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Home -> Phone Reviews -> Nokia N96-3, Nokia N85-3 and Nokia N79-3
Roundup Review: Nokia N96, Nokia N85 and Nokia N79 US Models
Page 2, continued from Page 1
Nokia N96 Editor's rating (1-5):  
Nokia N85 Editor's rating (1-5):
Nokia N79 Editor's rating (1-5): 
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
GPS
All three models have an integrated aGPS and Nokia Maps 2.0. Unlike older Nokia N and E series phones whose GPS were on the weak side, the latest trio from Nokia manage a cold fix in a minute and a warm fix in 20 seconds. In fact, we were able to get a signal indoors near a window with all three, something our N95-3 couldn't manage. Satellite acquisition time and fix stability is similar on the three phones, and upgrading the Nokia Maps software works the same on each (Nokia frequently updates their Maps application and it's a free download that can be done directly on the phone).
Nokia N79
You can use 3rd party GPS software or the included Nokia Maps. Nokia Maps provides free location information, POI and maps, but turn-by-turn directions and city guides aren't free. City guides require a one-time charge (actually a 3 year license) and navigation is subscription based, costing approximately $15 per month or $120/year. Nokia Maps has both driving and walking-optimized directions. In our tests, the male voice was clear and easy to understand, and each phone's speaker was loud enough for most cars and light trucks. Directions were logical and unlike Nokia Maps 1.0 on the original N95 (N95-1) and Nokia E90, it didn't occasionally send us off on bizarre routes or lose signal when driving. You can select the quickest or shortest route and tell the software to avoid toll roads, highways and ferries. Since Nokia has a global presence, maps are available for most anywhere in the world where paved roads exist. Downloading map data over the air or via the Windows-based map loader application is free, but you'll have to purchase a license for each region of the world where you wish to have navigation.
Multimedia, Display and Gaming
The three Nokia models come with identical music and video players as well as Real Player and Flash Lite 3.0.
Nokia N85 with multimedia controls revealed.
Nokia's music player is capable and easy to use. It handles MP3, AAC (unprotected iTunes content) and Windows Media Player format files including those with OMA DRM. Each phone has stereo speakers, a 3.5mm stereo headset jack and a stereo earbud headset. The headset has an inline mic and call control unit with a 3.5mm jack so you can plug in your preferred headphones without losing the ability to make voice calls. The N85 and N96 have dedicated playback controls courtesy of the 2-way slider while the traditionally designed N79 does not. The N96's speakers sounded the best among the three phones, as did its output through a good stereo headset. The difference is subtle over headphones however.
You can store tunes and video on internal memory, but on the N85 and N79 it makes more sense to use a microSD card, and all three phones have SDHC high capacity card slots (in fact, the N85 and N79 ship with an SDHC card).
All three handle video playback very well with QVGA files up to 700kbps, but we'll give the edge to the N85's vivid OLED display (except outdoors where it washes out). It may be .2" smaller than the N96's display, but it's very color saturated and bright. Not that the N96's is bad, it just doesn't have that extra special sauce that makes it really pop. The N79's display is very good but at 2.4", it's getting small for serious video watching.
Nokia N96
We do wish that the resolution were higher, especially on the flagship N96. QVGA 320 x 240 is feeling old and tired now that Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Apple and Android (T-Mobile G1) are offering displays up to VGA resolution.
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N-Gage gaming has matured since the days of the original N-Gage and with the 2.0 release of gaming phones and new games, these Nseries phones can really keep you amused. An N-Gage icon leads you to the world of gaming, Nokia style. N-Gage is a place where you can download games, keep track of your high scores, add gaming buddies and play multiplayer games. The games titles are impressive, and include Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart, Resident Evil Degeneration, Asphalt 4 and FIFA 09. These aren't the sad feature phone Java or BREW approximations of hot console and desktop titles; rather they have good 3D graphics and sharp sound. Gameplay is fun and there are free trials of all N-Gage titles, so you won't waste money on a loser. The only drawback? Now that Apple's iTunes app Store has lowered the price bar while raising the game quality bar, N-Gage titles might seem slightly pricey at an average of $13 per game (depending on the value of the Euro vs. US dollar since titles are priced in Euros). Our only complaint? None of these phones' d-pads are very good for gaming-- they're too stiff and flat.
Resident Evil on the Nokia N96. Nice!
