Nokia Pureview 808

Ever since the Nokia Pureview 808 was launched in India last month, I've been researching the pros and cons of this not-so-smartphone with the powerhouse camera, trying to figure out if it can replace my almost-2-years-old Nokia N8, which doubles as a decent point-and-shoot camera whenever and wherever I don't have my DSLR handy. I say not-so-smart because unlike the N8, which was quite advanced for its time with three home screens, online widgets and social media integration, the Belle-powered 808 does not offer any new features that are not seen in other Belle phones (other than perhaps NFC)

So essentially it comes down to the monster camera, with its 41  megapixel  sensor, and whether it is worth spending Rs 34,000 (minus whatever I would get for turning in my N8). But is the camera of the 808 really going to give me gigantic 41 MP images, and what would I do with them anyway? Not really - the default image size is only 5 MP, though theoretically the camera can be used to record images as large as 38 MP. So why use a 41 MP sensor to produce 5 or 8 MP images? The answer lies in the Pureview technology that Nokia has developed over five years, to provide lossless zoom up to 3x and better performance in low-light conditions (the latter being a major weakness of the otherwise solid N8)

Pureview as I understand it works by combining details from all the extra pixels captured by the sensor to create sharper 5 or 8 MP images (when compared to the other camera phones, not digicams). This approach helps the phone's image processor to discard visual noise in low light photographs. Also, since the phone has so many pixels to play with, what it actually does when you zoom in is to select the relevant area of the image, rather than scale up the whole image as other camera phones such as the N8 do. In other words, Pureview technology can put out of business not just rival phones but even basic digicams without optical zoom (Wow! Can't wait for a chance to test such an awesome camera)

But that brings us back to the question of whether the phone is worth buying at this point of time. Let us consider the cons:- heavy and bulky body, single core processor, low RAM, low resolution screen, outdated OS, fewer apps than iPhone or Android, high price tag. Tempted as I am by the single but crucial pro of the camera, I think I shall hold off till the market price comes down a bit. Given the cons and the lack of any other "game changer" features, I believe the Pureview 808 should have been priced around Rs 25,000 to be really competitive in the Indian market. For Nokia's sake, I hope that they choose a more realistic pricing when they come out with a Windows phone using Pureview technology