Confirmed: Nokia's 808 PureView Coming to U.S. After All

By Jane McEntegart
published

Well isn't this a nice surprise?

Back in March, Nokia wowed the mobile industry with the introduction of its 808 PureView, a camera phone aimed at enthusiasts and packing a 41-megapixel camera sensor. However, Nokia soon broke our hearts with the revelation that the 808 PureView wouldn't be launching in North America. Specifically, the company's developer site listed availability as 'Global, excluding North America.'

However, it seems Nokia has changed its mind, because now the phone is coming to the United States. Nokia today revealed via its Conversations blog that the company would be responding to consumer interest and working with Amazon to launch the 808 PureView smartphone in the U.S.

The Phone will be available unlocked and unsubsidized through Amazon.com where U.S. consumers will be able to purchase the Nokia 808 PureView for $699 and use it with a compatible SIM card from AT&T.

Pre-orders will be starting up sometime during the week, so keep an eye out on Amazon or sign up here to be notified by Nokia.

[Update] Looks like Nokia's has updated its Conversations blog posting. The company originally said the phone would only work on T-Mobile's 2G network, however, this is apparently not the case.

"We incorrectly stated that the Nokia 808 PureView would only work with T-Mobile at 2G speeds," said Nokia's Jeppe Christense. This was caused by an error in the spec sheet. We're sorry about any confusion. The Nokia 808 PureView works just fine with T-Mobile in the United States."

Thanks for the tip, anonymous9999 and Athreex!

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Jane McEntegart
11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bustapr
    unlocked, but only activated with an AT&T SIM card? umm...
    Reply
  • JMcEntegart
    bustaprunlocked, but only activated with an AT&T SIM card? umm...
    This is because the 808 isn't a penta-band device. As a result, it is only compatible with AT&T's 3G network. :(

    Edit: Looks like I was wrong -- it is penta-band. Apparently Nokia made a mistake in the spec sheet and subsequently announced that it would only get 2G speeds on T-Mobile. In fact, the 808 will run just fine on both AT&T and T-Mobile when it is launched in the U.S. Hurray!

    Thanks to anonymous9999 and athreex for the correction. :)
    Reply
  • aftcomet
    While a good camera is important, it shouldn't be the only focus of the phone. A basic DSLR will still laughably outperform it. I'd rather they invested those resources into a really nice screen since you're looking at it the most.
    Reply
  • bustapr
    aftcometWhile a good camera is important, it shouldn't be the only focus of the phone. A basic DSLR will still laughably outperform it. I'd rather they invested those resources into a really nice screen since you're looking at it the most.just in case you havent noticed yet. this phone hasnt launched yet and no phone has ever been shown with this type of camera. 41mp is far higher than any other 8mp on todays high end phones. a basic dslr might be able to outperform it, but hardly noone walks around with a DSLR around their neck. This is a phone and it will most likely have the best camera seen in phones for a very long time or until another gen of nokias is released or when someone else copies the idea. Just because it might be worse than a basic DSLR doesnt mean its photos will be shit.

    also a 41mp camera is miles better marketing than a prettier screen.
    Reply
  • UPDATE: We incorrectly stated that the Nokia 808 PureView would only work with T-Mobile at 2G speeds. This was caused by an error in the spec sheet. We’re sorry about any confusion. The Nokia 808 PureView works just fine with T-Mobile in the United States.

    http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/06/19/unique-nokia-808-pureview-coming-to-america/
    Reply
  • alidan
    aftcometWhile a good camera is important, it shouldn't be the only focus of the phone. A basic DSLR will still laughably outperform it. I'd rather they invested those resources into a really nice screen since you're looking at it the most.
    so, you take that dslr everywhere you go? no? i didnt think so.

    try to find pictures this camera takes. they are amazeing, especialy once you crop them to a 5-8mp range, they come out better than the 3-400$ stand alone cameras that i have used.

    i would consider this a camera with a phone attached to it, and in all honesty, it would be for the best considering smartphones cost around the same, but this takes a good picture apposed to them.

    the reason for the over sized mp camera is so the images can be cropped and produce a picture of FAR higher quality than normal.

    bustaprjust in case you havent noticed yet. this phone hasnt launched yet and no phone has ever been shown with this type of camera. 41mp is far higher than any other 8mp on todays high end phones. a basic dslr might be able to outperform it, but hardly noone walks around with a DSLR around their neck. This is a phone and it will most likely have the best camera seen in phones for a very long time or until another gen of nokias is released or when someone else copies the idea. Just because it might be worse than a basic DSLR doesnt mean its photos will be shit.also a 41mp camera is miles better marketing than a prettier screen.
    think of a standard consumer 12mp camera, at 12 mp, it comes out looking like crap, but once you crop it down to 3-5mp, it looks great. most dslr dont need to be cropped to make the image look better, and if they do, its FAR less of a crop or you did something wrong.

    the camera at 41 mp is not very good, but i put the image quality at just slightly worse than a sony cybershot 8ish mp, i dont know the exact number. and thats image quality without a crop
    Reply
  • athreex
    JMcEntegartThis is because the 808 isn't a penta-band device. As a result, it is only compatible with AT&T's 3G network.
    Greetings Jane.

    I would like to point out that the Nokia 808 PureView it is indeed a Pentaband device, as with previous Nokia devices. The Tmobile 2g speeds fact was a typo made by Nokia Conversations. Here's the source


    http://mynokiablog.com/2012/06/19/update-nokia-808-pureview-works-fine-on-t-mobile-too-not-2g-only-speeds/

    Here's the quote from Nokia Conversations

    UPDATE: We incorrectly stated that the Nokia 808 PureView would only work with T-Mobile at 2G speeds. This was caused by an error in the spec sheet. We’re sorry about any confusion. The Nokia 808 PureView works just fine with T-Mobile in the United States.
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    I don't understand half the commenter's minds. Hit up Engadget and you have comparison of this Pureview to a typical mirrorless DSLR. It comes pretty damn close. What does that say about the whole "DSLR, pixel is not everything, mumble mumble" argument? How about hit up some sources and compare the images before shouting the typical pixel is not everything argument in the forum?
    Reply
  • alidan
    eddieroolzI don't understand half the commenter's minds. Hit up Engadget and you have comparison of this Pureview to a typical mirrorless DSLR. It comes pretty damn close. What does that say about the whole "DSLR, pixel is not everything, mumble mumble" argument? How about hit up some sources and compare the images before shouting the typical pixel is not everything argument in the forum?
    have no clue where that is, i only found one comparing it to other cellphones, which there is no comparison
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    eddieroolzI don't understand half the commenter's minds. Hit up Engadget and you have comparison of this Pureview to a typical mirrorless DSLR. It comes pretty damn close. What does that say about the whole "DSLR, pixel is not everything, mumble mumble" argument? How about hit up some sources and compare the images before shouting the typical pixel is not everything argument in the forum?I find that the camera itself does not make the picture, but the lenses and various combinations of filters that can add real value to a picture, maybe if a Nokia were to cut a deal with Canon or some other company to allow the same click connector for their lenses to go on the back of a phone, a 200/75 long lens stuck on the back of a smartphone may give the traditional camera market a big kick in the ass
    ...
    OK, yes it would look stupid, but never underestimate the power of a stupid idea, how do you think toastiebags made it to market?
    Reply