Some people will try to compare this device with the Nokia N8, as I guess I did as an owner and user of an N8 already. However, it’s not aimed at the same audience. The Nokia N8 is all about capturing the world in as much detail as possible with its 12 megapixel camera. The Nokia X7 is more about being able to enjoy content that’s already out there. Like enjoying games, music or videos.
Games
I’ve installed the usual games I’d usually play on my Nokia N8 to try to see if there’s much of a difference. Fruit Ninja, for example, is always a joy and I can often spend about an hour immersed in the fruit slicing game. Angry Birds is one of my favourite games too, so I gave that a vigorous work out to see if the game play was different. Of course, the game play itself is no different to my previous phone but I would say playing games on the Nokia X7 is a great experience due to the larger screen and it seems more comfortable, too. Previously, I often got cramp in my fingers from playing Fruit Ninja for long periods of time but the Nokia X7’s rounded back and thin edges seem to fit nicer in my hand. I still hit the bombs though, but that’s my fault, not the phone’s.
Music player
Being a music fan, I take joy in being able to zone out and just listen to some of my favourite bands. I’ve loaded up the the Plastic Beach album from the Gorillaz to see how the this phone handles it. It’s got to be said, the Nokia X7 does a very good job at giving a rich, full sound to the music tracks. This is probably where the stereo speakers start to make a real difference to the quality. I always thought my Nokia N8 did a good job at playing music – and don’t get me wrong, it does – but in comparison, the Nokia X7 gives a better sound when listening to music through the loudspeaker. Through headphones, it’s a tie, though: Nokia always delivers a great headphone experience.
Movies
Having downloaded Nokia’s Meet Nokia X7 – The Entertainment Smartphone video from YouTube in 720p, the playback on the large 4 inch AMOLED screen is really good. There’s no lag or jumping about and the sound is crystal clear too. I’ve not yet watched a movie on here but I couldn’t see that being a problem as the screen is large enough to be able to show all the details you’d get in a film. If it was a full-on sci-fi action-shooter then I think that would play really well, in my opinion anyway. But that’s just my taste in movies.
Next, I’ll be taking a look at the photography side of things, testing the video camera and reporting back at a later date.
Are you looking forward to the Nokia X7? What are you looking forward to the most?