Introduction to the Nokia N-Series of Phones
Introduction
The Nokia N-Series of smartphones represents a product family of smartphones that is geared towards multimedia features. Multimedia in this sense meaning anything to do with mobile gaming, Internet services, photography, video recording and playback, audio recording and playback and music playback.
The Nokia N-series range of smartphones were first announced in April, 2005 and thereafter the first three smartphones introduced in the N-series family were the Nokia N70, Nokia N90 and Nokia N91. Come November of the same year Nokia announced the next three being Nokia N71, Nokia N80 and Nokia N92 and since then the Nokia N-series of multimedia phones has grown to include the Nokia N72, Nokia N73, Nokia N93, Nokia N75, Nokia N95, Nokia N95 8GB, Nokia N76, Nokia N77, Nokia N93i, Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N82, Nokia N96, Nokia N78, Nokia N79, Nokia N85, Nokia N97, Nokia N86 8MP, (Nokia’s first 8 megapixel phone) and the Nokia N8 with (12 megapixel camera).
In general these N-Series family of Nokia smartphones come with abilities that let users use their phones as still and video cameras. The family also lets users use their mobile phones as FM radio’s and some as FM transmitters, and surf the Internet. Nokia N-series phones can also be used as MP3 players and give options to those interested in gaming. Newer models of the Nokia N-series come with built in GPS receivers and the very latest even have multi-touch features and 3D graphics.
Let’s take a closer look at the Nokia N-Series phones.
Nokia N70 (3 out of 5)
The Nokia N70 is a candy bar form factor Nokia N-series phone released in 2005. It features a small 176x208 resolution screen. This silver, ivory/pearl or black smartphone was released with Symbian OS version 8.1 and was one of the first N-series Nokia phones. The Nokia N70 came with an FM radio, supports Java and connectivity speeds going up to 3G at 384kbps. This Nokia N-series smartphone did not come with Wi-Fi. The Nokia N70 has 64MB of memory. Inbuilt was a WAP 2.0/xHTML web browser and it was capable of playing MP3 ringtones. The Nokia N70 supports video calls and has a camera with a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels. There is an image editor built into the phone as well and it came with the Xpress-on covers. There is an Edition of the Nokia N70 that includes a music player and is called the Nokia N70 music edition. Even though the Nokia N70 has been discontinued it can still be found in selected stores worldwide.
Nokia N90 (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N90 was another one of the first of the Nokia N-series phones to be released by Nokia back in 2005. It looks quite strange because it is a cross between a swivel and flip form factor phone. The screen is capable of rotating 90 degrees and has a resolution of 352 x 416 pixels. The Nokia N90 also came with a smaller external color screen at 128 x 128 pixels. This Nokia N-series phone featured a digital music player as well as a video player. It had a camera that could also rotate out and a photo editor built in and it supported video calling as well. The Nokia N90 also introduced an LED flash. As far as Internet connectivity goes this phone relies on 3G connectivity as it does not come with Wi-Fi. External memory on the Nokia N90 is limited to 64MB while internal memory is limited to 31MB. The Nokia N90 came in silver right out of the factory. This Nokia N-series model has been discontinued but is still available in selected stores.
Nokia N91 (4 out of 5)
Also released back in 2005 was the Nokia N91. It had kind of a hybrid slide design the likes of which had never ever been seen before. The slider revealed the number pad but only the section that covered the number pad slid out. Located on top of that panel was the five-way scroll keys. In addition to the scroll keys the Nokia N91 had a joystick for navigating the menu. Features on the Nokia N91 included 176 x 208 pixels display, there was a 3.5mm audio jack slot. It came with up to 8GB internal storage with 64MB memory but had no card slot. Included was a 2MP camera and Symbian OS 9.1 was used on this phone. The Nokia N91 also had a radio and supported downloadable Java games. Wi-Fi was available on this phone in addition to 3G. Now discontinued, the Nokia N91 came in light blue chrome, dark gray chrome, or for the music edition which was capable of playing video and digital music came in black.
