Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

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Review

Nokia has shunned touch-screens so far for its smartphone output, but it’s clearly a technology whose time has (finally) come for the finicky Finns. So, the 5800 XpressMusic is its first handset to not only have a touch-sensitive display, but it does away away with a keypad altogether.

Nokia faces some stiff competition in the touchscreen smartphone market, which is perhaps why its this finger-friendly effort is being positioned as a multimedia mobile rather than any kind of heavy-hitting Android or iPhone-killer. It’s still a Symbian S60 device though, which means it can do much more than just play music. And it does so at a bargain price – the 5800 XpressMusic is available, unlocked, for £249.

The 5800 XpressMusic is quite a design departure from Nokia’s other handsets and while it’s not the most eye-catching consumer handset we’ve ever seen, we can’t see many people taking exception to subdued styling. The case is a combination of matter and shiny plastic, but it feels very robust and we'd be far less fearful of this handset slipping from our grasp and hitting the floor than we would say, an iPhone or T-Mobile G1.

Part of that robustness is perhaps due to the use of a plastic screen – it's resistive rather than capacitive, and Nokia will no doubt cite support for handwriting recognition as one reason for its use of this cheaper touch-sensitive technology. The screen measures 3.2in from corner to corner and while its a little disappointing to see a thick plastic lip around all four sides (unlike the sheer screen of the HTC S740 or Touch HD), its rounded profile at least means that it doesn't feel uncomfortable against an errant fingertip.

The screen's 640 x 360 resolution is commendably high, but the 5800 XpressMusic's image isn't as crisp as we'd like, and both text and images look a little soft. The screen isn't particularly bright or vibrant either, but it's legible enough, and the viewing angle is wider than most – handy for a handset that can display full-screen video (more on this later).

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