“The time has come…to talk of many [technologies].” –Lewis Carroll(‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’)
N800 vs N810 or Who Should Consider Buying Nokia N810?
As the news of the announcement of Nokia’s N810 Internet tablet is spreading like wildfire(search Technorati for example) across the Internet, more and more people seem to get confused as to what exactly is the difference between N800 and N810 devices. There are a few posts talking about the differences but I thought I will summarize them here specifically to help make a buying decision.
I could have made a long table noting the differences between the two devices but I thought it will be more useful if major and minor differences are listed separately. If you are making a decision whether to buy a new Nokia N800 or a Nokia N810(when it is released), I suggest you go through all the differences listed below. But if you already own an N800, then the minor differences can be easily ignored, especially because N800 too can be upgraded to the ITOS2008 version when it is released simultaneously with N810 and then most of the minor differences listed below will cease to exist(e.g. Mozilla browser); jump straight to the last section.
So let’s get started.
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What has NOT changed between Nokia N800 and N810?
First let’s go through the list of features that are almost/exactly the same in the two devices:
RAM(128MB), Flash(256MB), battery operating times(4 hrs active use/14 hrs standby), Screen Resolution(800×480), WLAN 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, VoIP/SIP, UPnP, Mic and Speakers, Headphone, Desk-stand, Carry Pouch, EMail(IMAP, STMP, and POP3), Utility applications(File manager, PDF reader, Clock) and Games.
If any of the above features are very important to you, you need not have buyer’s dilemma for their sake.
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What differences can probably be overlooked?
The minor differences that in my opinion can be overlooked by existing owners of N800 include:
- Different CPU speeds – 320MHz for N800 vs 400MHz for N810. How much difference it will make in practice can be know only after N810 is released. At least youtube and other video playback should be smooth. Also N810′s CPU will leave more scope for optimization with future releases of operating system than N800′s.
- Shiny new user interface based on GTK-2.0. Additional Image formats as listed under N810′s technical specifications(e.g. SVG, WBMP). Mozilla as the default browser which has better support for AJAX websites than Opera. I am guessing that it will be a stable version and will support plugins. Upgraded N800 too should get all of these.
- VGA Camera in N810 is fixated and can no more be rotated like in N800. Any prizes for guessing that the quality will be as crappy as before?
- Placement of hardware buttons is different in N810(some say better suited to left-handers in landscape mode). You will be surprised to see how many people are already frowning upon this! You one of them? Happy frowning!
- USB 2.0 Connectivity Cable. Physical size and weight. Forget that I even mentioned these.
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Important differences between Nokia N800 and N810
Finally the real differences, the one’s that should seriously influence the decision whether to buy N800 or the N810, as well as who should throw away their N800(at ebay of course) to buy N810:
- Memory is a big factor!
Most important from my point of view is the change in memory storage options. The story goes like this: when N800 had first released, it came with 128MB internal storage(apart from RAM/flash) but two expandable card slots that could each fit up to 2GB SD cards(or miniSD or MMC if you use the adapters). With every new updated OS version released for N800(or the unofficial patches), the storage limit kept increasing and currently you can fit 8GB card in each of these slots to get a total storage of 16GB!
N810 on the other hand comes with 2GB internal storage and one external memory card slot that could fit up to 8GB miniSD card. It means the following differences:
- N810 comes with 2GB of storage, so many of us can just forget about buying any additional memory at all. Very few users could use their N800 without buying at least one additional small capacity card.
- N810 supports a maximum of 10GB of memory storage(for the cost of one 8GB miniSD card) where as N800 supports a maximum of 16GB of storage(for the cost of two 8GB SD cards). Higher capacity cards may be supported by future OS updates, but these are the current options.
- You can’t use the SD cards of your N800 or digital camera with N810. It supports only miniSD cards where N800 supports both SD and minSD cards.
Verdict: Those who can afford to spend additional money may find N800′s options more favourable but those who find 2GB more than enough for their storage needs should find N810 very appealing.
- Built-in Hardware Keyboard, killer feature?
Long-awaited feature for Nokia’s tablets has been the hardware keyboard, but now that it is integrated into N810, majority of the people don’t look too happy with it! But consider the following factors:
- If you already own a bluetooth(BT) keyboard for you N800, the HW keyboard of N810 may not appeal to you much. But it can still come handy when you accidentally find yourself without your BT keyboard or you can’t carry it to some place.
- If you don’t own a BT keyboard, you may still prefer to buy one in preference to the small and confined slide-out keyboard of N810, in which case you might feel that such a big(read costly) feature will go wasted. But remember that people use the keyboards with pin-sized keys on mobile phones and compared to that N810′s HW keyboard should be a luxury and perhaps you will start liking it after getting a little used to it. You will save both money and space if N810′s keyboard works for you.
- I don’t need a typing keyboard at all you say? It’s not just more convenient to use a HW keyboard(built-in or BT) but it also frees-up valuable space on your device’s screen! You can view the full screen of the tablet even when entering the text.
Verdict: BT keyboards are not exactly cheap but N810 is not very cheap either. So it’s only a matter of convenience whether you prefer the small built-in keyboard or a full-fledged BT keyboard.
