The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is easily one of the most anticipated Nokia smartphones to come along in a long while, and rightfully so. It’s the company’s first touchscreen S60-powered device, and the first phone to use S60 5th Edition. With all of the other touchscreen competitors on the market, from the iPhone to the LG Dare to the Samsung Eternity and everything inbetween, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic certainly has its work cut out for it. We’ve covered the build quality, music experience, photography, videography, and the overall software for you. So what’s the conclusion?
As Nokia’s first entrance into this uncharted (for them) touch-navigation smartphone arena, I’d say they’ve done exceptionally well. The 5800 XpressMusic is built solid, has stable firmware out the door, and is priced competitively, at US$350 unlocked/unbranded. The music capabilities, however, could use some improvement, and the camera is only average for a Nokia, though it does best most of the competition.
Can I use the 5800 XpressMusic as my primary phone? No. For one, I know already that I’m not a fan of touch-only cell phones, after having reviewed the iPhone, LG Dare, and Samsung Eternity. I simply need hardware keys for text input. For two, the current lack of 3rd party applications such as a decent email client, Jaiku for social networking, and others puts a damper on the actual usability.
Is the 5800 XpressMusic worth buying? If you’re not dead-stubborn on hardware keys like I am, absolutely. The touchscreen is very responsive and the S60 interface has been cleaned up slightly, making for a better user interface. The lack of 3rd party applications will be gone soon, specifically with the Nokia N97 coming soon.
How could Nokia do better with the 5800 XpressMusic? For starters, this phone would do really well in the U.S. market if it was marketed. Why Nokia isn’t selling this at Best Buy with a T-Mobile contract, right next to the E71, is a mystery to me. At $350 retail, this baby would be ~$150 subsidized, which is a fantastic price – cheaper than the T-Mobile G1 and other comparable smartphones. For second, there’s a laundry list of software enhancements that could be made via a firmware update. Jump on that, and quickly.
We’ll continue to have coverage of the 5800 XpressMusic, as both I and PseudoFinn each have one. However, this will conclude our actual review. Please feel free to continue the conversation in the Symbian-Guru Forum.
