, the manufacturer’s logo, and the like. The Nokia 800 comes standard with:

• Nokia 800 smartphone itself
• cable for connection to PC and charging (USB-microUSB) CA-185CD
• stereo headset Nokia WH-902
• charger Nokia AC-16
• branded silicone case
• Quick Start Guide
• information booklet

.

Size and weight

The official characteristics of the smartphone state that its dimensions are 116.5 × 61.2 × 12.1 mm and its weight is 142 g. However, there is no particular point in describing the design of the Nokia 800 in detail, since in appearance it is an almost exact copy of the first MeeGo- Nokia N9 smartphone. The strict rectangular monoblock fits comfortably in the hand. The high-quality matte plastic case is scratch-resistant. And even if they do appear, they will not be so noticeable, because the device is not painted, but is made of a single piece of polycarbonate. Moreover, the branded silicone case, which “fits” the Nokia 800 like a glove and is not even noticeable at first glance, reliably protects the case from minor damage. As you know, the smartphone will hit the market in three color options: black, cyan and purple. By the way, the color of the case, which is included in the package, matches the color of the case.

Inputs/outputs and keys

on the front of the
Nokia 800
. At the bottom of the display there are three touch keys typical of Windows Phone: Back, Home and Search.

There are three physical buttons on the smartphone, and all of them are located on the right side of the case: one is the on/off key (also intended for unlocking), the second is a double volume button, and the third is the camera call button. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a microUSB connector and a SIM card slot. The audio jack is not covered by anything, while microUSB and microSIM are covered with thick plugs. To access the SIM card, you need to open the flap covering the microUSB and slide the plastic element of the microSIM card slot to the side. A microphone and speaker are located at the bottom end. The latter is of excellent quality, sounds very loud and will allow you to hear an incoming call even in a noisy environment. This quality is achieved thanks to its favorable location. Volume can be adjusted on a scale from 1 to 30.

Like the Nokia N9, on the back panel of the Lumia 800, almost in the center, surrounded by a glossy metal insert with the Nokia logo, there is a main camera with an 8 MP matrix, a Carl Zeiss lens and a dual LED flash. There is no front camera.

Display

The first thing that catches your eye when you start working with the Nokia 800 is its display. Or rather, its quality. Finnish Nokia stands out among other manufacturers due to its meticulous attitude towards the quality of its products. Therefore, the display here is simply excellent. Its diagonal is 3.7 inches, resolution is 800x480 pixels. The screen is slightly smaller than the Nokia N9 due to the presence of three touch keys at the bottom of the display: “Back”, “Home” and “Search”. By the way, the default search engine in the Nokia 800 is Microsoft's Bing. In devices intended for the Russian market, it will be replaced by the more familiar Yandex search engine.

The display is made using AMOLED technology and is protected by slightly convex Gorilla Glass, which protects the 800 screen from damage. In addition, a special anti-reflective polarizing layer is applied to the surface of the screen, thanks to which the picture is displayed as brightly and clearly as possible, even in direct sunlight. The ClearBlack technology used makes the black color display in the smartphone so deep and natural that, with a certain amount of imagination, it seems as if there is no screen at all, and all the icons, inscriptions and messages are simply flying in the air. There is no physical keyboard in the device. A virtual keyboard is used for typing text messages, notes, and creating contacts. The screen of the Nokia 800 is responsive to touch, so operating the device, dialing numbers and text is very simple and convenient.

There is a proximity sensor above the display in the upper right corner.

Nutrition

The Nokia 800 smartphone is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery type BV-5JW with a capacity of 1450 mAh. A powerful battery allows you to use the device in talk mode for up to 13 hours on the GSM network and up to 9.5 hours on the WCDMA network, and in standby mode - 265 hours on the GSM network and 335 hours on the WCDMA network. In MP3 player listening mode, the smartphone will serve its owner for about 55 hours, and if you watch a video, the device will run out of light after about 6.5 hours. You can charge the battery either from the mains using a special charger consisting of two parts (USB-microUSB cable and the Nokia AC-16 charger itself) or simply from a PC or laptop using only the cable.

Supported networks

The Nokia 800 model is designed to work in GSM/EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 and WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 I/II/V networks. The signal reception is excellent, the communication quality is at a high level.

