MobileTechReview.com Phone, Smartphone, Notebook and Gadget Reviews and buyers guide
Phone Notebooks & Tablets Gaming Gadgets iPhone & iPad Shop Forum

Advertisement

Home -> Phone Reviews -> Nokia N96-3, Nokia N85-3 and Nokia N79-3

Roundup Review: Nokia N96, Nokia N85 and Nokia N79 US Models

Nokia N96 Editor's rating (1-5): rating starrating starrating starrating star
Nokia N85 Editor's rating (1-5): rating starrating starrating starrating star
Nokia N79 Editor's rating (1-5): rating starrating starrating starrating star
Discuss this product
Where to Buy (N96-3)
Where to Buy (N85-3)
Where to Buy (N79-3)

Reviewed February 1, 2009 by Lisa Gade, Editor in Chief

The latest round of Nokia Nseries smartphones have hit the US. Fondly termed the -3 models, these are the Nokia N96-3, N85-3 and N79-3. The -3 means that these are US models with US 3G on AT&T's 850/1900MHz bands and they're sold by Nokia stores here in the US and by US retailers like Dell, Best Buy and Buy.com. They carry US warranties but are sold unlocked without a contract. This means a higher price tag, but there are no strings attached and you can use the phone with any GSM carrier. Sorry T-Mobile US folks, Nokia hasn't yet made an unlocked NSeries phone with T-Mobile's 3G bands, but the phones work just fine for voice and on T-Mobile's EDGE network.

A few years ago, Nokia started the Nseries (and E series) lines, with the N models billed as "multimedia computers" that had high resolution autofocus cameras, very good video playback and N-Gage gaming support on most models. The E series models are geared toward business and some have QWERTY keyboards (E71 and E90) with lesser cameras but still good multimedia playback performance. Fast forward to today, and the Nseries line has become crowded indeed, with many models that have overlapping features and even similar physical designs. When the Nokia N95, released in Europe and Asia first, then later in the US as the N95-3 and N95-4, the N95 became a cult classic and the phone to beat for nearly 2 years. It seems that even Nokia themselves couldn't beat it by much of a margin with the N96, the N95's successor. In fact, while all three phones are nice units, we're starting to hear Talking Head's "same as it ever was" in our heads. These new models offer incremental improvements, but nothing groundbreaking as with the N95 at its launch and year of reign.

Nokia N96, N85 and N79

The Nokia N96, N85 and N79 US versions.

Nokia N96, N85 and N79

These phones have common DNA and nearly identical features: all run Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, have a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, front-facing video conferencing camera (a feature not supported by US carriers), QVGA display, aGPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a music player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack, Flash Lite 3 and a traditional keypad with no touch screen. Perhaps that's the rub: pretty much every high end phone packs most of these features so there's little ground for competition. Thanks to the iPhone and to a lesser extent Android on the G1 and TouchWiz on a variety of Samsung phones, touch screens and shiny new operating systems get the glory. The N-trio lack a touch screen and run ever slowly evolving versions of Symbian OS and S60. Nokia has finally jumped onto the touch screen bandwagon with the XpressMusic 5800 (aka Tube), and the even more recent Nokia N97 which may well be the phone that can take the crown from the N95. That said, there are still plenty of folks who prefer traditionally designed phones with number pads and no touch screen, and these Nseries models are for them.

The N96 is the most expensive model in this review and its list price on Nokia's US website is currently $705, though you can find it for less. The N85 is in the middle at approximately $492 and the N79 is the least expensive at $429. All have US warranties and 3G and are unlocked GSM phones. The N96 and N85 have two-way sliders while the N79 is a candybar phone.

