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Although it's one of Nokia's most anticipated handsets this year it looks like the US may have to wait a little longer for the Finnish smartphone which will be released in the UK September 23.

Slightly underpowered but with an impressive camera, it will feature the Symbian 3^ OS which should compensate for its shortcomings in the processor department. The handset is a promising offering which could bolster Nokia's presence in the smartphone market - and it looks good to boot.

Officially announced back in April, fans may have been dismayed when the rumoured August release passed, but now won't have to wait long for the device.

Apart from the striking styling which is available in a range of colours, one of the N8's standout features of is its 12mp camera. Capable of capturing 720p video and with a Carl Zeiss lens, it should give other phone cameras out there more than a run for their money. Inside it features a 680Hz ARM 11 processor with 256MB of RAM, not that impressive for a new smartphone, though a lot will depend on how well Symbian^3 runs on it. The screen is also lower res than might be expected at 360 x 640 pixels, though it is designed for HD video at a 16:9 resolution. The display still looks impressive with a bright 3.5" AMOLED capacitative touchscreen.

There's a lot of buzz surrounding Symbian^3 with its touchscreen interface that promises to do everything you'd expect from the iPhone. It also offers 250 new apps and is highly customisable, demonstrated by a preview video on the Symbian website.

While no carriers have been announced for the phone in the US, it is available for pre-order on Nokia's website for $549 with a release pegged for the end of September. If the N8 doesn't impress then there is still the N9 to look forward to, a similar device but with a sliding QWERTY, which is rumoured for a Christmas release.

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