Nokia N81

The Nokia N81 is a Symbian OS smartphone announced by Nokia on 29 August 2007 and released the next month. It runs S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1.

Nokia N81
ManufacturerNokia
Compatible networksUMTS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Availability by region2007
PredecessorNokia 6111
Nokia N80
Nokia N91
SuccessorNokia N85
RelatedNokia N95 8GB
Nokia N78
Nokia N82
Nokia 6110 Navigator
Form factorSlider
Dimensions102 x 50 x 17.9 mm, 86 cc
Mass140 g
Operating systemSymbian OS 9.2
BatteryLi-Po 1050 mAh (BP-6MT)
Data inputsKeypad
Display240 x 320 pixels, 2.4", 16M Colors
Rear camera2 MP / 1600 x 1200 px
Front cameraCIF Video Call Camera

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

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.[19][20]

References
  1. https://www.stuff.tv/nokia/n81/review
  2. https://bgr.com/2008/02/11/nokia-announces-n96-fun-while-it-lasts/
  3. http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/19764/nokia-n85/
  4. https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5730_xpressmusic-review-385.php
  5. https://www.cnet.com/news/ovi-service-becomes-gateway-to-nokia-music-store/
  6. https://gizmodo.com/294492/hands-on-the-nokia-n81-verdict-really-loud-music-phone
  7. https://www.zdnet.com/article/first-impressions-of-the-nokia-n81-8gb-music-now-rocks-on-a-smartphone/
  8. http://www.intomobile.com/2007/10/22/review-nokia-n81-8-gb-too-much-money-for-too-little-hardware/
  9. http://www.mobile88.com/cellphone/Nokia/Nokia-N81-8GB/review.asp
  10. http://www.gadgetnutz.com/2007/10/25/first-look-of-the-nokia-n81-music-and-gaming-first/
  11. https://phoneboy.com/1915/nokia-n81-8gb-the-sexy-navi-wheel
  12. https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n81_8gb-review-176p3.php
  13. https://www.theregister.co.uk/Print/2007/12/04/review_nokia_n81_smartphone/
  14. https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n81_8gb-review-180p3.php
  15. https://www.engadget.com/2007/11/15/hands-on-with-the-nokia-n81-8gb/
  16. http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/5827_Nokia_N81_N81_8GB_and_N95_8GB_.php
  17. "Review", CNet, http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/nokia-n81-8gb-unlocked/4505-6454_7-32581816.html
  18. "Nokia N81", S21, http://www.s21.com/nokia-n81.htm Archived 8 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  19. https://www.theregister.co.uk/Print/2007/12/04/review_nokia_n81_smartphone/
  20. https://gigaom.com/2007/11/09/nokia-n81/
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