Enter the Nokia N96. We had the specs leak only a few days ago, but there were some things missed that I feel are rather crucial. First, the dual slide features not only the 4 multimedia keys, but also two gaming keys, and are smart enough to know which keys you’re using. That’s brilliant. The kickstand around the camera, which we knew about a while back, is also completely brilliant and something I hope Nokia implements in every single handset from here on out. It’s gotta be dirt cheap to build in, and really adds to the experience, I think.

• Symbian S60v3 Feature Pack 2
• Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and dual-band HSDPA (900/2100MHz)
• 103mm x 55mm x 18mm (4″ x 2.2″ x .7″) compared to the N95’s 99mm x 53mm x 19mm
  (4.0″ x 2.0″ x 0.7″)
• 125g
• 2.8″ QVGA display with 16m colors
• 950mAh battery
• WiFi with uPnP
• DVB-H (digital TV)
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics, dual-LED flash for photos and video light, secondary front-facing VGA cam for video calling
• VGA quality video recording at 30 fps
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and A2DP
• 3.5mm AV outlet for audio and TV-Out
• AGPS with Nokia Maps 2.0 and built-in geotagging
• 16GB internal flash memory, microSD card slot
• Hidden kickstand for watching video
• Dual-slide with dedicated multimedia keys and gaming keys.
• Available Q3 2008, Priced at EUR 550 (US$800)

You can view the full data sheet here (PDF warning).

16GB, PLUS a microSD card slot. With 8GB microSD cards dropping below $80 shipped, you can easily cram 24GB into your phone, which is the absolute most in any handset on the market, and puts the iPhone to shame. The real key here, though, is going to be the data transfer speeds via the microUSB port. This was one of the reasons I was disenchanted from the N81 8GB and N95 8GB, and hopefully they’ve fixed it.

I’m still in complete shock at the sheer number of features they crammed into this thing, and it’s still only .2″ wider than the N95. Unreal. I’m also in complete shock that they would be daft enough to still only put a 950mAh battery in there. Are you serious? There’s no mention of an accelerometer, though I’d be astonished if this bad boy wasn’t packing one.

The N96’s Press Release also mentions an updated Video Center, as well as support for Windows Media Video and Flash Video. Where’s the Divx? I also found it really fascinating that one of the screens in the press photos shows a scene from the upcoming Batman movie, ‘The Dark Knight.‘ I could easily see this behemoth in a Batman Edition, but only with a well-designed theme and a few ringtones.

Dotsisx’s Take

While I wonder whether N95-2, N95-3 or N95-4 owners will move onto a N96, knowing the lack of a decent battery and a decent camera upgrade (at least a Xenon!), it’s no doubt that this N96 will be a top-seller in no time. It features the one main missing link of the N95, DVB-H, and it takes multimedia computers one step closer to perfection. As Ricky notes, the huge amount of internal storage will be a winning point, and I believe the excruciating microUSB transfer speeds won’t be deal-breakers as users usually buy the device and then discover this disadvantage.

One very very annoying thing I have to note is the presence of the gaming keys on the slider. This won’t be easy to handle for more than a minute, take my word for it. While having the device in landscape in your hands, the difference of thickness and level between both sides will make it a painful experience. I wish I could explain this in words, but it won’t make sense, needs a video. If I get my hands on this bad boy, I’ll definitely try it. Oh I hope I’m wrong.

Categories: Mobile World Congress 2008
Tags: N96, nokia, nseries