Nokia Booklet 3G
Specifications
Price comparison
Average of 26 scores (from 38 reviews)
Reviews for the Nokia Booklet 3G
Phase-out model. The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia, ventured into the netbook sector in 2009 with the Booklet 3G. We take a look at the still available, former luxury netbook with now obsolete hardware about two years later. Read in this review where the once premium Booklet is placed today.
Source: Mobile Computer Archive.org version
The idea of paying £660 for an Intel Atom-powered netbook with a 10.1” screen may seem absurd, particularly when excellent models cost half as much, but that’s just how much Nokia wants for its Booklet 3G. It looks amazing and lasts for ages away from the mains, but the Nokia Booklet 3G is fabulously overpriced for what’s on offer. Better Windows 7 performance and beefier graphics might just have convinced us, but as it stands, netbooks that cost half as much are just as usable as this.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/09/2010
Rating: Total score: 50%
Source: CNet Archive.org version
The 10.1-inch Booklet 3G is mobile-phone maker Nokia's belated attempt to join the netbook party. The Nokia Booklet 3G is a wonderful piece of engineering. We love its integrated 3G modem, its high-resolution screen, its exceptional battery life and its fan-free design. It's hard to ignore the fact, however, that most of its rivals manage to provide similar features for far less financial outlay.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/18/2010
Rating: Total score: 82%
Source: Channel Web Archive.org version
The mobile-maker has released an impressive but expensive laptop. Nokia’s first laptop (with the exception of a short-lived series of computers in the 1980s) is an impressive device. It’s encased in a brushed aluminium case and is slim enough to draw glances when you open in up in public. A supremely impressive notebook, but the price is far too high.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/12/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: V3.co.uk Archive.org version
Nokia’s first laptop (with the exception of a short-lived series of computers in the 1980s) is an impressive device. It’s encased in a brushed aluminium case and is slim enough to draw glances when you open in up in public. Despite its slimness (its height is less than an inch when closed) the Nokia Booklet 3G is heavy. A supremely impressive notebook, but the price is far too high
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/12/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Computing Archive.org version
Nokia’s first laptop (with the exception of a short-lived series of computers in the 1980s) is an impressive device. It’s encased in a brushed aluminium case and is slim enough to draw glances when you open in up in public. Despite its slimness (its height is less than an inch when closed) the Nokia Booklet 3G is heavy. A supremely impressive notebook, but the price is far too high.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/12/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: IT Reviews Archive.org version
Nokia has to be applauded for creating a solid, attractive and well-designed netbook. Its excellent battery life and built-in 3G are also impressive, but at £650 the Booklet 3G is outrageously expensive. The reason netbooks have experienced such unprecedented success is essentially down to one thing: their low price tags. Nokia's taken a big risk in designing a premium netbook, and the fact not a single UK mobile operator has taken it on indicates that gamble might not pay off.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/11/2010
Rating: price: 30% mobility: 90%
Source: Channel Web Archive.org version
A sturdy mini laptop with mobile broadband but a steep price tag. Nokia's Booklet 3G is undeniably well designed and has a good battery life, but it also costs significantly more than other netbooks with a similar specification. While it also offers built-in GPS and mobile broadband, the latter requires users to invest more money for a 3G data connection, and no UK carrier was offering to subsidise it at the time of writing.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/03/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Computing Archive.org version
A sturdy mini laptop with mobile broadband but a steep price tag. Nokia's Booklet 3G is undeniably well designed and has a good battery life, but it also costs significantly more than other netbooks with a similar specification. While it also offers built-in GPS and mobile broadband, the latter requires users to invest more money for a 3G data connection, and no UK carrier was offering to subsidise it at the time of writing.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/03/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
The best netbook we've seen to date, but it comes at a high price. Following the success of the netbook concept, even manufacturers not usually associated with laptops are looking to get in on the action. The latest is Nokia with its Booklet 3G. If you place quality above a bargain-basement price, you currently won't find a better netbook on the market, and the all-day battery life greatly adds to its overall appeal.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/27/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: It Pro Archive.org version
There’s no doubt that the Nokia Booklet 3G is attractive and well built. However, its feature set puts it at the low end of the netbook market, yet it carries a high-end price tag. Built-in 3G connectivity and a battery that genuinely will last for a working day set it out from the crowd, but in return Nokia is asking for a price premium that would make even Apple blush. To work as a business device, the Booklet 3G needs to be faster, cheaper or - ideally - both.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/20/2010
Rating: Total score: 50%
Source: Reg Hardware Archive.org version
Given its unparalleled success in the mobile phone market, it was only a matter of time before Nokia tried its hand at creating a laptop. The Finnish manufacturer isn’t keen on its Booklet 3G being called a netbook, though. Instead, ‘mini laptop’ is the preferred term. But with features such as 10.1in screen and Intel Atom processor, it sure looks like a netbook to us. With an excellent chassis and built-in mobile broadband, it's an enticing piece of kit. But is there really a market for premium netbooks?
