The Nokia Oro 18-carat gold plated phone is a bit of a blast from the past, reminding us that to some people, smartphone software isn’t everything: it’s adorned with a sapphire crystal and leather from some of Scotland’s finest cows. The thing is, no amount of gold plating is going to make up for Symbian.
The Nokia Oro is to all intents and purposes a spruced up Nokia C7, so you get a 3.5-inch AMOLED screen and eight megapixel camera to go with the swanky finish. It also comes tragically loaded with Symbian, an operating system that we’ve been berating for years for its unintuitive UI. Yes, it’s the latest version, Anna, but having played with phones loaded with the OS, we’re not confident that it’s a panacea rather than a slight improvement.
Software preferences aside, the Nokia Oro does highlight something important: that the most coveted gadgets aren’t always the most expensive. Yes, the iPhone 4 is a pricey bit of kit, but it doesn’t cost €800 (£700) like this does, and the millions of people who’ve snapped one up on contract are testament to its affordability. As Nokia switches to Windows Phone in a bid to stop its share of the smartphone market from falling further, it would do well to remember that.
The Nokia Oro is out in “selected” countries in Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Chine from Q3 this year.