- GPS Receiver, good enough for you?
N810 has got built-in GPS receiver in addition to the mapping software and default collection of maps. Mapping software and maps are available for N800 too but the GPS receiver has to be bought separately. Again N810 scores for those who think GPS receiver is essential for them. N810 also has integration support for paid services like Wayfinder navigator which I am not sure will be extended to N800 device too.
Verdict: If GPS is too important to you, buy a good receiver separately from Amazon! N800 wins. For normal use, N810′s built-in receiver should be sufficient. If you don’t want GPS at all, N800 wins again.
- OS2007 (currently) runs more applications than OS2008
Another crucial difference that is easy to be overlooked: N800 can continue to run ITOS2007 applications(plenty available currently) as long as you wish. Only you can decide if the number of applications available for the (yet to be released) ITOS2008 justifies upgrading N800 to it – you have the control. Not so with N810; it will come pre-installed with ITOS2008, so will be limited to the applications(not many right now, but will increase with time) that are be ported to it. (OS2008 is not backward-compatible with OS2007 applications in case you are wondering. I am also assuming that nobody will try to hack OS2007 for N810 just to be able to run the existing applications on it!)
Verdict: This is a common upgrader’s dilemma, the one which you will face with every new device, operating system, etc. Adventurous ones take the plunge and bask in the glory of new hardware features while waiting for more and more software applications ported to it every passing day. There is also nothing wrong in waiting for a few months to give time for more than just the most essential applications to be ported to the device before buying it.
- Miscellaneous
An interesting difference is the listed additional Video formats in N810′s technical specification(e.g. WMV, H.264). I am not going to give weight to this feature until I see how it fares in the real field, outside of the specification.
Update: Thoughtfix believes that N810′s Ambient light sensor is good enough even under direct sunlight. Some folks on ITT are not happy with the reflection visible on the screen. He has posted a picture on flickr to make his point.
A travel charger and a car holder comes as part of the package with N810.
- Memory is a big factor!
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Conclusion?
N800 + 2GB card + HW keyboard + GPS Receiver + Car Holder + Travel Charger = N810
I am still looking for clarifications regarding some of N810′s capabilities but I have got no friends at Nokia ;) so will probably try to throw an email at Thougtfix and see if he can find time to answer some of them for me. My suggestion will be not to depend completely on the points mentioned above and do your own complete research before making a purchasing decision.
Update: Thanks to Pretoriano for correcting the erroneous claim that N800 and N810 have the same battery model(they don’t, see comments). I have updated the post.
[...] Update: I have compared N800 and N810: N800 vs N810 or Who Should Consider Buying Nokia N810? [...]
What about the FM radio, that was (secretly) included on the N800? Is it included on the N810? Is there some software included to really use it or is it still secret?
What about the reflectiveness of the LCD? The 770 and N800 had a screen, that is great inside, but nearly invisible if you use it outside, especially in the sun. I know , that Nokia comes from Finland with not much sun, especially in winter time, and that these devices are liked by geeks, who never ever would dare to go outside. But now with the proposed widespread adoption of the Nokia Linux tablets, especially if you use them for navigation, it is finally time for a display, that is visible in bright suroundings, namely a reflective or transflective display. So is the LCD on the new N810 usable outside?
There is no mention of FM support in the technical specs of N810 but we all know that it wasn’t present in N800′s specs either. Linuxdevices.com had reported that FM transmitter is present in N810 but Thoughtfix confirmed a few hours ago on live video chat that FM is actually absent. It is still possible that it’s hidden inside and Thoughtfix missed it in his inspection; for a complete confirmation, I am guessing we will have to wait for N810′s release.
Ambient light sensor is present in Nokia N810 but I want to hold the device in my hands and see how it performs in sunny conditions before I can count it as a significant feature. N810 should perform better than N800 though, no doubt about that.
Most people discount the 2G for storage, as something like 86% is occupied by maps. I guess you can throw it away if you really dont care about GPS?
bunanson: yes, you can delete the maps if you don’t need them and then re-download them if you ever need them again. That should free up a lot of memory. Also, the exact amount of memory needed by the maps is not fixed but rather depends on which maps you want to install(which part of US, which country of Europe etc).
[...] Tabrez [...]
There are meny errors in that great post. First CPU of n800 and n810 are the SAME, it’s OS2008 (also on n800) that will “overclock” the cpu to 400 Mhz. Battery is NOT the same, n810 has the bp-4l and n800 bp-5l. Speakers are not the same, it seems that the n800 speakers are better. User interface and new formats are too in n800 (because it can have the same OS). In software, there are ANY difference.
Bye, and great post!
Hey Pretoriano,
Glad that you liked the comparison. I mentioned that the speeds are different, the chip itself is the same – TI OMAP 2420. I remember someone publishing a kernel patch that will overclock N800 CPU too, but it is not an official patch. But no worries; with OS2008, N800′s CPU will be overclocked to 400MHz too.
