One by one the tech sites are weighing in with opinions of the Nokia 808 PureView. PocketNow has produced a longish one-piece review, with plenty of images, sample photos and videos, concluding that 'Nokia surely managed to step up the game in a serious way' with this device. Yes, there are the usual reservations over Symbian, but most of the observations here seem valid. Some choice quotes below.

Some quotes from PocketNow's conclusion:

Nokia can really say that they have accomplished their mission. Espoo said they waited for someone to steal the crown from the Nokia N8 and, after waiting and waiting, they decided to make a product that would allow them to steal it themselves. 

Not sure about the 'waiting and waiting' theory(!) PureView has been in research and development ever since the Nokia N93, but yes, nothing else in the phone world has topped the N8 for camera or camcorder functions - other than the Nokia's own 808 here.

Surely, the 808 PureView is a smartphone but a “smart camera” description would better suit it (a camera which can make phone calls, send e-mails and run applications). If you are not a power user and your daily usage implies using the phone, sending e-mails, texts, listening to music, snapping pictures and recording videos plus the occasional navigation, this phone is for you.

Plus podcasts, some games and other favourite apps.... I get PocketNow's point here, but I'd call all of the above pretty darned 'smart'!

This phone is also for you if you already have the Nokia N8 and you want to keep it Symbian, while upgrading  your hardware. However, if smartphone functionality is more important for you than the camera, you should probably either pass on this one if you are completely uninterested or wait for the PureView technology to come to Windows Phone if the platform is the only thing that holds you back (however, the 41-megapixel sensor might not make it to other platforms even if the PureView technology will).

Again we come back to the definition of what makes a 'smartphone' - I'd argue that it's a massively converged device that can do many things well, with native applications, while PocketNow would argue that a smartphone is something huge which can (for example) browse desktop-designed web sites and run boutique applications. I think we can agree to disagree.

At the end of the day, the 808 PureView might only be a proof of concept, a pioneer, or a soon to become collector’s item, but Nokia surely managed to step up the game in a serious way!

I think the 808 can be all three, actually, but good to see some acknowledgement of Nokia's achievements in terms of PureView tech.

I found PocketNow's summary schematic breakdown for the 808 interesting, a nice way to show who the device is 'for':