Various themes are included in the Nokia 8801. Ryuichi Sakamoto, an award-winning composer, composed the phone's sounds and ring tones. Ring tones can be used in both mp3 and ACC formats. The phone supports Bluetooth technology, however it doesn't offer IrDA. It does offer both GPRS and EDGE. The phone offers a hands free speaker available, much like users will find in many phones on the market. Users will also be happy to find an mp3 player. But, since the phone's internal storage is limited to just 64 MB, the player's features are limited as well. Unlike other phones, in addition to the mp3 player, users will find that the Nokia 8801 also comes equipped with a radio. There is a downside to these features, though. There is a proprietary audio jack in this phone, which means that users are unable to plug in any headset he or she wants. And since the sound on the phone is available in a mono-only option, users will be unable to hear their music in stereo sound. An XHTML-capable browser is available, although users may not like that they must enter GPRS configuration settings manually to use it. The Nokia 8801 call quality is very good. However, one complaint often made is that even the phone's highest audio setting is still too low for some users, making callers hard to hear when users are in a situation where there is loud background noise drowning out the call's sounds. There are also no volume buttons located on the side of the phone. To adjust the volume, users must use the right/left keys on the phone's keypad.
call quality is very good. However, one complaint often made is that even the Nokia 8801 highest audio setting is still too low for some users, making callers hard to hear when users are in a situation where there is loud background noise drowning out the call's sounds. There are also no volume buttons located on the side of the phone. To adjust the volume, users must use the right/left keys on the phone's keypad.

The camera that comes with the phone is considered to be quite mediocre in comparison to those that come with some of the phones also available today. Photos can be changed to a maximum size of 800 x 600, a night mode can be activated, videos can be recorded, and a timer can be activated in order to take pictures using the delay feature. However, the pictures it takes aren't as good as they can be. Regardless, the beauty of the Nokia 8801 and the variety of the features offered make it a wonderful choice for even the most discerning mobile phone user.