Software platform

Once again, we note that the Nokia Lumia 800 is the first smartphone from the Finnish company to use the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system, codenamed Mango. Moreover, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop calls his brainchild “the very first real Windows Phone.” The powerful Qualcomm MSM8255 processor with a clock frequency of 1.4 GHz and a separate graphics processor make the smartphone work very quickly, so you won’t notice any slowdowns or “hesitations” during operation. Windows Phone 7.5 offers many different features, such as full integration with social services, an innovative user interface, a full-fledged Office suite, and multitasking. By the way, I would like to devote a few words to the latter. Open applications are minimized by pressing the Home key or closed with the Back button. You can view previews of minimized apps by holding the Back button for about a second. Unfortunately, you cannot close minimized applications from here, you can only switch between them.

User interface

Desktop and main menu

The Windows Phone 7.5 operating system offers a completely different user interface from other operating systems. The Nokia 800 has only one desktop, inextricably linked to the main menu. The so-called “live icons” are displayed on the desktop - squares and rectangles, each of which is responsible for a specific group of information: contacts, music, games, messages, mail, etc. Moreover, you can put a separate contact, a link to a frequently visited site or a favorite music track on your desktop. The tile with the selected function is placed at the very end of the list of live icons on the desktop. A long tap on an icon makes the entire desktop active: you can move icons in any order or delete them from the desktop. The general view of the desktop is a column of square and rectangular informer tiles, offset to the left side of the screen. In the upper right corner there is a battery indicator and a clock. The name of the cellular operator is indicated directly in the “Phone” tile. The lock screen displays the background image, clock, date and day of the week. Here at the top of the screen there are: signal strength indicator, batteries, connection indicators, etc. When the alarm clock is on, a small icon indicating this will appear next to the clock. Of course, the lock screen displays information about missed calls, messages, received emails, and when playing music, virtual music player control keys are displayed at the top of the lock screen. The screen lock is, of course, customizable: the screen can be turned off after 30 seconds, 1, 3 or 5 minutes. To unlock the smartphone, you need to pull the screen up from the bottom, and do it quickly enough, since if the acceleration given is insufficient, the lock screen will simply return to its place, and access to the smartphone’s functions will naturally remain blocked. The settings are accessed through the main menu item Settings - Lock + Background. Here you can select the background image of the lock screen. In general, the Nokia 800 user interface is designed in a strict and neat style. For lovers of simplicity and convenience, such an interface is a godsend. The interface background can be made in two colors - dark and light. But the color of icons, on/off positions of various functions, headers of unread emails, etc. you can change it to your liking by choosing one of the proposed bright colors: turquoise, pink, purple, light green, etc. In the upper right corner of the desktop there is an image of an arrow, clicking on which takes us to the main menu of the Nokia 800. It looks like a list of applications with a small square icon to the left of the name. The list is sorted alphabetically. You can find the application you need by scrolling the list or using the search.

Virtual keyboard

The virtual keyboard is called up from applications that have character input fields. To do this, you just need to turn your smartphone into a horizontal position. The keyboard in Nokia 800 is full QWERTY. In the main menu item Settings, you can select different keyboard languages, as well as customize character input. The virtual keyboard has several useful features. For example, you can enable the option to insert a period after double-tapping the spacebar. In addition, the dictionary is able to highlight words with errors or immediately correct them. It should be noted that there is a separate key for switching the language layout.

Telephone service and communication

Contacts and calls

The Contacts and Phone applications in the Nokia 800 Lumia smartphone are separated into separate main menu items. They can also be placed separately on the desktop in the form of two different icons. The “Phone” tile contains an image of a handset, the name of the mobile operator and the number of missed calls, if any, of course. By clicking on this icon, the user is immediately taken to the call log, where both incoming and outgoing calls are placed in one list. The log shows the contact's name, the date and time of the call, and whether the call was made from a mobile or home phone. To the left of the contact name is a small image of a handset, clicking on which initiates a call, but if you click on the contact name, you will be taken to the contact card. At the bottom of the screen there are four icons: access to voicemail, the usual dialer, the contact list and a search button. The dialing window is extremely simple: a familiar numeric keypad and two buttons “Call” and “Save”. During a call, the screen displays the number, the “End” button, the button to access the dialer, switch to the speaker and back to the microphone, as well as the buttons to hold and add a call. As already noted, the contact list can be accessed both from the “Phone” application and through a separate icon on the desktop or the “Contacts” main menu item. The contacts service in Nokia 800 combines all connections with friends and acquaintances into a single system. When you set up access to your social network accounts on your smartphone, all your contacts from all connected social services (except Twitter) will appear in your contacts list by default: their phone numbers, email addresses, photos, public messages, etc. Updated information is displayed in a separate “What’s New” feed.

