The Nokia N81 is a Symbian OS mobile phone announced by Nokia on 29 August 2007 and released the next month. It runs S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1.
 | |
| Manufacturer | Nokia |
|---|---|
| Compatible networks | UMTS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Availability by region | 2007 |
| Predecessor | Nokia 6111 Nokia 6290 Nokia N76 Nokia N80 Nokia N91 |
| Successor | Nokia N85 |
| Related | Nokia N95 8GB Nokia N78 Nokia N82 Nokia 6110 Navigator |
| Form factor | Slider |
| Dimensions | 102 x 50 x 17.9 mm, 86 cc |
| Mass | 140 g |
| Operating system | Symbian OS 9.2 |
| Battery | Li-Po 1050 mAh (BP-6MT) |
| Display | 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4", 16M Colors |
| Rear camera | 2 MP / 1600 x 1200 px |
| Front camera | CIF Video Call Camera |
| Data inputs | Keypad |
The N81 was marketed as an entertainment device focused on music and gaming.[1] It was the first device that came preloaded with the N-Gage 2.0 gaming service in 2008 (albeit in public beta), and it features two dedicated gaming keys that can be used for N-Gage games (this would later also appear on the N96,[2] N85[3] and 5730 XpressMusic[4]). During the launch of N-Gage 2.0, the N81 was specifically chosen by Nokia in advertisements. It was also much marketed as a music-centric smartphone and was one of the first to support the Nokia Music Store service.[5] It has stereo speakers that are considered to be very loud.[6] Several reviewers have claimed that the N81 has, much like the older Nokia N91, a very high sound output quality and therefore highly suitable for audiophiles.[7][8][9][10]
The four-way silver-coloured D-pad below the display also contains a new capacitive sensor called the Navi wheel, which allows scrolling in the S60 gallery and music player applications by 'stroking' the key, in a similar manner to the iPod click wheel.[11] It is a unique feature that rarely appears on mobile handsets.[12] The Navi wheel would later also appear on other Nokia Nseries handsets: N78, N85 and N96.
Other than these the N81 has more modest specifications compared to the Nokia N95, with a 2-megapixel camera, lacking both GPS and HSDPA, and weighing 20 grams heavier.[13] However the N81 did have an ARM11 369 MHz processor, the fastest on a Nokia device at the time.[14] The Nokia N81 notably features a sliding spring-loaded physical keylock on the top of the device, located next to the 3.5 mm jack.[15] It is the first Nseries device that swapped the miniUSB port in favour of microUSB.
A variant called N81 8GB with 8-gigabytes of internal flash memory was also announced at the same time. This version retailed for 430 euros before taxes, 70 euros more than the standard version which requires a microSD memory card to expand its 12 megabytes of storage.[16] N81 would be succeeded by the N85.
Reception edit
The Nokia N81 had a lower sound output compared to the N91 due to the release of the new firmware version. According to Nokia, they must follow an international standard wherein a device's initial or default volume must be set too low to cause any damage to its users.
CNET found it buggy, slow, and badly designed.[17] S21 gave it 3/5, praising its feature set, while again criticising the "plasticky" design.[18] However its musical capabilities have been highly praised.[13][19]
References edit
- ^ "Nokia N81". Stuff. 26 October 2007.
- ^ Epstein, Zach (11 February 2008). "Nokia Announces N96; Fun While it Lasts".
- ^ "Nokia". LetsGoDigital.
- ^ "Nokia 5730 XpressMusic review: Full musical keyboard". GSMArena.com.
- ^ Lee, Nicole. "Ovi service becomes gateway to Nokia Music Store". CNET.
- ^ "Hands on the Nokia N81 (Verdict: Really Loud Music Phone)". Gizmodo. 29 August 2007.
- ^ Miller, Matthew. "First impressions of the Nokia N81 8GB; music now ROCKS on a smartphone!". ZDNet.
- ^ "Review: Nokia N81 8 GB, too much money for too little hardware". IntoMobile. 22 October 2007.
- ^ "Nokia N81 8GB review". Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "First look of the Nokia N81: Music and Gaming first". GadgetNutz. 26 October 2007.
- ^ "Nokia N81 8GB: The "Sexy" Navi Wheel?". The PhoneBoy Blog.
- ^ "Nokia N81 preview: Hands on N-Gage". GSMArena.com.
- ^ a b "Nokia N81 8GB smartphone • The Register". theregister.com.
- ^ "Nokia N81 8GB review: N-series N-gaged". GSMArena.com.
- ^ "Hands-on with the Nokia N81 8GB". 15 November 2007.
- ^ "Nokia N81, N81 8GB and N95 8GB all now official". All About Symbian. 29 August 2007.
- ^ "Review", CNet, http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/nokia-n81-8gb-unlocked/4505-6454_7-32581816.html
- ^ "Nokia N81", S21, http://www.s21.com/nokia-n81.htm Archived 8 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Malik, Om (9 November 2007). "Review: The Sweet Agony That Is Nokia N81". gigaom.com.