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Monday March 10, 2008
First impressions : Nokia N78 and N96
By Spiridonov Anton (smape.com)
The last month’s Mobile World Congress 2008 which took place in
Barcelona was remarkable for a number of loud announces, including a
number of new Nokia products belonging to the Nseries. Nokia N96 and N78
turned out to be rather ambiguous additions to the portfolio. Nakia N96
hardly makes any progress further along the development line of the
revolutionary N95, but rather is a niche variant meant to expand the
original model’s life cycle; it hardly has anything really new about
it. The model preserved the same functionality and form factor, but
lacks the charm which made up most of the promotional impulse that
brought N95 atop the sales charts. The only real additions are 16 Gb of
user memory versus the 8 Gb of the original model and a DVB-H unit. S60
3rd Edition FP2 is the only major difference from the previous devices,
the updated platform sports a number of really useful improvements
touching on the user interface, which are to be reviewed in a dedicated
upcoming article. All the new Nokia phones are updated to the FP2
platform revision and share a lot of common on the software side, many
of the features have identical or very similar implementation, so this
article only covers the main points revealing the constructive
peculiarities of the two.
Nokia N78 is positioned as a sequel to the
successful N73 model, but in real life stands far from being such –
it’s just an inexpensive model for the mass market, sporting a perfect
balance between its functionality and price. This doesn’t make it a
photo flagman though. The guiding price for the model won’t exceed 350
euros, a perfect offer for its market segments: it has a GPS unit,
Wi-Fi, a 3.2 Mp auto-focusing camera reinforced with Carl Zeiss optics,
original design and compact dimensions. The handset looks like it has
far-going plans for conquering the market, the static photos steal much
of its charm seen in real life action. Nokia N82, the elder sister, has
a more strict yet bulky design. N78 is slimmer, which is easily spotted
with the naked eye. The principal difference between the two consists
in the types of cameras used. 3.2 Mp versus 5 Mp of N82 is the main
deal, the rest of features largely coincide. Given the 100 euro
difference in price, to some N78 might appear a better bargain than
N82. The model is a successful addition to the company’s portfolio,
being the most inexpensive Nseries device though not a slacker at all.
We predict its high popularity with the masses and a fairly long
lifetime.
The two devices come with a 2.4’’ screen of a very high quality, beating N82 in brightness and sun resistance.
Besides the original N82, Nokia 6220 Classic could
also make an indirect competitor to these models. The handset possesses
a comparable price and dimensions, the only major difference being the
lack of Wi-Fi. The camera is the same with N82, a 5 Mp unit with a
xenon flash. 6220 also makes a fine portfolio extension, the choice
between the two is a hard one.
The keyboard looks like a few thin lines of
button, in spite of the unusual design and brings no trouble. Though
the buttons are rather thin, the feedback is good enough. There’s a
good deal of resemblance between these and the buttons of SonyEricsson
W880i, sticking above the surface for a good deal. In comparison with
Nokia N82, the keyboard became a bit more convenient as well as the
controls. The controls block is covered with a solid piece of plastic,
the buttons aren’t segmented in any perceptible way, but at the same
time aren’t of the touch type. Due to the large surface of the buttons
they quite easy to operate. The keyboard backlighting is of a white
color, rather uneven at places. The key markings are placed next to the
buttons, invisible if inactive. The keyboard has a very unusual and
even stylish look about it. The silver-colored Navi Wheel and the
multimedia menu launching button are the only two parts that stand out
against the black glossy surface.
Just like Nokia N96, the device is designed with
much resemblance to N81. The material and build quality is on an
average level, invoking no negative emotions and a minimum of positive
ones. The both test samples screeched and squeaked as we applied strong
pressure to the battery cover, the sliding mechanism of N96 is still
far from being ideal; we hope this will eventually get fixed.
N78 has a standard set of slots and socket:
microUSB; charger slot; memory card slot, all the three on the left
edge; a 3.5 mm headset socket on the top end. There’s also a dedicated
camera launch button and a couple of volume buttons. The stereo
speakers occupy asymmetrical positions to provide for the maximum
distance between, which effectively results in a profound stereo
effect. The maximum sound volume, as usual for Nokia, is on the highest
level. Nokia N96 has its speakers placed on the one side of body, the
sound quality is much poorer.