The Nokia 800 uses a micro SIM card, so there is no way to transfer your contacts from the old card to the smartphone's memory by simply inserting it into the device. This problem is solved simply and elegantly: right in the main menu there is a section “Transfer contacts”. By following the detailed instructions, you can easily transfer all the contacts saved on your old SIM card and in the memory of your old phone to Nokia 800 via Bluetooth connection. Contacts from social networking accounts and online services (such as Windows Live) are automatically transferred to your Nokia 800 as soon as the corresponding account is set up. The duplicate records resulting from synchronizing all user accounts can be linked, then information about them will be displayed in one contact card.

The very first contact is the owner of the phone. The card with information about yourself has the unambiguous name “I” and it collects all the information about the author’s presence on social networks. It is from here that you can manage your statuses on social networks, publish messages, change photos or register your location. Everything is simple and clear. The list of other contacts is sorted alphabetically. Each letter of the alphabet is placed in a small square with a main color theme, and contacts are already placed under it. On the left side of the contact name is an avatar, which is automatically transferred from social networks (if installed there), or manually selected by the user. If there is no photo, just a gray silhouette of the person is displayed. If you have an impressive number of contacts, then you can use the search to avoid scrolling through the entire list for a long time. The search is done very attractively. Clicking on a letter displays the Russian and English alphabet on the screen, where you can quickly go to the desired letter and, accordingly, to the list of contacts starting with this letter. The contact card displays all information about him. The “Profile” page contains a contact photo, phone number, quick access to writing an SMS, email, or message on a social network. Scrolling through the contact pages, we get to the tabs “What’s new” (the contact’s activity on social networks is displayed here), “Photos” and “Journal” (the history of communication with the subscriber is stored here - calls, sms, emails, chat messages). From the log you can quickly go to the corresponding action - write an SMS, call, reply to an email. In addition to contacts transferred from social networks, of course, you can create a new contact “from scratch”. In the Contacts application, just click on the plus sign and select what exactly we want to create: a contact or a group. Then everything is clear without a detailed description. For each subscriber you can assign various information: first name, last name, patronymic, place of work, nickname, etc.; home, mobile or work telephones; several mailboxes; additionally indicate the address, website, birthday, degree of relationship, presence of children, position, etc. Subscribers can be assigned an individual ringtone. The closest and most frequently called ones can be placed on the desktop with a separate icon. Moreover, it will be dynamic: it displays missed calls, messages, received letters, photo and name of the contact, as well as status changes on social networks.

Messages

In the
Nokia 800
you can use the usual text sms, multimedia mms, e-mails, and communicate via instant messaging in Internet services. The Messages application has two tabs: actual conversations and online communication. All messages are presented in the form of a list of conversations, under each of which the latest message is displayed. Having entered the message exchange window with the subscriber, we will see a list of messages in the form of square clouds, with incoming messages shifted to the left side of the screen, outgoing messages to the right. At the bottom of the screen there are three round buttons: “Send”, “Attach” (attach media files) and “Switch” (this is where you can choose whether the message will be sent via SMS service or via Internet chat). If a contact has an “Offline” status, the application will report this and offer to use SMS. There are no usual templates or draft messages.

