By Damian Koh
03/02/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39051199,43916276p,00.htm

If the previous versions of the Artes didn't appeal to you, Nokia has thrown another Arte model into the mix, this time made from carbon fiber with 3D patterns, titanium, polished glass and stainless steel. Pretty words aside, we'd be lying if we said we are excited about the new material as the features and looks remain much the same, and the handset will still set you back around S$2,088. In hindsight, the 8800 series probably comes closest to the Motorola Razrs in terms of spawning a number of clones, except that it has a niche market unlike the latter.

Looking at it in another way, the Artes, like the Siroccos, belong to a unique breed of phones that don't have any direct competition in the market, save for the recent Motorola AURA. Vertu, Tag Heuer and other co-branded fashion handsets don't count due to their price differences. Even Nokia's own Luna was a half-baked attempt at making luxury models affordable, two qualities that just don't go together. At the end of the day, the Carbon Arte still stands on its own merit as a premium phone.

Design

So what's different? As an update, this one uses a new material--carbon fiber--for the chassis. The forerunners had a combination of metal and glass with differences only in the colors and sapphire gem stone on the Sapphire edition. The bronze color scheme of the Carbon Arte is a tad conservative and doesn't convey the classy look of the original Arte dressed in glossy black. But that's just us, and you may have a different opinion.

The Carbon Arte handles like the Artes that came before it and you can instantly feel the heft once you pick up the phone. Nokia has traditionally kept to a similar size and shape for its 8800 series, and this holds true for the Carbon Arte. The sides and one-third of the phone at the back are matte, while the rest of the chassis have glossy finishes with underlying 3D motifs which help to conceal blemishes. The anti-fingerprint coating that's supposed to reduce smudges on polished surfaces works as advertised, that much we can say, but the 2-inch OLED display isn't spared from ugly stains.

Design-wise, the subtle changes, since the earlier 8800 Sirocco editions have included better ergonomics with the Arte series' keypad noticeably less stiff when texting. We also like the reassuring, heavy-duty feel of the slider which has been carried over from the Siroccos. On the downside, the tight headroom above the top row of buttons is still present and it's also not possible to adjust the volume while the handset is to your ear as you'll need to reach for the awkwardly tiny D-pad.

Features

The handset's features remain pretty much a copycat of the previous 8800 Arte, i.e. lackluster and functional. There're 3G (and tri-band GSM frequency), a 3.2-megapixel camera and a 2-inch QVGA OLED display, with the only difference being 4GB of flash memory in the Carbon Arte version. It's still missing an expansion card slot, while PC and desk stand connection is via a micro-USB port at the bottom edge of the handset.

Under the hood is the standard S40 software that we are already familiar, as well as a built-in accelerometer that enables features like "tap-for-time" and "turn-to-mute". These are useful if you want to know the time without having to open the phone and to silence an incoming call, but are not new to the Arte line. There's still no flash module accompanying the camera, which is a disappointment. That could have saved a few pictures taken in the dark from ending up in the trash bin. Otherwise, the autofocus camera is a rudimentary one good enough for only snapshots. Video calls would have been a nicely added feature.

There's support for Bluetooth stereo A2DP that lets you pair the handset with wireless earbuds to stream music. A touch-sensitive Bluetooth handsfree is bundled with the Carbon Arte along with a leather case and a matching desk stand for docking and charging the phone. Alternatively, you can plug the travel charger directly to the handset, or use the data cable to juice up the Nokia.

On the applications front, Nokia has preinstalled the Opera Mini browser which we feel is much better than the standard S40 one. There's also an interesting Size Converter that lets you convert various international clothing sizes for both men and women.

Performance

The overall performance experience is similar to the earlier Artes, so we won't repeat ourselves here. We did notice that the OLED screen had poor legibility under sunlight and we had to squint to see what's on the display.

Nokia rates the 1,000mAh lithium-ion battery for up to 3.3 hours of talktime and approximately 12.5 days on standby.

Conclusion

The Carbon Arte, being the third in the Arte series, isn't a huge departure from the pair before it, both in terms of design and features. So it's unlikely that current Arte owners will make the switch, but it does give users looking for a premium phone another option to choose from. For those for whom a Vertu is out of reach, the Carbon Arte is an excellent compromise.