Nokia N96 Design and Ergonomics

The N96 bears a resemblance to the N95, with its two-way slider (slide the display down to reveal the music playback control strip and slide up to reveal the number pad), stereo speakers and 2.8" QVGA display. It's more modern and classy looking, with a flush display (though flush displays serve a functional purpose on touch screen phones, they are pleasingly trendy on non-touch screen models). While the N95 models virtually shouted "I'm all plastic!" the N96 says "I'm stylish and really solid plastic". The black front face is dominated by the display and modern flush controls and the back features the cool swirled pattern reminiscent of HP's Imprint notebook finish. The ring around the camera lens pops out to serve as a kickstand when the phone is in landscape orientation-- very nice! Not so nice is the lack of a lens cover and the lens plastic picks up fingerprints and refracts light in bright sunlight photos shot facing the sun.

 

 

Deals and Shopping:

 

 

Nokia N95 and N96

Above: the Nokia N95-3 and the Nokia N96.

Though there's always talk of Nokia's wobbly sliders, our review unit is tight as a drum, and it locks firmly into place when slid in either direction. The N96 is large and chunky-- though it isn't actually much larger than the N95, it looks and feels larger.

Nokia N96

Nokia N96-3.

Nokia N96

The ring around the lens pops out and acts as a stand!

The flush front controls aren't the best for those who operate their phone without looking it-- it's easy enough to feel the d-pad ring but the two soft keys, menu key and clear key are impossible to locate by feel. The call send and end buttons are ever-so-slightly raised so you might feel them... but that's iffy. The silver multimedia key is raised and easy to feel (it launches a carousel view of the music player, TV, N-Gage, web browser, maps, contacts and photos). The d-pad "breathes" (Nokia's term) to indicate missed calls and other events, but it's not the Navi wheel found on the N79 and N85-- it is confusing that there's a setting called "Navi wheel" but no Navi wheel option, only breathing settings.

Nokia N96

The camera and volume buttons are on the phone's right side. The camera button is ever so slightly raised but it has oddly long travel, making it hard to press all the way down to capture a shot. The SDHC microSD card slot is on the left side under a cover, while the standard Nokia round charging port and new micro USB port are on the bottom. The 3.5mm stereo headset jack is up top and Nokia includes a good quality earbud stereo headset with a dongle that has volume controls and a mic (thus you can plug in your own stereo headphones and use them for calls as well as music).

Nokia N96

The keypad keys are roomy and easy to text with. They're completely flat and there's no surface ridging to tell you that your finger has moved from one key to the next, but we'll take this keypad over the Nokia N82's any day. Nokia has added a lock slider button to their latest Nseries models, and the N96's is located up top. This is a handier way of unlocking the phone when it's in keyguard mode vs. hitting two separate keys.

N85 Design and Ergonomics

The N85 is smaller and lighter than the N96, though it shares the dual slider design. It looks more plasticy (and is in fact less expensive so that's fair) from the front and side views, though the backs are quite similar. It has the same swirled pattern on the back and the body is bronze-brown (Nokia calls it copper) vs. the N96's dark gray with faux metal sides. Since the phone is smaller, the keypad is smaller but the design and usability are otherwise the same as the N96. Thus the number keys are flat but easy enough to press.

Nokia N85

The Nokia N85 is the only model in this trio to feature an OLED display.

Nokia N85

The N85 has a sliding door that protects the camera lens. Slide it open to start the camera application.

The front buttons are again very similar to the N96 and the soft keys, menu key and clear key aren't traditional buttons. Instead they're mechanical switches that live under the front face. The call send and end buttons are "normal" buttons, but they're very thin strips that aren't the easiest to press. We'd prefer something larger for these all-important keys. The N85 also has a multimedia button like the N96 with identical placement and function. The d-pad is likewise very similar, but it adds the Navi wheel feature, where you can scroll in certain places by swirling your finger across the central d-pad area. We didn't find this feature expedient, and honestly using the d-pad in the traditional way is quicker and easier.

Nokia N85

N85 keypad

The 3.5mm stereo jack, micro USB charging/syncing port (old round-connector Nokia chargers won't fit) and power button are located up top. In addition, the N85 has a new feature among Nseries phones: it can charge over USB. The microSD card slot lives under a door on the phone's left side, while the volume controls, hold switch and camera button are on the right.