Nokia N71 (3 out of 5)
The Nokia N71 is a classic flip smartphone released back in 2005. Though the phone is now discontinued it is still available in selected stores. The Nokia N71 boasted of dual displays and introduced a larger set of display resolutions at 240 x 320 pixels. This Nokia N-series phone featured downloadable themes even though it did not come with Wi-Fi so Internet connectivity was limited to 3G. It also introduced the miniSD card offering up to 2GB memory. There was a primary 2MP camera on the phone as well as a secondary camera suitable for video calling. Included in the phone was a built in FM radio, WAP 2.0/xHTML browser, and games including downloadable ones. There was also a performance boost on this phone with the dual ARM processor on the back end. This Nokia N-series phone was capable of playing digital and audio files in MP3 format.
Nokia N80 (2 out of 5)
The Nokia N80 is a Nokia N-series smartphone that was released in 2006. Its form factor was of the slide type. It had a larger display than its predecessors at 352 x 416 pixels. It came with a miniSD card with up to 2GB memory. This phone had Wi-FI built in as well as support for 3G. It had two cameras with the primary camera being 3.15 MP at 2048x1536 pixels resolution and a secondary camera suitable for video calls. The phone was powered by a dual ARM processor and came with stereo FM radio in addition to the built in digital music player. It came with no games preinstalled but offered the user the option of downloading games of their choice. This phone relied on its sleek design and silver and black color scheme. This Nokia N-series phone did not have such a good battery life as compared to its predecessors. Music could be listened to through the speaker phone or through the headphones.
Nokia N92 (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N92, which was released in 2007 but is now discontinued, is another classic Nokia flip phone but it also had a display panel that could swivel 90 degrees off its axis. This dual display phone came with its primary display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The Nokia N92 also had a hot swappable miniSD with a maximum of 2GB memory. In addition to 3G and Bluetooth, this Nokia N-series phone included Wi-Fi as an alternative to data connectivity. It had a 2MP camera with a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels and built in LED flash. The Nokia N92 came with an FM radio and supported Java gaming, though the user had to explicitly download the games. This Nokia N-series phone featured a voice memo and voice recorder and an MS Office and PDF document viewer. It had a digital audio player and digital video player also installed under the hood. There was no external speaker on this phone so all music had to be played on the headphones. This phone is still available at selected stores.
Nokia N72 (3 out of 5)
The Nokia N72 was released in 2006 and came in gloss black or pearl pink. This Nokia N-series phone was a candy bar type phone with 176 x 208 pixels resolution display measuring 2.1 inches. The phone came with 20MB internal memory and 128 MB external memory. The Nokia N72 was restricted to data connectivity speeds at 2G level and Bluetooth. It came with a single 2MP camera at 1600x1200 pixels resolution with LED flash. The Nokia N72 had a WAP browser, stereo FM radio and an in-built digital music and digital video player under the hood. The Nokia N72 supported voice commands, had an organizer and was capable of connecting to printers. Despite the slow data connectivity the Nokia N72 supported downloading apps and themes. The Nokia N72 has been discontinued but may still be available in selected stores.
Nokia N73 (4 out of 5)
Released in 2006 the Nokia N73 makes a good case as a camera phone, with its improved 3.15MP, 2048x1536 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, and autofocus with LED flash camera. This Nokia N-series phone was a big leap from its predesessors. It also featured Symbian S60 3rd edition as the OS powered by a dual ARM processor. The Nokia N73 had a stereo FM radio, supported video downloads through 3G and Bluetooth and had miniSD for external storage. The Nokia N73 came with stereo speakers and a 2.4 inch display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution. It also included a secondary video call camera with light sensors. The Nokia N73 had a digital media player, MS Office document viewer and photo and video editor. To learn more about this phone you can read the Nokia N73 review.
Nokia N93 (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N93 was released in 2006 with miniSD offering up to 2GB memory. It came with data connectivity including 3G and Wi-FI. The Nokia N93 had a primary camera with a 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels resolution with 3x optical zoom, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus and LED flash. This Nokia N-series phone was a flip type phone with a display that rotated 90 degrees. It had a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and was 2.4 inches in length. Also included on the Nokia N93 was a second display. This Nokia N-series phone also came with a second camera for video calling, had a WAP 2.0 internet browser and a stereo FM radio, a digital music and a video player and included a TV -out port. Installed was also a photo and video editor. The Nokia N93 which came in black and silver and also featured downloadable games and applications. This phone has since been discontinued but is available from selected stores all over the world.
