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Nokia N82 Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design

Alfredo Padilla Published on February 05, 2008 Comment on this

Intro Making/Receiving Calls Software Other Features

Tour & Design Messaging Battery Life Value & Comparisons

Audio Quality Organizer Connectivity Conclusion

Imaging Multimedia Hardware Ratings & Specs

Front Closed
From the front the Nokia N82 is dominated by its 2.4 inch QVGA display. Above this is the slit for the phone speaker with a VGA camera for video calls and an ambient light sensor set to the left of the speaker. Below the display are the controls, with a square D-Pad and fairly flat buttons surrounding it. The keypad is made up of very small rectangular buttons that rise above the surrounding plastic.

Left
On the left you will find a Micro USB port for data transfers towards the top, a MicroSD slot with attached plastic cover around the middle and Nokia's standard slim line charging port near the bottom.

Top
On the top of the phone you'll see the lanyard eyelet on the right, a 3.5mm headphone jack next to it, which can also be used for video out, and the typical Nokia power button near the center.

Bottom
The bottom of the Nokia N82 houses a small pinhole for the microphone and hot much else.

Right
On the Nokia N82's right side you will find stereo speakers located near the top and the bottom. Between these are volume rocker keys that double as zoom controls in the camera, a dedicated shutter button and another button to launch the gallery.

Back
The back of the Nokia N82 houses the battery cover, with a small button to release it near the bottom. Above the battery cover is the housing for the 5 megapixel camera, with a sliding switch that opens the shutter. Above the lens is the Xeon flash.

Battery Out
When you remove the battery cover you reveal the Nokia BP-6MT battery with a capacity of 1050 mAh. Removing the battery will reveal the SIM card slot. We are thankful that the N82 does not use the same slide out tray design for the SIM card slot that the Nokia N81 used.

In the Box (7.5)
The Nokia N82 ships with a good selection of accessories, as is typical of Nokia's high end N-Series devices. You get the typical software, charger and USB cable, but the N82 also ships with a video cable, stereo headset and 2GB MicroSD card. This means it's pretty much ready to go right out of the box. We especially appreciate the memory card, 2GB isn't the biggest out there any more, but it's more than large enough to get you started with a reasonable amount of multimedia content.

Handling (4.5)
The N82 is a little on the bulky size, unsurprising given how much Nokia has packed into it, but it's not a heavy device due to the plastic construction. The back of the device is nicely rounded so it sits well in your hand, but we would have liked to see a soft touch finish like the T-Mobile Dash has, for a better grip. As it is we feel like it could easily slip out of your hand. You won't get tired holding it up to your head for long periods though. The controls on the N82 are also a little fiddly, we found the keypad buttons to be too small and hard, and the controls could be better differentiated. Overall not great, but not terrible either. It felt slightly better than the Nokia N81, which was even more bulky and also had issues with the controls.

Portability (5.5)
As we mentioned above the Nokia N82 is a little on the bulky side at 4.41 x 1.98 x 0.68 inches, but its weight is less of an issue at 4.02 ounces. This is due to the plastic construction of the device. In practice we found the N82 to be a little too tall and wide, but the thickness isn't too bad. It will fit into most pants pockets, but you'll notice it's there even if it doesn't weigh you down too much. Those who like to wear tight pants probably won't find it very comfortable at all. It should fit easily into most bags or jacket pockets.

Aesthetics (5.0)
The Nokia N82 is not a fashion phone, but it's not unattractive. Some may find the silver finish on the front and the interesting pattern on the back to be pleasing, but it won't stand out of the crowd. Those we showed the phone to were unimpressed.

Durability (4.0)
Although the Nokia N82 lacks any moving parts that would normally cause us concern we did find the phone to be very plasticky and fear it will be scratched up something awful. We do appreciate the cover on the camera lens as this is probably the most valuable bit on the handset. In the end, though, the N82 just doesn't feel like it will stand up to long term wear very well, despite it's lack of major moving parts.

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