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5.6 out of 10

Nokia N81

First seen: 7 august 2007

Information found in: from 133 sources in 26 countries.

Best Price: 14.99 USD

  • User Score (172)
    8.3 8.3 from 172 reviewers
  • Expert Score (43)
    7.4 7.4 from 43 reviewers
  • Design (36)
    5.8 5.8 from 36 reviewers
  • Value for money (18)
    5.1 5.1 from 18 reviewers
  • Features (12)
    5.5 5.5 from 12 reviewers
  • Ease of use (28)
    5.6 5.6 from 28 reviewers
  • Performance (4)
    4.9 4.9 from 4 reviewers
  • Sound quality (27)
    6.2 6.2 from 27 reviewers
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Pros & Cons

  • 8gb on board memory, ovi service, awesome storage capacity, great gaming abilities, slick sounding music player
  • confusing button interface, looks like another nokia, touch wheel is poor, a little bulky now, cluttered buttons

Entertainment . The next episode. Easy to get into and hard to put down, make space to play the best music and games with hot, swappable memory.

One attractive thing about the Nokia N81 is that it is cheaper than the N95. That can be the fact as the Nokia N81 does not have that many features as the N95 has. Many would agree though that this one makes a nice music phone. This one as they say is mainly 8GB music and gaming geared unit. A certain reviewer noted that the N81 is glossy but cheap-looking. The N81 is said to be one of the first mobiles to support Nokia’s Music Store over-the-air download service. It is also one the first geared up to h…

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One attractive thing about the Nokia N81 is that it is cheaper than the N95. That can be the fact as the Nokia N81 does not have that many features as the N95 has. Many would agree though that this one makes a nice music phone. This one as they say is mainly 8GB music and gaming geared unit. A certain reviewer noted that the N81 is glossy but cheap-looking. The N81 is said to be one of the first mobiles to support Nokia’s Music Store over-the-air download service. It is also one the first geared up to handle Nokia’s revamped N-Gage mobile gaming platform, with a mix of dedicated keys and front-panel buttons that double up as console-style controls, according to reghardware.co.uk. Its operating system is that of Symbian 9.2 with Nokia’s own S60 3.1 user interface. The outlook of the phone is somehow of a slick design but some would agree that the plastic casing gives the N81 a cheap feel. Others would also agree that the controls are cluttered and definitely not as ergonomic as they could be the music player performance is excellent. Added in this phone is the 802.11b/g Wi-Fido that users have the option of selecting this cost-effective and convenient route for downloading and surfing. Many more features are included in this one. But what’s important is that they have all been well appreciated and loved by its users.

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  • Reviews of Nokia N81

  1. Nokia N81 mobile phone

    Reviewer: Pocket Lint
    16 November 2007
    Overall 8
    8.0
     

    The N81 will still be seen as the Nokia N95's cheaper brother and with that in mind will always be fighting to prove its worth, especially when you see both in the store for free come its launch at Christmas - if you sign a big enough contract. As a music phone against the equivalent offering from Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Apple, the Nokia beats the Samsung offerings but neither the Sony Ericsson W910 or the Apple iPhone. Sony Ericsson's implementation of software for... Read more

  2. N81

    Reviewer: Stuff.tv
    26 October 2007
    Overall 8
    8.0
     

    The N81 8GB shows how the mobile music and gaming gig should be done, but won't give the PSP and iPod sleepless nights Read more

  3. Nokia N81 8GB

    Reviewer: Mobile Choice UK
    16 November 2007
    Overall 6
    6.0
    Features 6
    6.0
    Ease of use 8
    8.0
    Performance 8
    8.0
     

    The N81 8GB is a great all-rounder but suffers in comparison with the new Nokia N95 8GB. Read more

  4. Nokia N81 8GB

    Reviewer: Mobile computer
    8 May 2008
    Overall 7
    6.7
     

    A very powerful and good value smartphone with plenty of storage, but build quality lets it down. Read more

  5. Nokia N81

    Reviewer: Best Mobile Contracts
    2 weeks ago

    Some of the cons of this model include a rather crammed front button, stiff menus and keys.  It also has a non-ergonomic navigation wheel.  The front and back are glossy plastic which feels cheap and slippery in your hands, especially if it is wet or cold.  It comes in only two colors: blue and grey.  And even if it belongs to a range of high-end phones, its camera appears to be too average. Read more

  1. "Good apple of the N-Series lot"

    Reviewer: CNET
    2 June 2008
    Overall 10
    10
     

    I'm puzzled by the earlier reviews. This phone is far from sluggish, it's in fact quite zippy compared to N95 (both variants). The display is bright, sharp and great for playing games or view photos. The music player isn't sophisticated in interface but the sound quality is surprisingly amazing. The speakers are far better than portable media players, a handy plus when in the loudspeaker mode. The battery lasts a long time, its more than 7 months since I got mine and I... Read more

  2. Reviewer: John - South west, DialToSave
    9 October 2009
    Overall 9
    9.0
     

    Just when i thought Nokia was loosing the edge and becoming boring.... Well, purchased this phone sim free only 15 days ago, and it is simply stunning. I really cannot find any annoying faults with this device, everything is in the right place and works exactly as it should. Extremely robust design, ergonomic and a breeze to use. Outstanding sound and picture quality. Not a single problem experienced so far! If you are searching for an outstanding multimedia device and... Read more

  3. N81

    Reviewer: freeiphonecouk, Stuff.tv
    20 July 2008

    GET A COMPLETELY Apple iPhone 3G http://www.gimme-it-free.co.uk It is a completely legit offer and you don't have to part with a single penny. Don't believe me? Check out the site and watch the BBC Newsnight report and look at other proof to see how and why it works. http://www.gimme-it-free.co.uk Read more

  4. Nokia N81 8GB: Great all rounder

    Reviewer: Dooyoo
    21 September 2009
    Overall 9
    9.3
     

    This is my favourite phone I have ever owned - in fact I liked it so much that when my contract ended I decided to keep it instead of getting a new phone! I've had it for 2 years now (with one replacement along the way - my fault, I dropped it and the top button cracked) and have no intention of upgrading anytime soon! Looks: OK, so it's not the prettiest phone . It's kind of "bricky" looking, quite bulky - a million miles from some of the sleek phones that are out now.... Read more

  5. Decent as a WiFi phone

    Reviewer: Amazon
    10 February 2010
    Overall 10
    10
     

    Used this phone only as a Wifi phone, mostly via Gizmo5. Worked decent enough, battery life was great, phone is of very high quality construction. For what I did with it, it was great. However, we didn't use it enough so I ended up selling it. If I needed a GSM phone, I would seriously consider this one. Read more

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