Nokia N85

N85 right side with camera button, hold switch and volume keys. Stereo speakers flank these on the ends.

Nokia N79 Design and Ergonomics

Following in the footsteps of the incredibly popular Nokia N73, the N79 is a traditional candybar phone-- great for those who loathe moving parts (sliders). Though there's no way to greatly reduce size with a candybar other than making everything tiny, the N79 is just a hair longer than the N96 slider phone. How did Nokia manage this? The display is smaller at 2.4" vs. 2.8". The control cluster surrounding the d-pad is compact thanks to more of those very thin and small buttons, though they're at least easy to feel since they're raised. On each side, there's a button under the flat surface surrounding the d-pad (no tactile feel other than a small click when you press down), but this design allows the phone to stay small while keeping the controls manageable.

Nokia N79

Nokia N79-3

Like the N96 and N85, the N79 has the new multimedia applications keys and a slider up top to lock/unlock the phone. The N79 is a cool looking phone. Ours came in white (the front face is white and the sides are silver) and the N79's party trick is Xpress-on active covers, each with a microchip inside. 3 back covers come with the phone, including the one on the phone. These are red (more like salmon), silvery white and brown. All have the same swirly pattern as the N96 and N85, but thanks to the microchip attached to each cover and a sensor on the N79, it knows which cover is installed and changes the display theme to match. Like the N85, the N79 uses the new micro USB charging and syncing port. While the N96 is a bit wide, the N79 feels just right in the hand: it's narrow enough to be comfy and long enough to get a good grip on another otherwise mostly slippery phone.

Nokia N79

Nokia N79

The N79's three included back covers.

In the Box

All three phones come with a world charger with US prongs, USB sync cable, manual, software CD, AV cable (connects the 3.5mm jack to RCA inputs on a TV) and a stereo earbud headset with detachable mic/controller. The N85 comes with an 8 gig microSD card and the N79 comes with a 4 gig card. Only the N79 ships with a selection of back covers in the box.

Operating System and Performance

Gone are the early to middling days of S60 when laggy response was the norm. Each of these phones is fast, with the N96 being extremely quick. Given the N96's top dog status and higher price tag, we're not surprised. It runs on a dual CPU ARM 9 family processor clocked at 264MHz. The dual CPU configuration indeed improves device speed and the N96 is a bit faster than the N85 and N79, each of which run on a single CPU ARM 11 processor clocked at 369MHz. That's not to say the N85 and N79 are slow; they're not, but the N96 runs N-Gage games with the greatest ease and opens folders and draws icons in the menu system faster.

The N96 has an impressive 16 gigs of internal flash storage and, unlike the N95 8 gig, also has an SDHC microSD card slot (yes!). We prefer the versatility and expandability the card slot offers, even though file transfer speeds over USB 2.0 to and from internal flash memory are good. The N96 has 128 megs of RAM and 256 megs of traditional flash memory, putting it ahead of the N85 (74 megs RAM, 78 megs flash storage memory) and N79 (72 megs free RAM on our device, 50 megs flash storage memory). We didn't run into low memory errors on any of the phones, an issue that plagued some earlier S60 devices that came with less RAM. All three support demand paging, a virtual memory technology that can improve boot times and program load times. The phones support hot-swapping of cards and the slots are easily accessible under a plastic door on the phones' left sides.

The Nokia N79, N85 and N96 run Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, currently the latest and greatest for non-touch screen Nokia S60 phones. They feature Nokia's active desktop, a customizable home screen with user-selected shortcuts to applications, appointment info, WiFi on/off scanning control, search (local and Internet) and more. You can assign the two softkeys to any application you like, and as per usual with Nokia phones a short press of the power button allows you to change profiles or put the phone in offline (flight) mode.

