Nokia has really hit the mark with its N-series mobile phones, and the new Nokia N82 adds an invaluable Xenon flash to work in conjunction with its 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera. Much like other N-series phones, the N82 comes with a built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi, a standard 3.5mm headphone port and the ability to go TV-out.

Like so many Nokia handsets the Nokia N82 is shaped like a chocolate bar, which will probably be appreciated by those of us who can’t be bothered messing around with opening sliders or flip-top devices. With compact size comes a smaller display, but this won’t be an issue unless you’re planning to watch a large amount of videos.

The handset’s plastic construction feels pretty strong, but it’s so light you may mistake it for a phone that costs a lot less. The mobile has a chrome front, which looks great, although it does get dirty easily from fingerprints.

Strangely enough, the Nokia N82 has been designed quite differently from its predecessors. Some may wonder why they changed something that wasn’t broken. Now, some people will find the controls too complex. Keypad buttons are very small, and some important keys like the one designated for multimedia are squashed in between other buttons. Call answer and end keys are also a little too close to the edge of the handset.

One positive change is the new gallery button found on the side of the mobile. Press down on it and you can instantly open the last photo or video you took, and if you press it again it’ll open up your entire gallery.

To find your way around town the N82 comes with a built-in GPS receiver that works great in conjunction with the most recent version of Nokia Maps, although you’ll have to pay extra if you want voice-assisted navigational help. This GPS system lets you easily find your present location, uncover nearby interesting places and browse maps. This function works much like it did on previous Nokia models.

One thing to consider is that as the N82 doesn’t have a touchscreen, the GPS can take a while to learn to use properly. All of its functionality is based around using the navigation and selection keys. You may also wish Nokia had included a mount to stick on your car’s windscreen, but you’ll have to sort that out yourself.

The 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash on the N82 is definitely an asset for the handset. It takes awesome pictures in low-light situations, and has truly admirable colour reproduction. When taking videos noise levels are minimised, so your mini-films will turn out great. This is easily one of the best camera phones on the market.

If you’re into music and entertainment the Nokia N82 comes with a music player, FM radio and video player. Sound quality is quite good, while the standard 3.5mm headphone jack is conveniently placed on top of the phone, so you can use your own headphones. The single external speaker is okay, but if you turn it up too high the sound can distort.

The dedicated multimedia button allows you to open up an interface that shows you a number of the mobile’s features, like your contact list, gallery, internet status, maps, music, videos and games. A TV-out cable has been included in the box, which when plugged into a TV or projector can transmit images to larger screens, although the picture resolution does diminish greatly.

Nokia’s N82 uses the Symbian OS (version 9.2) operating system, which has proven to provide very quick internet browsing speeds without any lag time, even when having numerous applications running simultaneously. You can connect online with ease via integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, plus there’s a micro-USB port for tethering the phone to your personal computer.

Quickoffice gives you the ability to read Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, as well as PDF files. It’s a good smartphone in this respect, but you can’t edit these files on the handset itself. If you’re a video game maniac, you also get access to a preview application of Nokia's N-Gage gaming service.

There’s 100MB of internal memory in the Nokia N82, plus a microSD card slot that houses an extra 2GB microSD memory card included out of the box. Even though the N82’s keypad is small and constructed from plastic, a large range of features makes this mobile a suitable choice for consumers.

Pros:

-    5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics
-    GPS with Nokia Maps
-    Wi-Fi and HSDPA capabilities
-    Super-quick user interface
-    Comes with a TV-out cable

Cons:

-    Controls and keypad are very small
-    Voice-assisted turn-by-turn GPS navigation is an extra fee
-    Some design aspects are too complex