Email

By default,
the Nokia 800 has basic settings for several email services.
Unfortunately, at the moment you will have to configure, for example, the popular Russian service mail.ru manually, but this will not be difficult if you know the addresses of the mail client servers. Probably, in the commercial version, popular Russian services will be added to the basic settings, similar to the Yandex search service. Mail settings are accessed through the menu item “Settings” - “Mail + accounts”. Here you can connect to email services or set up accounts for various Internet services - Windows Live, Google, Twitter. Configured mailboxes appear in the main menu, in addition, they can be placed individually on the desktop. Inside the application, you can navigate between screens where all messages, unread and important, are displayed. In the list of messages, unread messages are highlighted in the color of the main theme. At the bottom of the screen there are buttons for creating a new letter, marking (selecting) a letter, updating the mailbox and a search button. Three dots in the right corner provide access to folders (inbox, sent and all), settings, and account creation. If a Nokia 800 user has several mailboxes, they can be combined and then messages from several accounts can be seen in one folder. Emails in Nokia 800 support attachments, both graphic and document. It’s just that the way they are created differs: if a graphic file can be directly attached from the text of a letter, then in the case of a document you will first have to go to the document and then select how to send it. Mailbox settings are divided into synchronization and general settings. Connections

The USB connector in the Nokia 800 smartphone is designed to connect a charger and synchronize the device with a computer via the Zune application. The device uses the USB 2.0 standard.

The built-in Wi-Fi module supports 802.11 b/g/n standards. Connection settings are accessed through the main menu - “Settings” - “Wi-Fi”. There is a slider for turning on Wi-Fi, a proposal to notify when new networks are detected, a list of available networks, and a Settings button.

Via Bluetooth connectivity, you can establish a wireless connection with other compatible devices, such as headsets, headphones, car speakers, etc. Bluetooth version – 2.1. The connection is accessed from the same main menu, the “Settings” item. And of course, the smartphone offers the ability to listen to FM radio through headphones, which are connected via a standard 3.5 mm audio jack.

Multimedia capabilities

Camera

The camera on a smartphone can be accessed in two ways: through the main menu item “Camera” or using a special quick access button located on the right side of the Nokia 800. The smartphone is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash.

When taking photos, you can use autofocus or use touch focusing (touch focus).
The created images can be immediately viewed in the photo gallery - a small fragment of the photograph taken is displayed on the screen simultaneously with the camera window, so you can pull this fragment and get into the gallery, or click on the small arrow in a circle located on the edge of the latest photo. The camera interface is simple and clear. The settings are standard: select resolution, white balance, saturation and contrast, etc. The quality of photos taken with the Nokia 800 camera is quite decent, even when compared with photos taken with the Nokia N8 camera phone. In shooting mode, there is 3x digital zoom. The photography process can be carried out in several shooting modes: automatic - all parameters are adjusted automatically, suitable for everyday photography, backlit, beach, twilight, macro, landscape, night, portrait, etc. In the camera settings, you can enable various color effects for the photographs you create: sepia, black and white, negative, overexposure. front camera in Nokia 800
. In video recording mode, you can shoot HD video in 720p resolution at 30 frames per second. Video recording can also be done in a lower resolution - 640x480. Video recording settings are almost identical to photo settings. Below are sample photos taken with the Lumia 800, as well as comparison shots from the N8. On the left is a photo taken with a Nokia 800, on the right - with a Nokia N8 camera phone

All created photos and videos are saved in the Photos application. In Nokia 800

Photos are accessed from the desktop (rectangular element) or from the main menu. In the main application window there is access to four folders where pictures are stored: Camera Gallery (all pictures and videos taken by the camera are collected here), Albums (built-in pictures and transferred from the computer are located here), Date (sorting images by the date they were created) and People (contact albums synchronized from social networks are stored here). The already familiar “What’s New” window contains photo updates from social services. The created photos can be sent to friends as mms, via email, posted on your page on social networks, or sent to SkyDrive cloud storage (25 GB available for storing content). You can also use the photo as a background, apply auto-correction to it (the editor will correct the image itself), or remove it from the gallery. Videos, in addition to the gallery, can be viewed in a separate section “Music + Video”.

