Nokia 5800 XpressMusic review: Young as you feel

t's touchscreen o'clock for Nokia and the stage is set for the 5800 XpressMusic. Go ahead and touch it. We did and we've got a story to tell. 

Now, it's technically not the first time Nokia get their hands dirty with touch screens, but it sure feels they really mean business this time. For Nokia 5800 is not the only story here. The smart platform with the most influential touch receives its first trial by touch. Being the first device running Series 60 5th alone is enough for the 5800 to be remembered by.

   
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic official photos

It's a first try and proceeding with caution is only fair. Nokia 5800 is unthreateningly and unobtrusively positioned in the mid-range and the XpressMusic branding helps share some of that first-S60-touchscreen weight. Still, it's way more than an affordable music-centered handset. The 5800 has a strong and unmistakable Nokia identity and delivers multimedia prowess. So, let's touch, shall we?
Key features:
3.2" 16M-color TFT LCD 16:9 touchscreen display (360 x 640 pixels) 
Symbian S60 5th edition 
ARM 11 369 MHz CPU, 128 MB of SDRAM memory 
3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash 
VGA video recording at 30fps 
Dual-band 3G with HSDPA support 
Quad-band GSM support 
Wi-Fi 
Capable GPS receiver and Nokia Maps 2.0 Touch 
microSD card memory expansion, ships with an 8GB card 
TV out 
FM radio with RDS 
Bluetooth and USB v2.0 
3.5mm standard audio jack 
Excellent audio quality 
Landscape on-screen virtual QWERTY keyboard 
Proximity sensor for screen auto turn-off 
Accelerometer sensor for automatic UI rotation and motion-based gaming 
Rich retail package 
Affordable price 
Office document viewer 
OVI and MySpace integration (direct image and video uploads) 
Main disadvantages:
Limited 3rd party software availability 
UI is still immature with somewhat dodgy user experience 
Touchscreen sensitivity not the best in the class 
No smart dialing 
Poor image quality and no GPS geotagging (geotagging is now added via firmware update) 
Touch web browser not quite polished 
No voice-guided navigation license 
No office document editing out-of-the-box 
Doesn't charge off microUSB 

Now, you're not the only one waiting for Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. A legion of touchscreen phones have been busy delivering more and better, and owning that market. They sure won't be giving Nokia and S60 5th the warmest of welcomes.

At this point, Nokia 5800 may as well be more of a trespasser than a worthy rival. We mean, stealing even the tiniest bit of market off such formidable competition should be a win to savor for every newcomer. And still, we shouldn't be looking at the actual handset alone. Maybe the 5800 isn't make or break for Nokia, but S60 5th should darn well be.