14 DAY TRIAL // Just when we thought that Nokia 8800 Sirocco would be for a long time the ultimate masterpiece of the Finnish giant manufacturer, a new star (or should I say Moon) has risen - Nokia 8600 Luna. The same sophisticated design, classy and mysterious at the same time that Nokia imprinted in all the 8xxx series has been updated to a new standard. Still, a simple question remains: how in the world Nokia could've been so successful with its entire luxurious lineup? Just the simple thought of selling a marvelous looking mobile phone with mediocre specs at an "outrageous" price may seem preposterous for "mundane" thinkers. The right answer could be the human desire for beauty and originality at the same time. Who wouldn't want to own a beautiful and unique mobile phone just to show off? And if that device is extremely expensive, the better.
"Exclusivity" is the word of the century and Nokia took the term to a higher level of complexity. There are many expensive mobile phones on the market with or without good design, but all have high specs and benefit from the latest technologies. But there are not many that look good and have low-end specs and still are extremely expensive. We have to understand that Nokia 8600 Luna has a very specific target whose main purpose for buying this phone is simply to stand out from the crowd. It is not enough to sell an expensive mobile phone just to assure its buyers of the much-desired exclusivity. Instead Nokia focused on manufacturing a device that should spark as a jewel but "suck" in functionality. The brilliant idea eliminated from the start all the possible buyers willing to pay a load of money for a powerful but also good looking handset. The only buyers left are those that simply want a new type of device - the "all show and no go" handset.
Nokia 8600 Luna has been officially announced in May 2007 and benefited from a 6 weeks selling exclusivity from the mobile phone retailer and contractor Carphone Warehouse. Depending on the location and the plan you opt, the handset's price can go high up to 750 Euro and as low as even getting one for free (if you get an expensive plan).
Design
This could be the most comprehensive part of the review as the phone is a real "show off". The exterior of the handset includes "exotic" materials such as chrome, stainless steel and titanium and of course the innovating opaque smoke glass.
The back of the phone is made 100% from chromed stainless steel as you can see from the picture below and that's no doubt about it. Otherwise it wouldn't have 143 grams (5 grams more than Sirocco) and would've been easy to scratch or break (which is not!).
If you slide up the handset you'll notice the 2 Megapixel camera which by the way lacks any flash capabilities, but who cares about that? On both sides of the phone there are external speakers which enable the music played to sound stereo. Nokia has cut off the power button (finally), so users will be able to turn on/off the mobile phone by keeping pushed for a few seconds the End calls key. The volume key on the left side of the phone is really hard to notice, which is good anyway. For synchronization purposes Nokia included also a microUSB port found on the right side of the phone.
This is the first handset in the world to feature this type of USB port which is half the size of a standard miniUSB port. Nokia 6500 classic and slider were also "gifted" with microUSB ports for space and design reasons. Actually, Nokia 8600 Luna has identical measures as Sirocco (107 mm x 45 mm), except that it's slimmer measuring only 15.9 mm thickness (17.5 mm Sirocco). The front of the phone features the same scratch resistant glass mixture that made Sirocco so expensive. Furthermore, the keys of the slider are covered by an opaque smoke glass which is also scratch resistant. This really heightens the "heart beating" effect given by the keys that are lightning up at regular intervals just like a pulsating heart. This is simply wonderful, especially in dark environments. The only key-related drawback is the simple fact that it will be very hard to use the last bottom "*" and "#" buttons if you don't have a piano player fingers. Nokia's Luna gets a much better display than its direct predecessor Sirocco, which supports more than 16 millions colors and 240 x 320 pixels resolutions. In fact the screen is much the same as Nokia's 6300 model which has the same features.
The handset is delivered in a dark Premium boxset that includes dedicated accessories much found in Sirrocco's box except that it lacks a Bluetooth headset.
Display and Camera
Luna's display is simply astonishing just like Nokia's 6300, as I have stated above. Still, this seems to be an organic screen which has a reduced power consumption - one of the reasons why it has a higher battery life than Sirocco's. I have tested and compared both handsets' displays (Nokia 8600 and 6300) and results were pretty much the same as you can see from the screenshots. The display is covered by a scratch resistant glass which simply protects the display from scratches. DO NOT try your hammer on the display, this is not a HAMMER-PROOF screen and will surely break if you madly hit it. Anyway the display's settings includes Power Saving Mode, Sleeping Mode, Standby Mode and even screensavers to amaze your friends or simply for your pleasure. The brightness of the screen enables 100% visibility in the sunshine, but this might be a nocturnal phone after all if we think about its name:) All in all, Nokia put in one of the best low power consumer displays included in one of its handsets.