The back surface has a texture analogous to N82 and N96. As we
mentioned in earlier reports, one of the marks differentiating between
Nseries and Eseries products is the texture pattern. Eseries products
utilize a dotted pattern familiar since E51. The cover is fastened in
the same fashion with N81, but feels significantly looser. The plastic
is glossy, exposed to soiling and worn spots.
Despite of its slim build, Nokia N78 comes with
a high capacity battery (BL-6F, 1200 mAh) identical to the one used in
Nokia N95 8GB. The average battery life amounts to about 2,5-3 days,
which is quite up to the modern standards.
The functionality is remarkable for the
following points GPS (as well as A-GPS) with the geo-tagging capacity
(Location Tagger). This application combines three operational
directions: Sharing, GPS and Photo. The camera interface includes a
quick option that enables automatic coordinate acquisition and meta
tagging of photos right after the shot button is pressed. Sharing the
photos in the Web will effectively make these data available to the
public. A very interesting solution indeed, another step towards the
ultimate convergence in the future days’ devices.
The FM transmitter allows to broadcast radio
signal to a compatible audio system or a car receiver. This function is
becoming increasingly popular in various phones by different brands.
The transmitter status is indicated on the desktop (as part of the new
active standby mode). Pay attention – N96 has no transmitter unlike its
junior counterpart.
It’s noteworthy that the functionality of the Navi
Wheel has been greatly expanded, now it responds to user actions in all
menus, which is much better than the limitation to the multimedia,
player and gallery menus as it used to be in N81. The implementation is
still weaker than the solutions seen in Motorola E8 (say hello to the
bigger and more comfortable FastScroll wheel), but at least now the
Nokia wheel makes some practical sense.
The camera interface utilizes the traditional
style common for all cameraphones by Nokia. It’s very handy and
practical, there’s plenty of settings, the performance is also on a
high level. The quality of shots is just the same with Nokia N73, 6500
Slide, which stands for one of the best camera available on the market
today.
Photo samples:
Nokia N96 was planned as the continuation of the
ideas which first emerged with N95, pioneering the all-in-one device
market; the device’s characteristics are maximized, though the number
of improvements is rather modest. The amount of onboard memory equals
to 16 Gb, the handset is equipped with a microSD card slot, so N96 is
so far the world’s champion in this aspect (however this status might
be put to doubt by Apple iPhone 16 Gb, however its distribution areas
are extremely limited). In addition to the significant memory size
boost, the phone also has a DVB-H unit, which unfortunately will prove
useless in a fair number of regions.
The device is being positioned as a video phone,
that is an portable video station serving more for the playback than
for recording. The maximum memory, a convenient desktop holder, a large
screen and the stereo speakers – so far this is the best seen for
mobile TV and film watching. This hardly makes a full-fledged successor
to N95 though, being but a lateral expansion of the portfolio (just
like N78). Due to a number of irresistible reasons, it can’t cover the
same market area as Nokia N95 did in its initial stages, rather
resorting to a niche.
Nokia N96 shares a striking resemblance in
design with N81, the two look almost identical from a distance, the
same form factor completing the impression. The plastic is of the same
glossy cheap type, very prone to greasing and tragically lacking chic.
The build assembly is also inferior, some parts are wobbly while other
screech on pressing. The surfaces develop worn spots rather quickly.
Nokia models from the business series enjoy a much better quality. Even
N95 8GB looks like a winner in comparison with N96 – just because the
former has more quality and style.
The handset’s dimensions didn’t change much from the
previous versions; it grew a bit longer and thinner, a certain bulky
feel is preserved due to the large screen. The display is of the same
type used in N95 8GB – bright, colorful and very good against the sun.