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/12/2010
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
Okay, so the glossy black plastic lid back is a fingerprint magnet that renders the Booklet 3G greasy looking as soon as you touch it. But you’ve got to admire the superb overall craftsmanship of this netbook – at least, right up until the point you need to use the screen. At £649, this is a very expensive netbook, but one that we’d be happy to list as ‘desirable but more for aspirational interest’. Sadly, thanks to a low-quality LCD display, the missing ’aporth of tar has irreversibly spoilt this good ship.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/06/2010
Rating: Total score: 60% price: 40% features: 80% workmanship: 90%
Source: Pocket Lint Archive.org version
If we were to judge the book by its cover we would be praising the Nokia Booklet 3G from the rooftops. It's a stylish well built piece of kit from the outside. The trouble is that Nokia hasn't maximised the inside as well as they could have, meaning that you are left with a machine that isn't as good as it could have been. If you're not looking to do anything too aggressive then the Booklet 3G will suit you fine, but that posh exterior makes you believe otherwise. More worrying, however, is the price
Review Type Unknown, online available, Long, Date: 12/22/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Engadget Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/04/2009
Rating: price: 40% performance: 40%
Source: Slashgear Archive.org version
We want to love the Booklet 3G, if only because it looks so good. Problem is, once you turn it on you’re stuck with performance that even the first-gen netbooks generally exceeded, and if that’s frustrating when the Nokia is box-fresh then imagine how you’ll feel when you’re into the second year of your data contract. The downside to that clean, unspoilt chassis is that doing some DIY upgrading is almost certain to invalidate your warranty; no core part of the Booklet 3G is intended to be user-accessible.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/23/2009
performance: 30%
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
The Nokia Booklet 3G netbook is rugged and solidly built - but some quirks make it a slightly too-pricey portable PC. The sturdy frame and reasonably slick lines of the Nokia Booklet 3G show that the company has what it takes to make a smart-looking portable. But considering the poor choice of components (really, a tiny, slow hard drive?) and the above-mentioned quirks, this is a too-pricey portable. If someone tried selling us the Booklet 3G at £500, we'd hesitate. The subsidised deals may rope some people in, when carriers start offering the Nokia Booklet 3G.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/16/2009
Rating: price: 50% workmanship: 80%
Source: PC World Archive.org version
Nokia spokespeople are quick to correct you if you slip and call the Booklet 3G a netbook. Well, let's see: It has a tiny, clamshell, laptop-like design. It has meager specs (1GB of RAM, Intel's Z530 1.6-GHz Atom CPU, and a 4200-rpm 120GB hard drive). As nice as this machine looks, it lacks the gumption to make for a versatile netbook. And, yes, it has a good battery life, but we've seen better for less in Toshiba's NB205 (it runs faster for 10 hours). Want a little more power instead of battery life? The $400 HP Mini 311 (with a decent GPU) is another alternative.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/13/2009
Rating: Total score: 40%
Source: CNet Archive.org version
Mobile phone maker Nokia is jumping into the Netbook pool with its recently announced Booklet 3G laptop, offering a premium-feeling system for a rock-bottom price, as long as you agree to a two-year AT&T mobile data contract. Nokia's entry in the crowded Netbook field shows that the company's hardware know-how translates to computer design, but a poor choice of CPU should give you pause.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/10/2009
Rating: Total score: 76% performance: 50% features: 90% mobility: 90%
Source: PC Mag Archive.org version
Nokia is one of the most unlikely companies to launch a netbook, given that cell phones are its claim to fame. Most manufacturers can attest that the key to a successful netbook is to find the right combination of differentiators while minimizing its flaws. Easily the most luxurious netbook to date, the Booklet 3G is a tough recommendation when its price is bloated and performance doesn't measure up to cheaper netbooks.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/10/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Laptop Mag Archive.org version
This aluminum 3G netbook delivers plenty of style and endurance, but it’s relatively small keyboard and slow performance diminish its appeal. We typically recommended against netbooks with built-in 3G because they offer modest savings in exchange for locking you into a hefty service charge for 24 months. However, the Nokia Booklet 3G stands out from the subsidized crowd with a clean, modern design, and by offering about 8.5 hours of battery life. On the other hand, the Toshiba mini NB205 has a speedier 5,400-rpm hard drive, lasts nearly 9 hours on a charge, and comes with a much better keyboard for $229 (with a two-year commitment to Sprint or Verizon Wireless).