Camera
On paper, the N96, N85 and N79's cameras look quite similar. All are 5 megapixel with a Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual LED flash. Each can take video at VGA resolution, 30 fps (quite impressive). In fact, they're quite similar to the N95 and N82 in terms of specs and ballpark image and video quality. Interestingly, Nokia didn't go with a Xenon flash for any of these phones, but the dual LED flash is a good compromise between battery consumption and brightness. They're not as effective a Xenon flash in very dark settings, but they're much better than the older single LED design and sit in the middle in terms of effectiveness.
As you might expect from the price differential, the N96 takes better still photos and video, but it's only marginally better than the N85. As you might not expect, image and video quality aren't better than the N95 with recent firmware. To be fair, the N95 variants improved significantly with firmware updates in terms of image quality and focus speed, and are more mature platforms. Also, there's not a heck of a lot of room for improvement; image and video quality are as good as it gets with 5MP and an autofocus lens (unless the lens is upgraded).
Sample photos taken on auto settings. Click on an image to see a larger version.
| Nokia N96 |
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| Nokia N85 |
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| Nokia N79 |
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The N96 takes the most natural shots, while the N85 adds noticeable color saturation and contrast. Serious photographers tend to prefer natural shots while the average Joe and Jane generally prefer a good dose of color and contrast enhancement. We have a feeling that the N85 might win the populist vote in the end; the N95 was guilty of a little enhancement and its camera has been well-received. In terms of sharpness, detail and contrast handling, the two cameras are tied, with the N85 showing some apparent over-sharpening by default. Twiddling with the myriad settings can bring the two to even ground. The N96 is a bit over-sensitive to high contrast settings for still photos (see the white-out in the pumpkin shot), but has no problems with contrast when shooting video. Both cameras are top notch and should suit avid shutterbugs: images are among the best in the 5MP class (as are the N95 and N82) and nothing touches Nokia's VGA 30 fps video in a camera phone.
The N79 comes in last for image and video quality. Color saturation and sharpening are similar to the N96 and are natural, but there's a bit less image detail, more noise (though not lots) and an overall cool tone. When it comes to video, the N79 has the greatest difficulty with contrast; moving from a bright to somewhat shadowed subject or vice versa results in improper exposure and the camera takes several seconds to correct it. Movement, as when panning the camera, resulted in more artifacting as well. Still, we would by no means call this a bad camera-- compared to most on the market it's excellent, especially when it comes to VGA 30 fps video, a rarity in a camera phone, especially one priced around $400 without contract.
Which one to buy?
Each of these is a very good smartphone and multimedia creation tool. The two most important factors, price and form factor preference, are up to you. Yes, the N96 is a bit faster, has arguably the better camera and a larger display, but the price tag is hefty. The N85 mirrors nearly every feature and brings down size while costing $200 less. Since the biggest missing feature, broadcast TV on the N96, doesn't work in the US we hardly consider that a factor. The N85 hits the sweet spot at just under $500 (even less if Amazon or another retailer is having a good sale) for those who don't have to own the "best" or flagship model. The N79 is even less expensive than the N85, though not by much, so we don't consider that as much of a factor (unless retailers begin discounting it heavily as they have the N96 and N85). Its appeal is the solid candybar design with no moving parts for those who hate sliders or don't trust them. It's very well priced for the wealth of features it offers. The only drawback is the lesser image and video quality, though it does compare well with 5MP phones from other manufacturers.
Is a Nokia S60 phone for you? If you're a fan of S60 and Nokia in general, that's an easy "yes". You get Nokia's usual excellent multimedia creation and playback tools, excellent call quality and reception and solid syncing with Windows and Mac OS X. Nokia's unlocked phones come with all the goodies in the box, so you won't have to spend lots more for cables, cards and the like.
While we applaud Nokia for offering Nseries phones in a variety of shapes, form factors and prices (though the prices are always in the high-end range), we do wish they'd evolve S60 a bit more quickly. It's starting to look a little old-fashioned and overly complex in terms of number of d-pad presses necessary to navigate the menus and OS. Not everyone wants a touch screen phone, but we all appreciate expedience, ease of use and a little eye candy, all of which are weakening on S60. But clearly if you want a smartphone that's a phone first in terms of ergonomics and overall software design, Nokia's S60 phones are hard to beat.
Approximate Price: Nokia N96: $705, Nokia N85: $492, Nokia N79: $429
Web site: www.nokiausa.com
Warranty: 1 year US warranty
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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.
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.
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.
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