There’s a lot of controls, the navigation panel
is almost identical to that of Nokia N81, the player controls reside
around the Navi Wheel (duplicating the same keys on the slider’s second
half). In the game mode (the device supports the N-Gage service) two of
the four buttons change labels and act as gaming controls. Such a
possibility was missing in Nokia N95, by the way. The buttons are
rather flat, have a weak feedback and aren’t very comfortable in
general. The navigation block also inspires an impression not too
optimistic. Unlike N95 which had perfect ergonomics, the new product
has its buttons flattened and crowded, which predictably results in a
lot of mistyping. The Navi Wheel is the only part which got improved in
a real sense, not only because now it works in all menus, but also due
to the soft material now used for the wheel. This is the only good
point in the whole ergonomics overview. The numerical keypad is quite
standard, the same with N81. The button size is large enough not to be
of any annoyance.
The rest of controls include the camera launch /
shot button, the volume control buttons. There’s no separate button for
opening the gallery. The upper edge features a keypad blocker scroller
(identical to what N81 has), a standard 3.5 mm headset jack and the
profile switch button. The memory card slot is found on the left side,
it’s protected with a plastic flap. The stereo speakers, much in the
fashion of N82, sit on the same side of the phone, producing sound
slightly inferior in quality to N78 and N81.
The quality of shots should reach the level of N95
and N82 in the final version; so far nothing distinct can be said about
how good or bad the camera is since the beta camera software lacks
stability; due to this reason, we omit including photo samples in this
article. The number of available camera settings didn’t change since
Nokia N95.
The maximum battery life is another important
concern. Unlike N95 8GB, this model utilizes a 950 mAh battery just
like the original N95 does. This apparently is the device’s biggest
downside, though we haven’t had enough time to test the handset
thoroughly enough to see if there’s some new power saving technology
implemented or not. We hope time will tell as we accumulate more
experience exploring the device’s strengths and weak points.
Both devices, N78 and N96 are equipped with a
standard headset socket compatible with third party headsets, though
the sound quality isn’t identical at all as far as the two are
concerned. The current samples of Nokia N78 display a sound quality
almost analogous to that of N81, which is on a rather good level, while
N96 displays a rather poor audio capacity just like N95 does. We hope
this gets improved in the commercial version.
In general, even though we delivered a very
brief overview of the two devices’ features, this doesn’t mean we are
through with the tests and further examination; a detailed review of
N96 is just ahead. This device looks really interesting, and the
changes introduced in Feature Pack 2 deserve a separate article, which
will come in time. In a nutshell, the changes mainly embrace the user
interface, a new variation of the active standby mode was introduced,
bringing even more statistical information to the screen, the currently
running applications are easier to open and switch between, and a
number of miscellaneous beneficial changes were introduced, including a
more intuitive menu design.
Summing facts up, we would like to note that N78
is a most successful expansion to the current portfolio, a balanced and
relatively inexpensive specimen of the Nseries targeted at a maximally
wide audience. The model will coexist with Nokia N82 in the same market
segment, the only differentiating factors being design and camera
capabilities; the difference in software platform isn’t that much of an
influence on the buyer’s opinion. The device’s presence on the market
is only justified if the price is about 70-100 euros lower than N82.
Otherwise N82 would surely hold the upper hand in the competition with
its junior counterpart because its superior camera is something that
most consumers pay much concern to. On the other hand, N78 has the
advantages of FP2, updated software versions (e.g. Nokia Maps 2.0), a
slightly better ergonomics and smaller dimensions. So if you don’t care
about the camera, N78 should do better for you than N82.
Nokia N96 is quite another story. Unlike N78,
this one is likely to occupy but a narrow niche, avoiding the vast
fields of mass market. The N95 8GB model effectively substitutes it
there due to the lower price and a more traditional design. N96 is
little more than an extra variant of the original N95, the true
successor is yet to be seen. Nokia N96 has no direct competitors, the
functionality of the device is so far unique, but our final impressions
are a little bit on the negative side. Nokia N95 8G is a beneficial
update to the original N95 model in every aspect, sporting a large
number of improvements in all device components; N96 is obviously not –
the ergonomics, build quality, materials and design seem to have
degraded. Probably this is also true for the battery life and image
quality. The owners of N95 8GB shouldn’t pay much attention to N96
since it makes a very doubtful replacement. The only real arguments to
have it are the lack of an original N95 at hand or the necessity of
having a large amount of onboard memory and a DVB-H module.
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