Internet and Calling

As we've come to expect from Nokia Nseries phones, this trio offers excellent reception and call clarity. It's hard to argue with Nokia fans when it comes to the triple play of calling: reception, clarity and traditional phone ergonomics. These phones sound crisp and clear on both incoming and outgoing ends, and overall work very well with a wide variety of Bluetooth headsets including the Jawbone II, Plantronics Discovery 925 and Discovery 655. S60 supports all common call features including call conferencing, call waiting, call history (including dialing from call history), speed dial and voice dialing (though voice dialing isn't very good). Oddly, the address book still lacks a sort by company option though.

All three phones are sold unlocked for use on any GSM network. T-Mobile users will get EDGE for data and AT&T users in 3G coverage areas will get 3G HSDPA fast Internet connections. These are quad band GSM phones, so they'll work for voice and data anywhere in the world, but they will only do 3G on AT&T's US bands (overseas bands are EDGE).

Nokia N79

Nokia N79.

Nokia's S60 Webkit based browser uses the same underlying technology as the iPhone. Since these Nseries devices lack touch screens, there's no finger-panning, pinch zooming and the like, but the desktop-like rendering of web pages is very good. We'd rate the iPhone and T-Mobile G1's web browsers as the best, with S60's next in line followed by the BlackBerry browser and then Windows Mobile's Internet Explorer Mobile. The browser on these Nokia phones (each has the same browser) does a very good job with desktop versions of sites as well as mobile sites (those sites that do browser detection will send a mobile version of the site to the phone). The browser has a virtual cursor that's controlled via d-pad, page overview mode, support for SSL, Javascript and Flash Lite 3.0. Flash Lite 3.0 means direct support for the desktop version of youtube playback directly in the browser. The phones can also play youtube video in full screen mode, and the multimedia controls on the N85 and N96 can control playback.

Email won't wow BlackBerry or Windows Mobile business users and we're looking forward to the final release of Nokia Mail (an add-on application that supports push email and is currently in public beta). The included email program handles multiple POP3 and IMAP email accounts, and all three have MS Exchange support via a free download (look for it in the Downloads program under applications). Nokia's MS Exchange ActiveSync client handles over-the-air syncing (calendar, contacts and tasks) and shouldn't be used in conjunction with desktop syncing of PIM data via PC Suite or sync plugin for Mac OS X (assuming you have the same data on Exchange and PC). It's fairly robust with support for meeting requests, setting email priority, flags and downloading most any attachment type.

Next-> Page 2, Camera, GPS, Multimedia and Conclusion

 

Nokia N96-3

Display: 24 bit TFT color LCD. Screen size diagonally: 2.8". Resolution: 240 x 320, supports both portrait and landscape modes, has accelerometer. Supports TV-out, cable included.

Battery: Nokia BL-5F Lithium Ion rechargeable. Battery is user replaceable. Standard Nokia round connector charging port. Claimed 3G talk time: 2.6 hours (3.8 hours on GSM). Claimed music playback time: up to 14 hours when phone is in offline mode (all wireless radios turned off).

Performance: Dual CPU, ARM9 family, 264MHz. 128 megs RAM, 256 megs NAND flash memory, 16 gigs of flash storage.

Size: 4.05 x 2.16 x 0.71- 0.79 inches. Weight: 4.41 ounces.

Phone: Quad band unlocked GSM world phone (850/900/1800/1900MHz) with EDGE. 3G HSDPA 3.6Mbps on the US 850/1900MHz bands (compatible with AT&T's 3G).

GPS: Has aGPS. Comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 (provides free mapping but spoken navigation requires a fee).

Camera: 5 megapixel with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual LED flash. Max image size: 2592 x 1944 pixels. Max aperture: f2.8. 20x digital zoom. Max video resolution: VGA 640 x 480 at 30 fps. Secondary (front-facing) video conference camera resolution: VGA 640 x 480.

TV: DVB-H broadcast TV (service not available in the US).

Audio: Built in stereo speakers, mic and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack. Music player, FM radio are standard. Supports OMA DRM v1.0 and 2.0, Windows Media DRM 10.

Networking: Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR.

Software: Symbian OS 9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2.

Expansion: 1 SDHC microSD card slot.

line

Nokia N85-3

Display: 24 bit TFT color LCD. Screen size diagonally: 2.6". Resolution: 240 x 320, supports both portrait and landscape modes, has accelerometer.

