Nokia N8 Unboxing

Nokia's N8 started shipping to pre-order customers today, slipping just inside their Q3 2010 promise, and the Finns were kind enough to offer us one of the first from the production line.  Fresh out of Helsinki, the new N8's are certainly well made and feel just as premium in the hand as the prototypes always did.

In the box, meanwhile, Nokia bundle the charger, an AC adapter – one of the low-profile European models in this case – and a wired stereo headset with in-line media controls.  There's also a USB to microUSB cable, a short miniHDMI to HDMI adapter cable and a short microUSB to USB Host adapter.  No case, but Nokia has previously said that mild scratches on the N8's casing should rub straight off.

Interestingly, it looks as though there have been some minor changes in production since we last saw the blue N8.  Whereas the original color was more like the dark, rich blue of Nokia's packaging, the production N8 is a lighter, more powdery blue.  It's not unpleasant, but it's noticeably different to what the company were showing before; you can see some clearer shots in the gallery below.

We'll be putting the N8 through its paces over the next week or so before our full review, to see if our opinion of the first Symbian^3 smartphone matches up with Michael Gartenberg's cautious optimism.  We'll also have some hands-on video very shortly.

Update: You can see the hands-on video demo of the Nokia N8 here