Music + Video

Music and video in Nokia 800 are combined into one section (hub). Unfortunately, the first Nokia WP smartphone is not detected when connected to a PC in storage mode, so you can load music files and videos into the device’s memory only through synchronization with a PC using the Zune program, which we discussed above. The process is simple: you just need to “drag” the selected files onto the phone image in the Zune program window on your PC and they will immediately appear in the corresponding section of the Music + Video application. The main screen of the Music + Video app gives you access to music, videos, podcasts, and radio. The list of music files can be sorted by artists, albums, tracks, playlists and genres. In addition to the built-in standard Windows music player, the Nokia 800 has the proprietary Nokia Music service. It aggregates the user's music files, provides access to a music store of mp3 files, and also allows you to get information about concerts taking place nearby (if the location option is enabled, of course). The music player interface is simple: the screen displays the album cover, track name, artist, shows the duration of the file and the pause/play buttons and the transition to the previous and next file in the list. When the keyboard is locked, a splash screen with the name of the melody currently playing may appear on the display. Volume control is carried out using a double key on the right side of the device. The built-in music player in Nokia 800 supports m4a, .m4b, .mp3, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9), AAC/AAC+/EAAC+, AMR-NB, EVRC, QCELP. To listen to FM radio, you must turn on wired headphones, which act as an antenna. The smartphone is capable of playing video H.264 @30fps, MPEG-4 ASP, 3GP, .3GP2, .MP4, .M4v, .MBR., .WMV (Windows Media Video 9 and VC-1). In the Video section of the Music + Video hub, you can separately view a list of all video files shot personally with your smartphone’s camera, TV shows, music, and films. When you turn on the player, the display orientation automatically changes to landscape and the movie title, scroll bar, video duration and viewing time, as well as the standard pause/play and rewind buttons appear on the screen.

Calendar, Calculator, Clock

Simple, but always in demand, the calendar and calculator in
the Nokia 800
are separated into separate applications. Each of them can be called up from the main menu. The calendar can be presented in the form of a schedule, which collects information about scheduled meetings, as well as data from phone book contact cards about birthdays. In addition, the application can display the entire month with numbers and days of the week, or the current day with an hourly division. In the calendar settings, you can select the color for displaying entries specific to different accounts. The calculator in Nokia 800 is simple and convenient. Designed for quickly performing mathematical operations, including working with trigonometric functions, access to which opens if the smartphone is turned into a horizontal position. Setting the clock is available from the main menu, “Date + Time” application. In the application window you can select the time zone, set the time and date. Moreover, the installation is carried out in a very unusual way: each element of the date (day, month and year) and time (hours and minutes) is placed in a square, and the squares with numbers and names of days of the week and months are placed in vertical columns. Scroll through the columns to select the desired date and time.

Mobile office

One of the distinguishing features of the smartphone is the presence of a full-fledged suite of office programs from Microsoft. The Office menu item brings up a list of created documents. The device can create, edit and view Word text documents, Excel spreadsheets and Power Point presentations. In addition, there is a separate option to create quick OneNote notes. To create a document, you just need to click on the plus sign at the bottom of the screen - you will immediately be prompted to create a blank Word or Excel document or use ready-made templates: schedule, invitation, timesheet, etc. Documents created and saved in the smartphone’s memory can be viewed directly in the main application window, where they are presented in the form of squares of different colors (separately for Word and Excel documents) or as a list in the Places section (from here you have access not only to the phone’s memory, but also to the cloud Sky Drive, Office 365, and SharePoint Content Collection).

Browser

The Nokia 800 has a built-in Internet Explorer browser that is familiar to many (and quite logically expected in Windows OS) with HTML5 support. But there is no flash, but it is worth noting that all popular services, including YouTube, have long acquired good support for HTML5, so for some this may even be a plus, since there will be much less annoying advertising on loading pages. Explorer provides a full-featured web browsing experience with multi-touch support for on-screen zooming. The browser works very quickly: pages open correctly and without delays. Multi-touch is also not satisfactory. In the lower right corner, an ellipsis calls up browser options, from where you can switch between open tabs, view your browsing history, add pages to Favorites, pin selected pages on your desktop as an icon, send the page address by mail or on a social network. In the browser settings, you can choose in what form the web pages will be presented: the full version or the mobile version will be used. Here you can choose where to open links - in the current or new tab, delete your browsing history, allow the use of cookies and delete them and saved passwords, etc.

