It may not be the most fulsome of praise, but at this point, with Nokia (NYSE: NOK) expected to report a hit in sales tomorrow, the world’s largest phone maker will probably take it. GC Capital analyst Tero Kuittinen has dubbed Nokia’s 5800, as the “poor man’s iPhone,” with other analysts agreeing that the handset makers first touch screen model, especially popular outside of the U.S., may be one its few bright spots in Q1, reports Reuters. Nomura analyst Stuart Jeffrey said in a note that the 5800, “has clearly been a big success and may well prove to be Nokia’s biggest profit driver in the first half of 2009.”

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The 5800, it seems, is being boosted by what JP Morgan analysts in a note called “a new ‘cheap chic” attitude to consumption,” with consumers looking to upgrade, but to upgrade cheaply. In the UK, the 5800 has sold out on a regular basis, while its lower price has helped it beat iPhone sales in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia. Kuittinen estimates that Nokia could ship more than 2.5 million 5800’s in the January-March quarter, which Reuters points out is the same estimate for iPhone shipment volumes. Kuittinen wrote, “Outside the US market, it is emerging as ‘the poor man’s iPhone’ - a device with clunky and old-fashioned software, but much cheaper price, better camera quality, lower weight and far superior stand-by time.”