Nokia has admitted to a problem on its flagship N8 smart phone, with some users reporting that their device no longer turns on, or even charge up.
It's so serious that Nokia executive vice president Niklas Savander was moved to issue a public statement on the official Nokia Conversations blog. He admitted that "a limited number" of N8s are now expensive paperweights.
Nokia traced the source of the problem to the way it assembled the phone's "engine", and has taken "precautionary measures" across its product line.
Of the number affected, Savander said, "If you look at the total number of N8s that we have shipped, it's a small number. However for the one individual where it's not working, it is of course a significant issue."
If you're an N8 owner with this problem, Savander said you should contact your nearest Nokia care centre, as it's covered by the standard warranty.
"I am concerned," said Savander. "Any dissatisfaction of an individual consumer with a Nokia product is always a source of concern."
You can check out a discussion thread detailing the problem on Nokia's user forum. Below is a video of Savander's statement in full.
Our problem with the N8 has always been its outdated Symbian software. We have nothing but praise for the hardware, for which Nokia has an excellent reputation. We don't think this problem seriously compromises that reputation, especially as a senior executive has got out in front of the problem and effectively explained it.
Compare this measured, humble response to Apple's approach to the antennagate fiasco. A phone not switching on is a far more serious problem than bad reception, but the antenna is a problem on every iPhone 4, and Apple refused to admit anything was wrong for some time. It failed to dent record sales, however.
We'll be very interested to see whether you've suffered any problem with your N8, and what you think of Nokia's response.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
24 month contract
24 month contract
Comments 9
Add your comment
EvilJoe39 19 November, 2010 11:54
Well it's a better response than Apple's Bill Clinton / Jedi mind trick approach. You always wonder how many a 'small number' is as you don't want to panic the masses for no reason but then again you don't want to say it's a big amount even if it is.
Anonymous 19 November, 2010 14:40
I bought an N8 on the first day of release. It dozed off itself every now and then like Jake Sully the Avatar, and one day it died completely. I received a full refund for the handset but I lost the payment for 'Quick Office' software, the skin and the car holder.
Mark Anderson 19 November, 2010 16:34
Mine's fine so far, touch wood. Still enjoying it although the browser needs replaced as soon as possible. The keyboard doesn't bother me as much now although it needs to be overlay, not full screen.
The rest is dandy.
Nice of Nokia to man up though. I suspect there's probably a few hundred units affected out of a million or so sold so not that bad really.
Anonymous 20 November, 2010 11:20
I got the Nokia N8 as an upgrade about 2 weeks ago, soo far I am not too impressed with the software but love the look . When connected via HDMI cable the picture isn't as good as what I thought it would be and the phone seems to freeze quite a bit., especially with the email client. I am not impressed with the internet browser or the keyboard and think an update will be much appreciated to all N8 users. The battery life stays full battery for about half the day with a few hours of music playback and then the it seems to lose battery life very quickly. Another thing is the apps which are okay but nothing compared to Apple or Android so hopefully we'll get something new in the OVI store! Overall I do enjoy the phone and am glad I no longer use my old Sony Ericsson X10i.
Thanks!
Anonymous 21 November, 2010 09:07
No problems with the hardware on my new N8 - working nicely.
For anyone with keyboard issues, I installed "Swype" for free which is both incredibly fast and accurate. Writing a text takes no time at all.
One problem that I have encountered: I travel to China a LOT, and read and write Chinese. Unfortunately, Nokia handsets are locked into a particular region with a "product code", so I cannot display websites or texts from friends in Korean / Japanese / Chinese.
The only way to overcome this problem is to ask a Nokia care point to change the code, but this invalidates the warranty. Does anyone know any way to get their handset to talk to the Far East?
DWR
Anonymous 15 December, 2010 12:51
Bought one of these to 2 months ago to replace my iPhone 3GS; the reason primarily due to the poor call reception quality and limited battery life. I must admit it took a week to get use to the OS and functionality, though it was worth the wait. The N8 is a very powerful phone, and not a 'fashion accessory'. It has been totally efficient and I recommend it to anyone who wants great battery life, great call reception and extended functionality (not limited to FM transmitter, free world maps/navigation) over other rival smart phones.
Anonymous 20 December, 2010 22:57
Ive had my Nokia N8 for a few weeks now and i am now on my third phone.
The first time was because it turned its self off when i tried to connect to the internet, the second because it just kept turning its self off and now i am on my third phone and unfortunatly it is doing it again, it was alright for the first day or so but then when i tried to connect to the web again it switched off anf now just keeps dying on me. I am not satisfied with my N8 although if it didnt die i think it would be the ideal phone. I am on vodafone at the moment after just switching from a contract with T-mobile and i have been reporting to them with my problems, however i will contact Nokia care center this time to see if they can do any better.
Anonymous 25 July, 2011 17:04
Oh! Nokia N8, I have one and I just want to trash it, everyday. It's a piece of sh..!
fastlemon 19 May, 2012 16:41
I have had a Nokia N8 for over 1 year and my review of it as an owner/user is that it's completely rubbish in all but one respect, (namely, the 12 megapixel camera which is excellent). One of the most annoying 'features' is the Calendar which I use extensively and synch with Outlook on my PC. To add a calendar item or worse, to edit an existing item, can take up to a pathetic 5 minutes to complete. The phone has recently been sent back to 3Mobile for repair because it finally refused to start up, with the message, "Phone start-up failed. Contact your retailer". It was returned with new/upgraded software. Frankly, it's not a great improvement. Calendar entries or changes are still desperately slow and the phone now frequently displays "System Error" notices on start-up. Then you must wait until it completes its failed start-up (!!!), switch it off and then try start-up again, sometimes repeating this process a few times until a 'clean' start-up is achieved. Finally, to use Bluetooth is a pain! Sometimes, it refuses to switch Bluetooth on, the only remedy for which is to switch the phone off, wait a few minutes and then start-up again and re-try Bluetooth. Phew!!! It's truly pants!!! I can't wait for my contract to complete to dump the N8 and get myself a better smartphone.
Can anyone recommend one that performs well, can sync with MS Outlook and that has a decent camera?