• Compare the 8910 and 8910i
• See more pictures of the 8910i

The 8910 was introduced last July and immediately raised the bar for mass market premium phones. Outside of a US$10,000 Vertu, the 8910 was the ultimate cell phone status symbol, blowing away the competition with its classy design, titanium outer shell, and forbidding four-figure price tag. A year on, Nokia has launched the 8910i, a phone that improves on its predecessor ever so slightly, but otherwise retains both the flaws and allure of the original.

Metal Magnetism
The 112g 8910i comes in the same titanium casing as the 8910, adding to a solid feel. The latter offered two color choices--the brownish hue of titanium, as well as a supposedly limited Midnight Black edition. On the other hand, the 8910i is beautifully finished in black which is a classic, if safe, color to carry around.

Nokia continues the now-infamous spring-loaded mechanism, where the phone slides up from its shell when two buttons are depressed. Although the novelty of this feature has worn off, it has become a distinctive trademark of the series.

Indeed, on the exterior, the 8910 is virtually indistinguishable from its predecessor. While this is generally good, the 8910i could have done with a few upgrades. For example, the keys on the phone are thin horizontal strips, with white illumination leaking out from tiny gaps in between. This lighting seems to be mainly cosmetic as it's dark to see the buttons if you're trying to whip up an SMS in the theater. Another gripe is that the titanium case, even when fully extended, gets in the way of the last row of buttons.

At the bottom of the phone, the 8910i uses Nokia's old interface, which is gradually being replaced by the new pop-port interface. This means you won't be able to use the same headset you bought for the Nokia 7210. Neither will you be able to connect a camera add-on to this handset.

Features, By The Way
Technology may be incidental to a phone of the 8910i's class, but it's good to know Nokia has bumped up the mobile with a few new features. Notably, the phone now comes with a 4,096-color display which is brighter than some other Nokias we've seen, but not on the same level as Samsung's handsets. Some may complain that the screen, which accommodates up to seven lines of small text, is too small to enjoy the display. However, we think the 8910i's color screen adds to the user experience.

Other features include MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), wireless Java and GPRS. However, polyphony is given a glaring miss.

Doesn't Play Well With Others
The other major feature in the 8910i is Bluetooth. Previously we had complained about the 8910's limited implementation of Bluetooth. The 8910i inexplicably fares little better. Nokia apparently doesn't want its 8910i messing around with other devices. From within the Bluetooth menu, users can search for only audio accessories and not other Bluetooth-enabled phones or handhelds. Working around this, we tried initiating a connection from other devices and had mixed success. From an HP iPaq handheld, we could locate but not pair with the 8910i. The Sony Ericsson T68i paired easily with the Nokia but hung miserably when we tried to send a picture using the Bluetooth connection.

The exception here is for business cards, as the 8910i appears capable of sharing name cards with other devices. The phone also works beautifully with the HDW-2, Nokia's new Bluetooth headset. However, it would be strange to leave your lovely thousand-dollar phone in your bag and rely strictly on the headset.

SAR Rating, Reception And Battery Life
According to Nokia, the 8910i measures 0.43 W/kg on Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) tests. Based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), this is well below the limit of 2.0 W/kg.

Reception was good, and we did not experience any problems, even in areas with poor operator coverage. Call quality was also good, with voices coming through loud and clear even at low volume settings. In addition, the battery life of the device was credible, with the Lithium-ion 750mAh battery lasting four days based on normal usage.

Conclusion
The 8910i is currently going for S$998 with a two-year contract, or S$1,158 minus a line. The standard package includes an extra battery, a cradle, a headset as well as a carrying case. While the injection of color is merely a small step up, it cements the 8910's status as the top premium phone around. But for those who prefer to look beyond the surface, the 8910i badly needs a few more features and a more polished implementation of Bluetooth.