Nokia N8 — one of the most iconic smartphones of the early 2010s — is experiencing an unexpected revival in 2026, thanks to a community-developed custom ROM that breathes new life into the aging Symbian device and makes it surprisingly usable again in the modern era.
Originally launched in 2010, the Nokia N8 was celebrated for its ahead-of-its-time hardware, particularly its 12MP Carl Zeiss camera with a powerful Xenon flash — a combination that allowed it to outperform many early smartphones in photography. However, its software, built on Symbian, struggled to keep up as iOS and Android rapidly evolved. Even after Nokia’s later Nokia Belle update, official support gradually faded, leaving the N8 largely confined to nostalgia rather than practical use.
More than 15 years later, an enthusiast-led project called “Reborn” has emerged to modernise the device. Built on a refined version of Nokia Belle, the custom ROM optimises performance, removes outdated restrictions, and restores functionality that had become broken or obsolete over time. One of the most significant improvements is the inclusion of updated HTTPS certificates, allowing the N8 to access modern websites more reliably — something nearly impossible on stock firmware.
The ROM also eliminates Symbian’s strict app-signing requirements, making it far easier to install third-party applications than before. Early demonstrations show smoother navigation, better system stability, and a surprisingly functional experience for basic tasks such as browsing, messaging, and photography. In many ways, the project allows the Nokia N8 to perform closer to its original promise rather than the limitations imposed by its aging platform.
If you want have a Nokia N8 and want to give it a try, you may try to do it at your own risk with the video above, though you might want to have a computer or virtual machine running Windows 10 or older, as the USB drivers of the Nokia N8 has been reportedly to crash newer computers.
Here’s the link to the custom firmware.
