NNokia 8800 Gold Arte review: Born with a silver spoon

How many phones can you name that would have made sense centuries back? Here's one: the Nokia 8800 Gold Arte. No, we're not talking medieval calling and texting, we're talking gold and leather.

Okay, it may not be solid gold, but it's the next best thing - the Arte is gold plated alright, but it sure looks - better yet, glitters - the part. Gold does not react with air and moisture so even after thousands of years gold artifacts do not loose their luster. Well, that's one thing you get for your dime - everlasting shine.

It's like choosing the interior of a ridiculously expensive car - creme leather, mahogany, you get the picture. Same with Nokia's Arte series - Sapphire, Carbon fiber and now leather and gold. 

The color of gold depends on relativistic effects acting on the electrons… nah, no matter how you twist it an 8800 phone will not interest geeks. It is all about exclusive materials, high build quality and most importantly - making you look good.

In terms of technology, it's forged in the same crucible as the Nokia Carbon Arte - OLED screen, 3G, 3 megapixel autofocus camera, 4GB of inbuilt memory and Series 40. 

   
Nokia 8800 Gold Arte official photos
Key features
18 carat gold-plated body 
Genuine white leather padding 
2" 16M-color OLED display of QVGA resolution 
3G support 
3 megapixel autofocus camera 
Full-house retail package with a Bluetooth headset and desk stand 
Decent battery life 
Turn-to-mute 
Tap-for-time 
4GB internal memory 
Main disadvantages
Smallish display with poor sunlight legibility 
Tri-band only 
No memory expansion 
Costs an arm and a leg 
Below-par camera performance 
No video calls 
No Smart dialing 
No office document viewer 
No Java multi-tasking 

Talking value for money with the Nokia 8800 Gold Arte, or any of its siblings, will make as much sense as attaching an enjoy responsibly message to the Vertu Concierge service. Though the Arte Gold doesn't go as far as the Vertu, exuberance is its very name and the materials and looks certainly hold their own against the luxury models.