Nokia Lumia 800: Conclusion

Conclusion

After testing the Lumia 800 for several days, it is perfectly clear that Microsoft and Nokia have made a terrific deal by burying the hatchet a year ago – this is convincingly the best Windows Phone device, apart from the bigger, but otherwise almost identical Lumia 900.

Just about all the Lumia 800’s shortcomings boil down to the platform being flawed (no Flash or Silverlight, no microSD slot), some of which are expected to be remedied with the upcoming arrival of Windows Phone 8. There's not anything to be done about the lack of a front-facing camera, though.

A rather overly-defined concept of this platform has resulted in the previous devices featuring Microsoft's mobile OS looking so much alike that it was difficult to differentiate them, thus making them uninteresting. The Lumia 800 is different, especially regarding its design and performance, and it offers a far more pleasant and promising experience while working with Windows Phone than any other competitor does.

Furthermore, the Lumia 800 feels fantastic when held in hand, offers optimal ratio of resolution and display size, as well as exceptional contrast. The device is fast and economic when it comes to battery use. Everything seems well thought on the Lumia 800 and this is surely a smartphone that will do a great job for Nokia’s (as well as Microsoft’s) return to the big league of mobile gadgets.

Pros

• Superior build and design
• Screen contrast
• Above average camera performance

Cons

• No Flash or Silverlight support
• Unchangeable battery
• No secondary camera