Nokia N96 Hands-On, It’s A Video Brick
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.
Give me an N
Give me an 8
-Give me a 5
N85!
I will be waiting for TUBE. I want to see that QHD, and the TV-OUTPUT will be far more better than any N95 N96 N85, it will have VGA output or QHD or better HD!!
My N95-4 is the same as the N96, I dont need memory and DVB-H is useless in USA. The kickstand: I hold my N95-4 with a clip, as a kickstand.
@James Whatley
Testify.
I think the Nokia N96 will bomb unless they release it maybe two or three weeks ahead of the N85. What a waste of engineering marvel.
Agreed. This should have been released with the N78.
OMG my eyes are burning. How can you put the N96 next to the N81?!
Well, I think the Samsung INNOV8 with features like-
- Symbian OS v9.3
- 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels
- A-GPS
- 1200 mAh
- A microSD card slot + 16 GB internal memory
- 2.8 inches Screen
will killed off phones like N96.
Which I do not think is necessarily a bad thing as it pushes Nokia
to start being innovative again & stop rolling out phone which
do not bring anything new to the table.
-VJ
Great overview, and superb large photos Rita.!
Is the kick stand of the N95 metal, or plastic?
I meant N96, not N95 lol
Sorry.
I think N96 is not that bad, not at all. theres ofcourse more to it than what meets the eye. the build quality, the bigger screen and 16 GB complimented by 950mAh battery. We are used to 1200s and 1500s so 950 looks like half a day. but the guys are nokia are crying hoarse that the power saving optimization has been done to fullest. lets not gun it down guys just like that. lets wait for the final firmware versions of both n85 and n96 to hit the market and then see. otherwise, i do not see a rationale of having almost $150 – $160 price difference between the two just for the space! I feel, the chieftans at nokia would also have some brains to think it out
by the way, can i ask you a question which has got nothing to do with n96? i own n 82 and in love with it!! do you know a way of changing the standby apps. not the top icons. i know that. but the middle of the screen (the voice mailbox, calender entries, et al). or it is default?
the N96 is available for preorder on http://shop.nokia.co.uk
@edumana, the tv-out function is actually vga, not qvga. the cable converts them to that resolution. Also i wouldn’t recommend getting the tube, it’s not a flagship device and it will feature 3.2 mp camera, and frankly i just can’t get down from 5 mp to 3.2.
The real touch screen flagship will be announced in february as eldar from mobile review said, and it will be the milestone for the industry for at least a year.
@ Micky
- The Kick Stand is a hard plastic, not metal,
@ ashu
- you need to do a bit of minor *hacking* to your phone. That way you can remove every field individually.
[...] has been taking a look at the N96 over at Symbian Guru, and reckons it’s big – ‘very, very [...]
Ashu – I agree. In particular on the part that Nokia executives and other staff are probably not complete retards. :) My honest guess is that they do not expect N95-like sales of N96 at all. What they wanted to do is to have a clear flagship product in the N9x range, a refresher of sorts, kind of in-between now and the next gen harware additions.
And 16GB internal + microSD + second led + TV tuner + kickstand +FP2 while cutting the size 4cc compared to the N95 8GB is nothing to sneeze at actually..
well now all i need to c the head to head comparison with N95 8gb , now iam thinking wheather to go for n96 or n85
well my worry is , wats the use of 16gb wen my device is SLEEPING( 950mah will go soon to Zzz)
[...] also has a review of the Nokia N96 and also features a N85 vs N96 “cold war” [...]
[...] it for was video consumption, because during the N96 launch in Lebanon, the handset was presented as a convergence device geared towards the video experience. The ultimate test was to use the N96 as my in-flight movie device during my flight back from Paris [...]