One of the problems we've seen with Windows Phone devices thus far is that if you've seen one Windows Telephone, yous've basically seen them all. Later on all, how much can y'all practice when all the phones feature the aforementioned basic specifications and are dominated by a like touchscreen. The respond usually is "not much."

Or and so nosotros thought... Nokia has proven to the manufacture that it tin do Windows Phone ameliorate than the competition. Its Lumia 800 features ane of the best hardware designs found on a smartphone today -- on whatever platform -- information technology as well comes bundled with Nokia-developed software that makes the company look like they've been writing Windows Telephone apps for years. In curt, it's a fantastic smartphone that truly takes Windows Phone to the next level. Read on.

Hardware

While nigh every Windows Phone smartphone is the same on the software front, give or take an app or two, hardware is where manufacturers can build some differentiation. It shows that Nokia has taken that arroyo with the Lumia 800. The 800's body is carved out of a solid block of polycarbonate, just like the Nokia N9 that information technology shares nearly external traits with. There are no seams on the body, and its tapered design feels wonderful in the palm of your hand.

On top of that, it's flat out gorgeous, thanks in no small part to the three.7-inch ClearBlack ~AMOLED touchscreen display that blends into information technology, with the deep blacks and brilliant, saturated colors that show off Windows Telephone's Metro user interface so well. The curved Corning Gorilla glass on the 480 x 800 pixel screen makes the phone as much a pleasure to touch equally it is to look upon. It is, without question, one of the best looking devices ever been fabricated.

I don't normally go for covered micro-USB charging/data ports on a telephone, but the magnetic latch on the Lumia 800's body is elegantly designed and looks as skillful every bit information technology operates. The micro-SIM card tray that sits next to information technology is also quite trick. The other features of the phone's trunk sit primarily on the rounded right border. That's where yous'll find the power push, book control, and the photographic camera shutter push button.

A small speaker/microphone grill can be found on the flat bottom edge of the phone, and the iii.5mm headphone jack can be found up top. The rear of the phone is plain, except for the metal piece that adorns the camera's lens and the dual-LED flash that sits above it.

The telephone features 16GB of internal storage, only lacks a microSD memory card slot, attributable to the fact that Windows Phone doesn't support hot-swappable memory cards. In that location's besides no user-swappable battery, but that'south the price yous pay for such a pretty trunk design.

The Nokia Lumia 800 measures a fairly compact 116.8mm 10 61.2mm x 12.1mm (4.6in ten 2.4in x .5in), but still has a decent amount of heft to it. Its 143.7g (five.1oz) weight makes information technology feel solid, without feeling burdensome. You can add the fitted, and included, color-matched embrace for an additional 14g of weight and a fair amount of additional protection.