The Nokia 808 PureView is the most exciting smartphone on the market that you shouldn’t buy.
The phone generated a ton of buzz at February’s Mobile World Congress, not because it sports a stunning display or has the latest software features — in fact, the 808 PureView runs on Symbian, an outdated operating system Nokia has openly dismissed in favor of Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS.
The 808 PureView is captivating because of one feature, and one feature alone: the on-board 41-megapixel camera.
Most highest-end smartphones, including Apple’s iPhone 4S, Samsung’s Galaxy S III, and HTC’s One X, have 8-megapixel cameras. Compared to those cameras, a 41-megapixel camera sensor seems totally over-the-top and unnecessary. But what Nokia has developed with its homegrown PureView imaging technology is, by far, the best camera I’ve seen on a smartphone.
That doesn’t mean it’s a good phone. It’s actually a pretty terrible phone with an outstanding camera. You should only consider buying the 808 PureView if you really love mobile phone photography. Even then, you’re probably better off waiting until Nokia’s PureView technology comes paired with a better OS, like Windows Phone (and Nokia confirmed to Neowin Sunday that PureView will arrive in its Windows-powered Lumia phones “very soon”). Also consider that, in the U.S., the phone is currently only available as an unlocked device for AT&T and T-Mobile networks at the high, unsubsidized price of $700.
The 808 PureView is no shining example of industrial design. With its giant camera protruding awkwardly from the back of the shell, it’s chunky and top-heavy. It’s a full 13.9 millimeters thick. Holding the 5.96-ounce 808 PureView brings back memories of the old Nokia bricks of the early 2000s.
Speaking of ancient history, Nokia has a long record of building truly awesome camera packages into its smartphones — big sensors, Carl Zeiss optics and full-featured imaging software — the most recent examples being last year’s N9, and the N8 before that.
As much as I initially balked at the PureView 808′s heft and strangely shaped back, I quickly grew accustomed to holding it. The curved edges and matte polycarbonate back make the phone easy to grip, an important quality for a phone dedicated to shooting photos.
Along the right side of the phone, there’s a volume rocker, a spring-loaded lock/unlock switch, and a dedicated camera button. On the top, you get a headphone jack, a micro USB port, and a micro HDMI port.
The phone’s 4-inch display features edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass, with the exception of dedicated buttons for the menu, making a call, and ending a call. It’s only a 640×360 pixel screen, so if you’re used to an iPhone’s Retina display, you’ll be sorely disappointed. It’s an unfortunate drawback considering the device is centered around digital imaging.
It may not be the best device for viewing photos, but it completely outperforms other smartphones in actual photo-taking.
More megapixels doesn’t always mean you’re going to have better photos, but in this case, it absolutely does. The 808 PureView combines a high-end Carl Zeiss lens and advanced software to produce images that look significantly better than other smartphone cameras (yes, even the iPhone) and is comparable to point-and-shoots.
One thing to note: You don’t actually shoot 41-megapixel photos. In fact, the highest resolution photo you can take is a 38-megapixel photo at 4:3 aspect ratio in full-resolution sensor mode. The way the PureView technology works is that it uses pixel oversampling, essentially packing up to seven pixels worth of data into one pixel area. The results? Sharp, clear images with little to no noise. And the 41-megapixel sensor also makes it possible to zoom into photos 3x without losing any of the clarity.
Most of the time, I was shooting in PureView mode at 8 megapixels and getting just-as-impressive photos as I saw with full resolution. The only advantage to shooting in full resolution mode is that you can zoom in more without losing details in the image. The Camera app, which you use to take all of your photos, is designed specifically for the PureView camera. And it’s the best app on the Symbian platform, showing a lot more maturity than apps like Mail and Maps. It’s clear that the PureView team spent a lot of time making the camera software user-friendly.