Battery: Nokia BL-5K 1200 mAh Lithium Ion rechargeable. Battery is user replaceable. Micro-USB charging port. Claimed 3G talk time: 4.5 hours (6.9 hours on GSM).

Performance: ARM 11 family CPU, 369MHz. 74 megs RAM, 78 megs flash storage memory.

Size: 4.05 x 1.97 x 0.63 inches. Weight: 4.51 ounces.

Phone: Quad band unlocked GSM world phone (850/900/1800/1900MHz) with EDGE. 3G HSDPA 3.6Mbps on the US 850/1900MHz bands (compatible with AT&T's 3G).

GPS: Has aGPS. Comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 (provides free mapping but spoken navigation requires a fee).

Camera: 5 megapixel with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual LED flash. Max image size: 2592 x 1944 pixels. Max aperture: f2.8. Max video resolution: VGA 640 x 480 at 30 fps. Secondary (front-facing) video conference camera resolution: CIF 352 x 288 pixels.

Audio: Built in stereo speakers, mic and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack. Music player, FM radio are standard. Supports OMA DRM v1.0 and 2.0, Windows Media DRM 10.

Networking: Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR.

Software: Symbian OS 9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2.

Expansion: 1 SDHC microSD card slot.

 

line

Nokia N79-3

Display: 24 bit TFT color LCD. Screen size diagonally: 2.4". Resolution: 240 x 320, supports both portrait and landscape modes, has accelerometer.

Battery: Nokia BL-6F 1200 mAh Lithium Ion rechargeable. Battery is user replaceable. Micro-USB charging port. Claimed 3G talk time: 3.5 hours (5.5 hours on GSM). Claimed music playback time: up to 29 hours.

Performance: ARM 11 family CPU, 369MHz. 72 megs free RAM on our device, 50 megs flash storage memory.

Size: 4.33 x 1.93 x 0.59 inches. Weight: 3.41 ounces.

Phone: Quad band unlocked GSM world phone (850/900/1800/1900MHz) with EDGE. 3G HSDPA 3.6Mbps on the US 850/1900MHz bands (compatible with AT&T's 3G).

GPS: Has aGPS. Comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 (provides free mapping but spoken navigation requires a fee).

Camera: 5 megapixel with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual LED flash. Max image size: 2592 x 1944 pixels. Max aperture: f2.8. Digital zoom up to 20xMax video resolution: VGA 640 x 480 at 30 fps. Digital zoom up to 8x. Secondary (front-facing) video conference camera resolution: CIF 352 x 288 pixels.

Audio: Built in stereo speakers, mic and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack. Music player, FM radio are standard. Supports OMA DRM v1.0 and 2.0, Windows Media DRM 10.

Networking: Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR.

Software: Symbian OS 9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2.

Expansion: 1 SDHC microSD card slot.

PHONE

All Phone Reviews
Smartphone Reviews
Android Phone Reviews
BlackBerry
Windows Phone Reviews
iPhone
HTC Phone Reviews
LG Phone Reviews
Motorola Phone Reviews
Nokia Phone Reviews
Samsung Phone Reviews
Sony Phone Reviews
AT&T Phone Reviews
Sprint Phone Reviews
T-Mobile Phone Reviews
Verizon Phone Reviews
Unlocked GSM Phone Reviews

TABLETS

All Tablet Reviews
Android Tablet Reviews
Tablet Comparisons
Android Tablet Comparisons

 

LAPTOPS & ULTRABOOKS

Laptop Reviews
Ultrabook Reviews
Laptop Comparisons
Best Ultrabooks

 

GADGETS & GAMES

Bluetooth Headsets
iPhone and iPad Accessories
eBook Readers

iPhone Game Reviews
iPad Game Reviews


iPhone Case Reviews
iPad Case Reviews

SITE TOOLS

RSS News Feed

About Us

Contact Us

Advertising

Site Map