The 2 Megapixel camera embedded in the handset is not the best, but also not the worse. In fact we should appreciate the fact that the phone even has a camera module, because the target of the handset is not renowned for taking pleasure in capturing pictures. Needless to say that it lacks flash or self-portrait mirror (what for?!) and that is only usable in good lighted areas. Still you can take decent pictures when you really need to capture something, but don't do it too often because you only have 128 MB storage space.
There are 6 available shooting resolutions ranging from 320 x 240 pixels and up to 1600 x 1200 pixels. Furthermore, the functionality of the camera is dropped even more by the lack of a dedicated camera button. You can definitely have access to the camera without the need to "wildly" search it in the Media category of the Main menu, but only if you push the upper part of the 5-way navigational key while the display is NOT set to Active standby.
The usual menu and functions are available for the camera, there's even a Night mode which is useless but it's there. "Clip shooting" lovers will be a little hurt to see that the camera can only capture movies in two very small resolutions: 128 x 96 pixels and 176 x 144 pixels. I can't talk about quality at this level, although this is not even necessary for people that will buy the phone. You can zoom the camera for a closer picture by pushing the left/right parts of the 5-way controller, but that will also change the resolution making it lower in quality and storage size.
Menu and Software
Nokia 8600 Luna features an S40 platform and has the same menu as many other phones in its class such as Nokia 8800 series or Nokia 6300. The menu is fully customizable starting with the display and ending with the interface.
Luna includes tons of wallpapers, screensavers, tones and ringtones, themes and graphics which can turn your phone's inside into a real jewel. There are also three applications which probably won't be used at all by the owners of phone: Converter II, Presenter and World clock.
Most likely the 4 Java compatible games included (Golf Tour, High Roller, Soccer 3D and Sudoku) will be used more than the above listed applications.
As soon as you power on your phone you will notice an icon-based menu on the screen. In fact this has four shortcuts fully customizable which make the 5-way navigational key of the phone very useful for easy access to different aspects and features of the phone (camera, contacts, calendar). This is a minor innovation recently introduced by Nokia and which is very nice and easy to use.
There's nothing more to say about it, just that you can only install Java compatible third-party applications, anything will just not work on this phone.
Communication
Well, well now why do I need 3G on Nokia's Luna? This is one of the main reasons people don't want to buy the phone besides the fact that it lacks a microSD slot (or any other kind of slot card). The answer is very simple, this is a fashion phone and owners of such a phone will not be interested in surfing the Internet, checking their emails or simply making data transfers. Moreover, this lack of 3G narrows the target of the phone eliminating those buyers that are expecting 3G tech from a 1,000 Euro mobile phone. Anyway, what does Nokia 8600 really has to offer in terms of communication? Well, there are class 10 GPRS and EDGE connectivities, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR (supporting A2DP), HSCSD (57.6 kbit/s data transfer speeds) and microUSB for PC synchronization.
EDGE performances are mediocre as seen in the screenshots with data transfer speeds up to 116 kbps for download and 53 kbps for upload, but this is more than I really expected. Nokia tuned up the Bluetooth connectivity which was out of the charts. I managed to attain 132 KB/s (1,056 kbps) speeds which are better than most of the latest fashionistas phones. The microUSB port is very easy to use and the good part is that your battery will charge up while you synchronize it.
Nokia 8600 Luna is quad-band (GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900 / GSM850) network compatible and thus it is available worldwide. It couldn't be less than that as there are rich "spoiled" people that want to own this phone all over the world. Unfortunately the internal antenna of the handset seems to have problems with the signal reception. You won't have troubles in open space areas but you will definitely start mumbling out loud about it when you are in low signal areas (subway, tunnels). You will experience short interruptions when you are in the latter areas (other Nokia phones have strong signal reception even in these areas) and the sound won't be clear at all.
