Nokia N81
26 OCT 2007
Launch price
tbc
Stuff says
The N81 8GB shows how the mobile music and gaming gig should be done, but won't give the PSP and iPod sleepless nights
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Apple’s iPhone recently planted its size nines on all the major mobile companies’ toes – and now it’s payback time. Nokia has decided to not only open a multimedia download service called Ovi but also resuscitate its N-Gage gaming platform. Two mobile hitmen have been nominated to usher in this new era – the smart N95 and, now, the slick, powerful N81.
While the N81 lacks its big bro’s multimedia and sat-nav might, this Symbian smartie still has a lot to offer, especially in the mobile music and gaming stakes. The theory is simple: Nokia has taken the core of the N91 8GB, transported it to a slicker looking, less clunky chassis and given it a feature polish.
Wheel of misfortune
The slider design is straight out of the 6110 Navigator school of gloss, although it looks less prosaic and far more striking. It also roughly shares its sat-nav stable mate’s vital stats but is incredibly hefty at 140g. It also bizarrely weighs more than the N95 8GB despite packing less power and features.
The N81’s over stuffed front keypad cause a few vexing moments. Firstly, the call keys are shunted to the edge but too close to the soft, menu and cancel keys and unwanted encroachment is common.