We continue our coverage of the Nseries launch event in Lebanon by tackling individually each of the 3 handsets that were introduced. The first one, the N96, is … ehm … a brick. It’s big, very very big, and the design is made in a manner that makes it look even larger than it really is *sigh*. But underneath it all, the N96 packs almost every feature you can think of, so if you only consider how many pieces of consumer electronics the N96 will replace, it’s fair to admit that it is not THAT huge.
The N96′s design language is very similar to that of the N81, and the similarities are even more flagrant when you put the handsets next to each other. If you’re wondering how the N96 looks next to the gaming flagship, here are a few comparison shots for you to feast on. [Click on the images for the full versions]
The 2 handsets are almost the same length, but the N96 is much much wider. It’s also a great fingerprint magnet as you see, and unfortunately, I didn’t have the E90′s suede tissue with me to wipe it before taking the pictures. The keypad is wider but shorter than that of N81 and I believe this is a good move as the N81′s keypad is a little too tall. There’s also a bit more space between the top row of keys and the edge of the top slider. This will make it easier to press the 1, 2 and 3 keys without having to tap them by the tip of your finder. The typing feeling is very comparable to that of the N81. I wanted to make a little speed comparison but didn’t have enough time.
One thing I didn’t like about the N96 is that the camera button is very hard to press, I thought I was pressing it when I was just triggering the autofocus, then I had to press it even lower to take a picture. I hope they do improve this a bit on the final version.
On the opposite, the one thing that really impressed me when I had the N96 in my hand was that the build quality seemed rather good and, surprise, the slider was solid, not E66 solid, but much more than you’d expect from an Nseries. Good point Nokia. There was no wobbling in any of the 3 positions that it can take (closed, slid up and slid down), it’s also spring-loaded so it opens and closes very firmly but also very easily.
I also had some worries concerning the solidity of the kick-stand. I was especially wondering whether or not it would hold the N96 firmly, even if the slider was open, in keypad or most particularly in multimedia mode, because this is the one you’re most likely to use when you have the N96 sitting on a desk for music or video controlling. Well, the kick-stand holds the N96 in all 3 positions, although it is not perfectly balanced when in multimedia mode. It does work though, which will be good enough.
I was very skeptic towards the N96 before I held it. It surprised me by being more solid, better built but also wider than I thought. This and battery life are my major gripes with it now. Dual-LED might not be that big of a deal for many people. The screen is huge and beautiful, FP2 under the hood and 16GB of given memory, these features are impressive and make the N96′s major selling points. It might not be a handset for me, but it will attract many buyers, especially those video-junkies, because that’s the major market the N96 targets.