Navigation capabilities

Navigation capabilities in the Nokia 800 are represented by the Nokia Maps, Maps (Bing Maps) applications, as well as the proprietary Nokia Drive (Nokia Navigator) application, which is an exclusive feature of smartphones from the Finnish manufacturer. The last application is of particular interest. GPS navigation in Nokia 800 is free, maps for the desired region can be downloaded via WiFi also absolutely free. Currently, the application only offers navigation in the “Drive” mode, but by the time the smartphone goes on sale in retail, Nokia Navigator should have a pedestrian mode. When navigating, you can use 2D or 3D map view mode, metric or imperial units, and download a new voice directly from the application in any language (male or female) for voice navigation.

Gaming Features and App Store

In the “Games” section you can combine your gaming achievements on your smartphone, computer and Xbox game console. The Xbox Live tab allows you to create a player profile and his achievements in games, set up an avatar, contact friends, and change account settings. The Collection area brings together access to all games, while the Explore section contains game news, tips, and trends from the Xbox Live group. With Nokia 800 you can play either alone or with friends: you can invite them to the game or join them yourself. New games can be downloaded from the Marketplace app store. This is Microsoft's virtual entertainment store, which contains thousands of games, music, videos and podcasts, both paid and completely free. The application store interface is simple and clear: programs and games can be selected by category or popularity, you can view new arrivals or use the search, if you specifically know what to look for.

Environmental friendliness

The Nokia 800 smartphone is no exception to Nokia's environmental protection program. The device uses a highly efficient charger that allows you to charge your smartphone in a shorter time. The smartphone is made of non-toxic materials without the use of PVC, brominated and chlorinated components and antimony trioxide. After disposal, all parts of the device, together with packaging, can be reused as raw materials or to generate energy. To save money and protect the environment, paper packaging and printed instructions are kept to a minimum.

Impressions and conclusions

In general, the overall impression of the Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone is very positive. The quality and reliability of the Nokia brand is fully reflected in this device. Of course, it’s unusual to see Windows Phone in Nokia smartphones. At first glance, it may seem to some users that this operating system is not entirely convenient, but after using the Nokia 800 for a short time, you begin to get used to this OS and then you objectively understand that yes, the Nokia WP smartphone turned out, and it turned out well. Of course, now we were given a non-commercial sample for review, so there are still some shortcomings in the device. One of the disadvantages is the inability to use the smartphone as a flash drive when synchronizing with a PC. Although this minus is controversial: a small edit of the registry using the wp2USB application still allows you to enable storage mode. Having to work with the Zune program to sync your smartphone with your PC may seem like an inconvenience to some. However, the application has a simple, intuitive interface, so exchanging media content between your smartphone and computer is not particularly difficult. The lack of a front camera may be an obstacle to purchasing the Nokia 800 for those users who often make video calls. A complete plus is a very high-quality display that responds to the slightest touch, an attractive smartphone design, “live” icons that allow you to quickly receive new information, a high degree of integration with social networks, a very fast and non-slow interface, a full-fledged package of Microsoft Office Mobile applications, a browser , which allows you to comfortably use the Internet, an excellent camera, multitasking, a large number of applications in the Marketplace online store and, of course, a unique feature of Nokia WP smartphones - the Nokia Drive service.

Prices for Nokia Lumia 800
All Nokia Lumia 800 prices as of 10/02/2020

Bottom line

If you want an easy-to-use yet capable phone with a huge battery, the Nokia 800 Tough is the perfect choice. It is small, light and practically indestructible, reminding us of the classic Nokia push-button phones of past decades. The presence of a voice assistant makes typing a little easier on the T9, and there are plenty of other modern features. Yes, the camera is weak, but this is almost the only drawback of the model.

Is it worth buying?

For 8 thousand rubles, this is an excellent device as a spare phone, a device for hiking or regular calls. It is also a suitable gadget for those who don't want to deal with the complexities of modern smartphones or are simply looking for a stronger phone. The Nokia 800 Tough is a good model if you don't mind sacrificing a couple of unnecessary features in exchange for battery life that will last for weeks.

Advantages

• Practically unkillable.
• Six weeks on standby.
• Google Assistant and voice control.
• There are some modern applications.

Flaws

• Disappointing camera.
• Tiny low resolution screen.