Nokia’s 41MP 808 PureView coming to U.S. for $699, meant for rich eccentrics

Nokia’s killer new camera phone is finally coming to America, but unless you’ve got $700 to burn, we recommend holding off.

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Nokia announced today that the 808 PureView, which is now infamous for its 41-megapixel camera, will soon be available for $699 on Amazon for U.S. customers. You’re paying a pretty penny, since you’re buying the phone off-contract, and you’ll have to provide your own AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card (Update: T-Mobile has confirmed the phone will work fine on its 3G and HSPA+ network).

We’ve covered extensively why the 808 PureView’s camera is so remarkable. It packs an astounding number of pixels into a tiny sensor, allowing you to zoom into photos in extreme ways. But the phone also runs Nokia’s aging Symbian Belle OS, which is nowhere near a worthy competitor to the iPhone and Android.

Is it really worth suffering through a clunky OS and app ecosystem just to get your hands on a cool cellphone camera? I would say no — unless you just love being the only person in the room with a quirky gadget (breaking: the 808 PureView is now the perfect hipster phone). For everyone else, you’re better off nabbing one of the latest Android phones (the HTC One series, or Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S III), the iPhone 4S, or just holding out for Apple’s upcoming iPhone.

Nokia has previously mentioned that the PureView camera technology will eventually make its way to the company’s Windows Phones. Wait a year or so, and you’ll be able to get this crazy camera tech on a platform that won’t make your hate yourself.

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