Processor and Memory
The CPU estimator I used showed that Nokia's Luna is powered by an ARM9 family processor running at 232 MHz speed. I bet that this is the same CPU Nokia embedded in Nokia 6300 as they both have the same graphical performances.
For what this phone has to offer the processor is powerful and doesn't give users any troubles in smoothly handling the handset's interface.
Now here is another limit imposed by Nokia which will hurt powerful phones fans - the phone only has 128 MB internal memory and no card slot whatsoever. Most people that liked Nokia 8600 will NOT buy it anymore because they want/need more storage space. So, out with the music lovers or people that like to take tons of pictures. Again Nokia narrowed the target of the phone assuring even more exclusivity for Luna buyers. This is not a bad move, but a wicked one:)
Multimedia
The handset comes with Nokia wired headset HS-47 but no Bluetooth headset like those found in Sirocco's package. You'll have the same problem with the volume of the phone - it's much too low. Whether it's during calls or music play even if you set the volume to the maximum you will have problems hearing or understanding anything when in traffic or crowded areas. Anyway, usually people that buy this phone will never go anywhere near a sub, bus and will most probably do their shopping in NOT so crowded shops or they will simply put somebody else to do it for them (?!).
I had a nice surprise when playing music on the external speakers; the sound is truly amazing. Loud enough and with no distortions but unfortunately with a total lack of bass. The same goes for the headsets, any kind of headsets as a matter fact. There's a small microUSB adapter that enables users to put in any kind of 2.5 mm jack port headphones if they're not thrilled about those included. The equalizer included makes some difference; the biggest one can be noticed when using the settings for Pop mode and Rock mode.
Furthermore, the integrated FM radio makes a very nice addition to the phone's multimedia features. It can save up to 20 stations and is very easy to handle. If you want to search automatically for any stations you only need to keep the "left" button pushed until it reaches a certain frequency. The reception is very good either outdoors or indoors, but again the volume is pretty low.
Overall this is not a phone designed for you to listen to music on it and certainly not one to be used with headsets. After all, what's the point in buying it if you can't show it?:)
Battery
Nokia's Luna includes a 900 mAh Li-Ion battery which seems to be better than Sirocco's 700 mAh Li-Ion battery. Anyway the rate of power consumption maintains the same only that the talk-time of Luna has prolonged because of the better battery. This is still not a very good battery but with the car charger in the box who cares about that? The standby time of 240 hours is the same as Sirocco's which is terribly strange (and bad) but the talk time is better, 3 hours and 40 minutes. 3 hours of talk time will entirely deplete your battery but fortunately you have so many ways to charge it (microUSB synchronization, charger or car charger).
Impressions
It seems that the new Luna is becoming the new flagship of the luxurious 8xxx series. I cannot possibly think of it like it's low-end phone or that it doesn't worth buying it. On the contrary, I think that everyone once in a while wants to drive a Rolls Royce instead of a Porsche. This is not a powerful phone, but a good, solid one that will definitely guarantee you more exclusivity than most of the phones on the market. I mean you don't really want to walk on the streets near a 16 years old kid that uses the same phone as you do (and you're much much richer than him:). I was impressed by the look of the phone and I strongly recommend 8xxx series fans to try this one out .. it's SUPERB.
The Good
A very nice design that differs from Sirocco's and offers a strong choice to those that are addictive to buy luxurious phones, carried like jewelleries. Even if it lacks power or functionality, I am sure that if you buy the phone you will surely attract curious or jealous looks every time you use it. There is only one thing in the world a (rich) phone freak would want: owning a unique and beautifully crafted handset.
The Bad
Nokia should work a little bit on sound volume on all the 8xxx series as this is a major problem for all users. Also the battery could be a little bit better, maybe a 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery will suffice. Other than that there's nothing wrong with the phone if we think which segment of buyers it targets. I don't want better camera or sound, I don't need more storage space and I surely don't want my phone to freeze because it has Symbian.
Sales package
Nokia 8600 Luna Nokia Battery BP-5M Nokia Charger AC-6 (microUSB) Nokia Headset HS-47 Nokia AD-55 Adapter Nokia Connectivity microUSB Data Cable CA-101 CD ROM with Nokia PC Suite software (version 6.83) User guide Nokia 8600 Luna story booklet Leather polishing cloth Leather pouch Lanyard neck strap
Photo: Tudor Raiciu for Softpedia.com