Design:
The Nokia 8800 ships in a single colour - stainless steel. The main problem is that it may come off as too flashy. It is reminescent of the Nokia 8810, which was made entirely of chromed plastic. (Thanks, Daniel, for the picture!) It is interesting to note that the 8810 was replaced by phones which were far more businesslike in appearance: the Nokia 8850, the Nokia 8855, the Nokia 8910 and the Nokia 8910i all appeared in far more sombre colour tones.
This probably means that a darker-coloured version is forthcoming; similar to how a black RAZR was released. Whether waiting is an option, is, of course, up to you. I quite like this colour. It matches some of my cuff-links. The flip side is that the stainless steel is prone to fingerprinting. (see below) Of course, the answer is the case which ships with the phone; this is made of a soft velvety material which effectively wipes the case clean upon insertion (because it is rather a tight fit) and which may be used as a cleaning cloth.
Quite apart from the colour, the design is terribly attractive. It has moulded edges, and portions which are not crafted of stainless steel have nevertheless been made either of some other type of shiny metallic material or plastic which appears to be very durable. The picture below left demonstrates the shininess of the material - if you look carefully you can make out the camera used to take the picture. As a test, I even dropped the phone once; from a height of about a meter, onto a wooden floor. Perhaps I was lucky, but the phone was not scarred by any blemish. (The drop wasn't really a test.) Even the camera lens is attractively styled: while the phone is not extended it has it's own nook to hide in - and it's glass covered appearance is exudes an aura of sophistication.
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Construction:
This is a very well constructed phone. I would say it is Nokia's best, ever. There is no "give" anywhere. The rear battery cover fits perfectly, the slide mechanism feels extremely solid, and apart from the look, each material used also feels... good. The first, most obvious tradeoff is weight; we shall consider the effect of that later.
There are two other downsides, unfortunately.
The first is that the battery case is VERY hard to remove. This is a little frustrating initially, particularly since the inclusion of an extra battery (which incidentally will fit in a wallet easily) makes changing the battery a far more common occurance. The way to do it is:
- Grip the phone securely with one hand, with the display facing downwards.
- Use your thumb to pull downwards on the cover.
- Press one of the release buttons; the one on the right worked better for me. Maintain the pulling motion of your thumb.
- Press the other release button .
At this stage, the battery cover should release smoothly. If it doesn't, you didn't perform step 2 properly.
The second problem is a little more serious, and has to do with the sliding mechanism, and general wear and tear. While I was informed by Nokia staff that the mechanism was based upon "porsche technology," I think even ball bearings will wear out eventually. The slide mechanism had obviously worn out on several display models I have seen; it was no longer smooth. Even worse, the metal just below the display had completely discoloured on those display models. This is not as serious as it sounds, because the phone should still work in each case; but even this phone will not last forever.
Note that this phone can never be made to stand up without it's stand.
Battery:
The battery used is the BLC-5x, which is tiny, measuring 37mm × 33mm × 5mm. As noted above, it is easy to carry a spare battery around. Battery life is 2 days standby, though practically it will only last a day of full use, especially with bluetooth on. Remember to charge your phone at least once a day. The battery is held securely in place with a metal clip.
