Mobile Phone UK Review: Nokia N81

Review: Nokia N81

Release Date:  Available
Mobile Fone Reviews rating =
    Average customer rating =


 Add a review for the Nokia N81

Show me Nokia N81 Deals (18)

The Nokia N81 is referred to as the little brother of the Nokia N95 and is a very powerful multimedia device. This phone comes in a choice of colours, Cobalt Blue or Graphite Grey. The design of the Nokia N81 is awesome, its slightly heavier and chunky than its big brother, the N95, but slightly slimmer. Pick up the N81 and the first thing you will think is 'WOW, there's a lot of keys and buttons! This is due to the dedicated gaming keys, as well as the play/pause, rewind, forward & stop for playing you music and videos. The menus and settings are extremely complex but offer good control of all the functions the phone has too offer. If you like SmartPhones then you will love the N81.

The N81 has a high quality screen with 16.7 million colours and 320 x 240 pixel resolution which is the same as the N95, however it is 15% smaller. The N81 camera is way behind its big brother, the N95 with only 2 megapixels and no autofocus. If the camera is an important function to you, you'd be well advised to go for the N95. There is no SatNav either; however there is an optional extra for the Nokia Wireless GPS module. Nokia Maps application is included. Let's look at some of the positive features on the N81. Its huge 8 Gbytes if internal memory is its first selling point, this would hold up to 2000 tracks. The music player really is on top of its game and will challenge the iPhone for top spot. It supports all the standards, MP3, WMA and AAC. The N81 can sync. music with Windows media player and the playlist tools are fantastic. The 5 band equaliser, 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth stereo headsets support make the music player a joy to use. The FM Radio is pretty good too, with support from the visual radio which lets you know what song is currently playing. If you a love your music then this phone could be for you!

The N81 also focus's on gaming, which can be played in either portrait or landscape mode, and makes full use of the huge 16.7 million colours. The N81's hidden gem is that it offers support for the Nokia's NGage series of games. There is a wide range of fantastic games to choose from with high quality 3D graphics. If you're a serious gamer then you should consider this phone.

As with all smartphones they can be slow or freeze if you push it too hard. The 8 Gbytes of memory definitely helps to reduce this though. If you have not used a SmartPhone before you will have to be prepared to invest some time to really get the best out of the N81. If you don't like high tech then you'll be well advised to steer clear. This phone is an great alternative to the N95

Specification: Nokia N81

• Operating system: Series 60 version 3.1, Symbian 9.2
• 2 megapixel camera with 20x digital zoom and flash
• VGA video capture at 15 frames/second
• Front-facing camera for video calls
• RealPlayer Media Player
• Display: 16.7 million colours, 240 x 320 pixels (2.4 inches)
• Nseries music player supports MP3 (VBR), AAC, eAAC+, AAC+, WAV, WMA/M4A
• Stereo FM radio with Visual Radio support
• Nokia Stereo Music Headset supplied
• Gaming: supports N-Gage games (Space Impact Light, Asphalt game demo, Fifa soccer 2007 demo games included)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail with support for images, videos, music and documents
• Talking ringtone
• Speaker independent name dialing
• Voice commands and voice recorder
• Speed dialing
• Integrated hands-free speaker
• Automatic answer with compatible headset / car kit
• Automatic redial
• Internet calls (VoIP)
• Nokia push to talk (PoC)
• Java MIDP 2.0
• Advanced contacts database with support for multiple phone and e-mail details per entry, also supports thumbnail pictures and groups
• Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map
• Memory: 8 Gbytes (supports microSD memory cards)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 WLAN (802.11 b/g)
• 3G (WCDMA 2100) + Quadband GSM E850/900/1800/1900MHz
• Talktime: 3 hours (3G) - 4 hours (2G)
• Battery standby: up to 400 hours
• Music playback time: up to 11.5 hours
• Size: 102 x 50 x 18 mm
• Weight: 140g

Show me Nokia N81 Deals (18)

Consumer Reviews: Nokia N81

It's quite a phone i must say,i reckon the N81 is better in the other colour though "BLUE" it is absolutely irisistably gorgeous.With all these been said,it is indeed a GOOD PHONE,the functions are quite fascinating.I use an IPHONE myself, it does as its own advantages and disadvantage as well like every other phone. I really do think Nokia phones are the best(mostly in terms of its solidity)i would definately discad my IPHONE for a Nokia phone without blinking.

love having a phone with a good camera or why not a camera with a phone, the sony ericsson k850 is almost there but clumsy, the nokia 95 is a fine phone but expensive in nigeria. sim and phone contacts shoulde not appear on the screen the same time, rather introduce a diffrerent entry for each application. what is a 2 mega pixel phone doing on the 81, have you guys stopped thinking, please find a way of allowing me to download upgrades for too liitle camera.