Nokia N75 (3 out of 5)
The Nokia N75 was released in 2008 and was styled as a flip Nokia N-series phone. Available in dark chocolate, this phone features a 240 x 320 pixel resolution display which is 2.4 inches in length. The Nokia N75 phone came with microSD support offering up to 8GB external memory. It had a single 2MP camera and a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels and LED flash. The Nokia N75 was powered by a dual ARM processor and carried a stereo FM radio with stereo external speakers. The Nokia N75 had games preinstalled and also allowed for downloading of additional games and apps from the internet though the 3G connection since the phone has no Wi-Fi. Included is also a document viewer for MS Office documents and a photo and video editor. Follow this link for a full review of the Nokia N75.
Nokia N95 and Nokia N95 8GB (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N95 was released in 2007. With a 2.6 inch display, this Nokia N-series phone was bound to turn some heads with its dual slide functionality, one for the key pad and another for the multimedia controls. The Nokia N95 phone came with stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Nokia N95 had 160MB internal storage and up to 8GB external memory. It came with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity with Bluetooth and miniUSB. The primary camera on this Nokia N-series phone was a 5MP 2592 x 1944 pixels resolution, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus lens with an LED flash. It had a secondary video call camera and came with the upgraded Symbian 9.2 OS. Nokia N95 supported N-gage games plus downloadable games and apps. The Nokia N95 had a digital audio and video player and a TV-out port. It also boasted a document viewer for Office documents and PDF documents. There is also a GPS receiver on the phone.To appreciate the details of the Nokia N95 Nokia N-series smartphone, here is a review of the Nokia N95 8GB.
Nokia N76 (3 out of 5)
The Nokia N76, which was released in 2007, comes in a stylish red, black or white casing. It is a flip type Nokia N-series smartphone with a digital music player and a digital video player as well. It also allows video editing and photo editing and comes with a built in office document viewer. There is a stereo FM radio installed in the phone and it supports installation of downloaded apps. All powered by Symbian 9.2 OS. The Nokia N76 has two cameras, one for video calling and the other is a general purpose 2MP camera. There is miniUSB, Bluetooth and 3G supported on the Nokia N76 Nokia N-series phone. This Nokia N-series phone supports external memory of up to 2GB via microSD. The Nokia N76 has a dual display with the primary having a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels on a 2.4 inch screen. The secondary display is primarily used for multimedia functions and had dedicated controls for that purpose. The Nokia N76 is still widely available on the market today and is still supported by Nokia.
Nokia N77 (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N77 is a candy bar type Nokia N-series phone which was released in 2007 and is still widely available in the market today. It has a 2.4 inch color display at a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. This Nokia N-series smartphone supports custom themes on Symbian 9.1 OS. The Nokia N-series phone is 3G enabled and has Bluetooth and USB. There is no Wi-Fi on the Nokia N77. There are two cameras, one of which is a 2MP 1600x1200 pixel resolution camera with an LED flash and the other is on the front and supports video calling. There is a stereo FM radio and stereo external speakers on the Nokia N77. In addition to radio the Nokia N-series phone is also enabled as a digital music player and a digital video player. The Nokia N77 comes with a photo and video editor installed. Another interesting thing about this phone is that is has a DVB-H broadcast receiver meaning it catches satellite TV.
Nokia N93i (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N93i is a flip Nokia N-series smartphone with a rotating display. This Nokia N-series phone was released in January 2007 and is still widely available on the market. As far as data connectivity goes, the Nokia N93i phone has it all. From 2G to 3G and Bluetooth, USB and infrared all supported by the Symbian 9.1 OS. The Nokia N93i supports external memory of up to 8GB on miniSD with 64MB internal RAM. The Nokia N93i has a 3.15 MP camera with 2048x1536 pixel resolution with a 3x optical zoom, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus lens and an LED flash, it also supports video conference calls on a secondary camera. This silver and black dual display Nokia N-series phone also has a stereo FM radio, supports playback of digital music and digital video clips and has a TV-out port. The Nokia N93i has a video and photo editor preinstalled. With this phone you can install additional apps and games from the Internet through the WAP 2.0/xHTML web browser.