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/08/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: V3.co.uk Archive.org version
Nokia's Booklet 3G is very impressive as a first attempt at a netbook by a phone manufacturer. The engineering and design work, and the thought that have obviously gone into the Booklet 3G, do shine through. We have our reservations about the heat output as this netbook is fanless, but we're open to being convinced that it's a good design after we fully test it. We also have a minor reservation about the battery but, once again, until we thoroughly put it through its paces, we'll reserve our final judgement.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/09/2009
Rating: emissions: 50%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookcheck DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/14/2011
Rating: Total score: 79% performance: 31% display: 63% mobility: 95% workmanship: 65% ergonomy: 71% emissions: 93%
Source: Notebookinfo DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/05/2010
Rating: Total score: 79% performance: 39% features: 90% display: 60% mobility: 94% workmanship: 93%
Source: Netzwelt DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/07/2009
Rating: performance: 90% features: 80%
Source: Cyberbloc DE→EN Archive.org version
User Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/06/2009
Rating: price: 40%
Source: Tom's Hardware DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/03/2009
Rating: price: 60% mobility: 80%
Source: Connect - 1/2010
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 77% performance: 54% features: 68% mobility: 100% ergonomy: 86%
Source: Computerbild - 1/2010
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 81% price: 40% performance: 69% features: 78% display: 82% ergonomy: 78% emissions: 100%
Source: Netzwelt DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/17/2009
Rating: performance: 90% features: 80%
Source: Chip.de DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/13/2009
Rating: Total score: 77% price: 43% performance: 43% features: 76% display: 52% mobility: 91% ergonomy: 97%
Source: e-media - 25/09
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/01/2009
Rating: price: 40% performance: 40% workmanship: 95%
Source: Connect - 11/2009
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 80% features: 80% ergonomy: 80%
Source: ZDNet DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/15/2009
Rating: price: 40% display: 40% mobility: 80%
Source: MuyComputer ES→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 59%
Source: Prohardver.hu HU→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/28/2010
Rating: price: 40% display: 60% mobility: 80% emissions: 80%
Source: Sohoa VN Express VN→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 11/17/2009
Rating: Total score: 65%
Source: Komputer for alle DA→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/06/2010
Rating: price: 50%
Comment
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 500: Integrated (onboard) graphics chip on the UL11L, US15L, and US15W chipsets with a licensed PowerVR SGX core. DirectX 10.1 support but because of low clock rates (100-200 MHz UL11L - US15) and only 4 shaders not suited for 3D games. The integrated video decoder accelerates the playback of HD videos (MPEG2, VC-1, AVC).
These graphics cards are not suited for Windows 3D games. Office and Internet surfing however is possible.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Atom: The Intel Atom series is a 64-Bit (not every model supports 64bit) microprocessor for cheap and small notebooks (so called netbooks), MIDs, or UMPCs. The speciality of the new architecture is the "in order" execution (instead of the usual and faster "out of order" execution). Therefore, the transistor count of the Atom series is much lower and, thus, cheaper to produce. Furthermore, the power consumption is very low. The performance per Megahertz is therfore worse than the old Pentium 3M (1,2 GHz on par with a 1.6 GHz Atom).
Z530:
Power saving version of the Atom N270 with additional Virtualization Support and more power saving techniques. The performance is equal to the N270 and therefore only suited for basic tasks.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.10.10":
This is a standard display format for tablet computers or small convertibles. You see more on the screen than on a smartphone but you can't use big resolutions well. On the other hand, mobility is not a problem.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Nokia: Nokia is a Finnish company founded in 1865 and headquartered in Finland. The company is known for its telecommunications equipment and cell phones. Nokia was one of the leading manufacturers of cell phones in the 1990s and has expanded its business into networking and technology solutions in recent years.
In 2011, Nokia partnered with Microsoft on Windows-based cell phones and sold the entire cell phone division to Microsoft in 2014, which limited the Nokia brand name to basic cell phones. In 2016, Finnish electronics manufacturer HMD Global entered into a licensing agreement with Nokia, bought the remaining Nokia name rights from Microsoft Mobile, and since 2017 has exclusively offered Nokia cell phones worldwide, which are based on Android, among other things, and are produced by Foxconn.
67.08%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.