It looks like Nokia is prepping a followup to its highly successful touchscreen-toting Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Dubbed the Nokia 5800i XpressMusic, this handset looks much the same as its predecessor – but there are a couple of noteworthy changes under the bonnet. Read on for the details.
First up there a difference with the camera. While it’s still listed as a 3-megapixel snapper, there’s now mention of “4.6mm” rather then the existing 5800′s “3.7mm” spec. We reckon that could be a reference to the physical size of the sensor, in which case this is a definite improvement: a larger sensor is able to suck up more light in less time, so you can shave precious milliseconds off those shutterspeeds – and in theory get better low light photos.
The second change is a bit more controversial. Apparently, comparison photos suggest that there’s no Wi-Fi antenna. Obviously, Wi-Fi is a pretty important feature on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (it lets you access BBC iPlayer, for one thing), so its apparent removal seems like a retrograde step for Nokia.
However, it could be that the Finns have managed to squeeze Wi-Fi and 3G onto a single antenna module. Or that the 5800i is destined for China, where Wi-Fi is forbidden on mobile phones. Or that it could be a carrier-specific variant, and the carrier has requested that Wi-Fi be removed – as Verizon did with the BlackBerry Storm.
Looks like we’ll have to wait for the official launch for confirmation of the 5800i’s features (or lack of them). We’ll keep you posted.