You are right that the battery model is not the same, only the battery operation times are approximately the same, I will make that correction. About the speakers, I only meant that both are ‘stereo’ as opposed to one of them being ‘mono.’ I did say that these things are almost the same. I also noted (on several occasions) that OS2008 will be available for N800 too and in that respect it will be similar to N810.
Thanks for reading the post and pointing out the oversight on my part regarding the batter model. By the way, may I ask you in what way you are related to the Behind Maemo Lines website? I ask because I am subscribed to its feed and like a lot of applications made available by it to the N800 users.
Me and a friend are the creators of behind, thanks a lot for reading us. If you have any comment to make better behind, it will be wellcomed. (You really have notticed that my english it’s very poor :D, sorry about that) Bye!!
Oh, my hunch was correct then, you should be one of litus or Uri listed on your “Behind…” website. Thanks for making some great apps for us. And no worries, I am not a native speaker of English either ;)
(Do let me know if you are on Jaiku or Twitter.)
The igo stowaway bt keyboard is $30 at amazon. It used to be a 100!
I know Shoumik, I bought it for $70 and with in three days the price dropped to $30. The model numbers are slightly different though – mine is XTBT01 and $30 keyboard is XTBTUEI. Should be almost similar though. And the price keeps fluctuating between $30 and $60.
But now N800 + iGo combination($180 + $30) does look very appealing when compared to N810 :)
Okay – Get this right – Nokia n800 and n810 have the same processor. The difference is in the clock speed. In OS2007 it is UNDERCLOCKED (330MHz) (people were saying it was at clock speed which the native clock speed is 400 MHz) and when flashing with OS2008 or running OS2008 the n8*0′s run at 400 MHz.
- n800 has FM Reciever
- n810 has FM Transmitter
- n800 screen is not viewable under sunlight
- n810 screen IS viewable under sunlight
And since some of Nokia’s phones share the fixed camera such as all n95 models it must be alright.
*THIS IS A PRODUCT (nokia internet tablets in general) THAT CAN’T BE OVERLOOKED. IT HAS REAL POTENTIAL*
Mugen Power now carries 2 types of extended batteries for N810: 1800mAh and 3600mAh. They are well known for good batteries, I personally used 2 PDAs with their extended batteries and all worked fine. here are the links:
Nokia N810 1800mAh battery
Nokia N810 3600mAh battery
The standard BP-4L is 1500mAh, so even the same size 1800mAh Mugen gives you 20% more, sometimes that is just what you need! :-)
[...] Un comparatif entre le N800 et le N810 par Every Flavour Beans [...]
pls can somebody tell me if n810 really have an fm radio receiver cos i want to own it’s type that is with radio.or is n800 better on radio fm.
@noble,
no FM on N810, sorry. FM on N800, though, simply rocks.
More information:
FM Radio on N810
N800 vs N810 or Who Should Consider
Buying Nokia N810?
Nice post but out of date. You can get 32GB SDHC cards now and put two of them in the N800, giving 64GB total, compared to a wimpy 10GB (one mini/micro sdhc slot with 8gb, plus the internal 2gb) for the N810. So the N800 has much more capacity if you want to use it as a media player. On the other hand, the N810 has the hw keyboard, gps, and 3600 mah Mugen battery available. I keep thinking of buying an 800 primarily for music playback, on the other hand the N810 with some gps maps would be useful when driving. I wish they would make a unit like an EEE PC, with a more usable keyboard, bigger screen, real USB ports, and large battery, but the low power consumption of the N800/N810.
[...] http://beans.seartipy.com/2007/10/19/n800-vs-n810-or-who-should-consider-buying-nokia-n810/ [...]
I have tried a 16gb microsd card in my n810, and it works great. I do wish you could put in 2 full sized SD’s, but it’s pretty squeezed for space. At least Nokia put a full sized audio jack so I can use any headphones with it. I’m assuming that any microsdhc card will work, but not many site’s mention this, just say, “8gb max” or whatever the biggest card is at the time on the market. The 16 works fine in my sansa e280 too. But I do recommend Kingston over Sandisk, the Sandisk 16gb I had suffered irrepairable damage the first time I tried to load it up with songs. But the Kingston hasn’t had any issues, and performance seems better than the Sandisk’s I’ve tried (most of the microsd cards I’ve bought up till the Kingston were Sandisk). I copied the 256 gig partition from the compressed flash to the current 8gb microsd I have in there, and the unit boots faster, and apps seem to run a little faster, when accessing memory. Was pretty easy. http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/Maemo/KDE4_on_n810 has a great console utility that automates the whole formatting your microsd or minisd to ext2 or 3, not sure which, and cloning your 256 flash partition to it, using the whole card as root filesystem. I guess you can do it yourself to make it as complicated as you like, setting up different OS’s on each partition or whatever. n810 is a lot of fun. The fold out keyboard is very useful in some situations, but mostly as an alternate to the virtual keyboard/handwriting input. n800 would be a good buy if you don’t need gps or the fold out keyboard, and probably if you like videoconferencing being able to change the camera angle. I have still to this day (owned n810 for like 2-3 weeks now) not been able to convince anyone to install gizmo or try video conferencing with me.