Just to clarify to the layperson, the innov8 is a PHONE. No idea why ciao listed it as a PDA.
I had a Nokia N95 8GB, and I had every intention of upgrading to the N96. However, upon looking at the spec list, I noticed something odd...
The N96 has a 5MP camera. So does mine. The N96 has satnav. So does mine. The N96 runs on Symbian S60. So does mine.
I think you see my point. So anyway, whilst reading an article about hot new phones I am alerted to the Samsung i8510, which has an 8 megapixel camera. Yep, you read that right. It has a camera that not only leads the camera phone range, but will also trump most digital cameras. I will admit that camera quality is the first thing I look for in a phone since I am a keen photographer and I like to get high quality shots whenever I like, and that's not entirely practical unless I lug my big posh camera with me. So anyway, I decided to stray from Nokia for the first time in 5 years, picked up an i8510 (or innov8, which is a bloody ridiculous name) on o2, on a deal that gets me 600 free minutes and unlimited texts for £35 a month. So, how does
it stack up?
LOOKS
What I really like about this phone is the fact it's subtle. Some high end phones are a little ostentatious, much like their owners. But this is a very neat, black slide phone. It has 5 buttons on the main face - power on, call, the 6 way navigation key and a couple of silver shortcut keys. It's significantly slimmer than the N96 whilst having the same size screen, and the keypad is made of brushed metal which feels very solid to the touch. The only clue offered that this is a special phone is the little red mark on the back that says "8 megapixel". On the back the battery release is nice and easy, and the lens rim appears to be made of carbon fibre or some other high quality metal. The whole thing feels fantastically well put together, and it looks really elegant.
EASE OF USE
Well, the phone operates on Symbian S60, so if you are thinking of jumping from the good ship Nokia N series, you will feel right at home. The system works exactly the same - even the texting system is identical. And the best thing about Symbian is that there are tons of free games, themes and applications you can download from the net and put on it. The camera has a 3 way slide on the side of the phone - click it to the left and you use the camera. Click it to the middle, you have a video camera. Click it to the right and you have your media viewer. Also, because it just has a one way slide unlike the N95/6's 2 way slide, it all feels much sturdier. Also, when you browse the internet you can use the central navigation key like a mouse touch pad you get on a laptop. Just run your finger over the pad and you can use the pointer like you would with a regular mouse. That is an excellent touch.
FEATURES
Well the phone comes in either 8GB or 16GB forms, which can be expanded via micro SD card by up to another 8GB. I bought the 8GB model with an 8GB micro SD card, since 16GB is more than enough for me and I like to have most of my stuff stored on a removable card in case the phone breaks. The phone is quad band so you can use it anywhere. As mentioned, you get Symbian S60 which if you haven't used before, I assure you is the easiest phone operating system out there. Extra features on this one include an inbuilt dictionary, built in accelerometer (meaning you can do such things as shake the phone to open texts and have the screen automatically rotate with the phone), wi-fi, a barcode reader that actually works, surround sound thanks to two high quality speakers on the back, access to google earth and GPS/satnav (at an extra cost)...yes, there's a lot here. I've had the phone 2 weeks and I'm still finding new things it can do to this day.
THE CAMERA
Well, this is the party piece of the i850. Like a proper digital camera you have a scene mode, so you can change lighting effects. It has face recognition and something called "smile mode", which apparently makes the camera target smiles. You can take panorama shots and it has 8x zoom which unlike most cameraphones, actually still works well when you're zoomed in. My one slight irking with this is that it's not a slide zoom, so you can't be as precise in your zoom level. The phone also only has an LED flash rather than Xenon, which is a bit like making a perfect souffle and then dumping squirty cream on it. However, every single digital camera ever made is absolutely usless at taking low light photos anyway so it's irrelevant what flash it has, in my humble opinion.
The video mode is capable of filming up to 120fps which means you can film in slow motion (and this is VERY useful if you have a well blessed girlfriend who likes to run a lot. Ahem). Regular filming will go at 30fps which is basically DVD quality.
However, this is where 2 of the i8510's 3 faults crop up. Firstly, the sound quality is awful compared to the N95/6. Now I don't know if this is due to some setting I've not found or whether it just sounds tinny on the phone, but this leads me onto the second fault. The videos don't seem to want to play on my computer, unless I change the file type to .3gp manually. I think this is a problem with a few media devices, coupled with the newest edition of Quicktime being a bit of a pig. But nonetheless it's a pain. Also, despite the fact the phone is supposed to have the DivX video player on it, I could find no trace of it on there and had to install it myself in order to play .avi files. So, the camera (in daylight) is as good as Samsung claim. Elsewhere, there's a few glitches.
DURABILITY
Well as I said, the phone feels well made. It's easy to use, there are loads of updates, and it'll be many years before you find a phone with as good a camera as this one. However, under the heading of durability comes my big complaint. The battery.
The battery life is just ridiculous. Charge it overnight, take it out at 7am and by 5pm, whether you've used it or not, the battery will be nearly dead. Oddly, it has improved slightly as I've charged it more, but it's still bad. I've had to buy a second battery (a 3rd party one, since nobody seems to have the official one yet), just in case I'm out longer than 10 hours. I'm hoping this may just be an early teething problem and Samsung will release a halfway decent battery.
PRICE
The phone is only available on an o2 contract (and for free on the high end contracts). To buy sim free and brand new you're looking at parting with between £350 to £400.
OVERALL
Despite my grievances with the battery and filming, I am glad I got this phone and I still believe it beats the N95 and also the N96. It has more features, feels better made, doesn't freeze up as much as the N series phones, is smaller and of course, that camera just steals the show. If you currently have an N95, I encourage you to jump ship to Samsung. It has it's little faults but you'll be too blown away by it's superiority to be too bothered by them.
**EDIT** I just fiund out the battery was draining due to the auto pivot being turned on (the thing that rotates the screen if you rotate the phone). Turn that off when you get it, and the battery life is excellent.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
You are right! The only thing the N96 has going for it is the Live TV thing which was it's main marketing ploy, and it doesn't even work properly! This phone is far superior! Excellent review!
sandemp 13.10.2008 13:49
I feel a little mean here, but what's it like as an actual phone, you know, texting and making calls
Advantages: A mobile phone with epic features, reliable phone, metal plate battery cover Disadvantages: Touch sensitive nub, slightly confusing menu for newbies
0wnz0rz 30.04.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Samsung i8510 innov8
Advantages: Camera, battery life, build quality, style, aesthetic, ease of use ... the list can go on! Disadvantages: sometimes it doens't respond as quickly as you'd like (very rarely, though it can happen).
Advantages: A mobile phone with epic features, reliable phone, metal plate battery cover Disadvantages: Touch sensitive nub, slightly confusing menu for newbies
0wnz0rz 30.04.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Samsung i8510 innov8
Advantages: Camera, battery life, build quality, style, aesthetic, ease of use ... the list can go on! Disadvantages: sometimes it doens't respond as quickly as you'd like (very rarely, though it can happen).
exceptional by (21%):
very helpful by (74%):
helpful by (5%):
