Great looking phone but what a price! (Nokia 8890)

Member Name: allanjk

Product:	Nokia 8890
Date:	05/05/02 (370 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Drop dead gorgeous (well for a phone), good reception

Disadvantages: Price, problamatic screen

Before I start this review I suppose I should say I got this phone for £50 from a friend on a pay as you contract, as he wanted to get rid of it. I’ll do the review for the true value of the phone at its current selling price around £400 pay as you go or £200 on contract.
Lets start with the good points, this phone looks damn good. It is without doubt the best looking small phone on the market. The matt aluminium facia just oozes class and in really feels like a quality piece of engineering. It also feels weighty and substantial when held. The phone is small and light enough to ride comfortably in a shirt pocket, yet it is just the right weight and size that you’d notice if it fell out of your pockets.
The reception on this phone is good although this will also depend on what network you choose.
Ok, the main down side has to be the price. When it was released this phone could justify its price but it now lacks way behind the rest of the market in terms of the features it offers. Also it has the same problem, as the 8210 and the 8850 in that the screens seem to have a very short lifespan. My phone is no longer under warranty and I think I will have to do a DIY repair on it as the screen constantly goes blank. This is incredibly frustrating while typing text messages.
Overall if I was looking at buying a new phone in the current market I would not buy this phone, go for the Eriksson T68 or wait for the new Nokia 8910. Only buy this phone if the price drops somewhat and take out insurance for the problematic screen.
Here’s the technical specs (from the Nokia website):

· Weight: 91 g (with Lithium Battery)
· Dimensions: 100 x 44 x 18 mm, 70 cc
· Talktime: 2 h - 3 h 20 min
· Standby time: 50 - 150 h
· Key features: world phone, automatic network selection, real time clock, slim & light, voice dialling, picture messaging, predictive text input, matte aluminium covers
· Operating frequency: GSM 90
0/GSM 1900 (Supports EGSM 900 band) for worldwide coverage

Summary: