Nokia Premium category

In 1998, Nokia's Chief Designer Frank Nuovo styled a new phone, the 8810.  It was designed to be the mobile phone equivalent of a premium watch or fountain pen. It had advanced features, including an infra red port, Nokia's famous menu system and an impressive 133 hours of standby time on the standard battery, but the point of the 8810 was desirability from its look and feel and from the materials used in its manufacture. The sliding chrome look case was nice to hold and the phone was easy to use. It was one of the most desirable Christmas presents of 1998.

The 8810 was the first Nokia phone specifically aimed at the 'Premium' segment. Nokia released several new phones in the premium class each more luxurious than its predecessor. The 8850 was aluminium, the 8890, titanium.

The appeal of these phones in rapidly growing Asian markets was not lost.  There was a gold version of 8850 designed specially for the Hong Kong market.   Nokia may have had an eye to these markets with the choice of the 88 prefix in the model number.

The final incarnation of this line was the steel bodied slider phone, the  Nokia 8800.  It took the analogy other luxury products to extremes. Journalists from East and West drooled over the precision craftsmanship, more familiar to luxury watchmakers,  reinforced scratch resistant glass and ball bearings used in the sports car industry.

Nokia premium phones

• 8810 - Frank Nuovo's slide phone with chrome look case (1998)
• 8850 - update on the 8850 with aluminium slider case (1999)
• 8910/8910i - titanium cased update on the 8850 (2002/2003)
• 8800/8801 - ultimate luxury phone using watch making techniques (2005)