Nokia N81 8GB (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N81 8GB Nokia N-series smartphone is a slide phone that was released in 2007. It features a touch sensitive Navi wheel and has a 2.4 inch display with 240 x 320 pixel resolution. Enabled on this Nokia N-series phone is the 3.5mm audio jack and internal phone storage measuring 8GB. It has 3G and Wi-FI built in plus Bluetooth and microUSB. It has a 2MP camera with flash and secondary camera for use during video calls. The Nokia N81 8GB runs on Symbian 9.2 OS, has a WAP 2 web browser, supports installations of additional apps and games from the Internet including N-gage games. The Nokia N81 8GB is also capable of playing digital audio and video files from the preinstalled music player. This Nokia N-series phone was released primarily as a gaming platform and phone. The Nokia N81 8GB is still widely available on the market today.
Nokia N82 (3 out of 5)
The Nokia N82 is a Nokia N-series phone that was released in late 2007 and is still widely available in the market. This is a candy bar style phone that comes in silver or black. The Nokia N-series phone has a 3.5mm audio jack, a large display at 240 x 320 pixel resolution and a length of 2.4 inches. The Nokia N82 has an accelerometer to sense rotations and for change of screen orientation. It has external stereo speakers and a card slot with capabilities of storing up to 16GB on the microSD card while internally the Nokia N82 has capacity for 100MB and 128MB RAM. This phone has a 5MP 2592 x 1944 pixels resolution camera with xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics with autofocus. Included is a secondary video call camera. The Nokia N82 plays digital music and digital video files, supoorts the N-gage gaming platform and has an inbuilt A-GPS receiver. The Nokia N82 comes preinstalled with an office document viewer and TV-out port. You can read more about the Nokia N82 here.
Nokia N96 (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N96 is a dual slide Nokia N-series phone that was released in 2008. It features a dedicated multimedia pane on one side and a number pad on the other. The Nokia N96 is capable of playing digital music files as well as digital video files. As a gaming Nokia N-series phone, the Nokia N96 supports the N-gage platform. The Nokia N96, which also comes in black, silver or quartz, has an FM radio and also comes with an A-GPS receiver and Nokia Maps installed by default. The Nokia N96 is also capable of receiving DVB-H TV and has a TV-out port. This phone allows you to download and install apps, view office documents, make video calls and take and record video on the 5MP camera with 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus and LED flash. The Nokia N96 has 3G and Wi-Fi data connectivity options and supports up to 32GB external storage with 16GB internal storage space.
Nokia N78 (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N78 was released in 2008 and is a candy bar type Nokia N-series phone in either brown, blue or white colors. It has stereo external speakers with a 3.5 mm audio jack. The user interface is controlled by a touch sensitive Navi wheel and packs a 2.4inch 240 x 320 pixel resolution screen. The Nokia N78 is loaded with 76MB storage and 96MB RAM. It has 3G and Wi-Fi for Internet connectivity. The Nokia N78 comes with a 3.15MP 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics with LED flash as the primary camera and has a secondary video call camera. The Nokia N78 does not only have a stereo FM radio but also has an FM transmitter. As far as gaming goes, this phone has compatibilty with the N-Gage gaming platform and is capable of playing digital music and digital video files. Installed on this Nokia N-series phone is a photo editor and a video editor. The Nokia N78 also comes with a A-GPS receiver and Nokia Maps pre installed.
Nokia N79 (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N79 is another candy bar phone from the N-series family of multimedia phones. It was released in late 2008 and comes in canvas white, seal gray or petrol black. The Nokia N79 is compatible with the N-Gage gaming platform and also supports installation of downloaded games and apps. There is an A-GPS receiver and Nokia maps on this Nokia N-series smartphone. The Nokia N79 comes with a digital music player and a digital video player. To add to the multimedia feature set there is a photo and video editor that is backed by a 5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus with LED flash camera. The Nokia N79 comes with an FM transmitter in addition to the stereo FM radio. As for data connectivity 3G is included as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB. The 2.4 inch, 240 x 320 pixels display comes with an accelerometer and custom themes. There is also a touch sensitive Navi wheel on the Nokia N79. Read the full review of the Nokia N79 here.
Nokia N85 (5 out of 5)
Another dual slide Nokia N-series phone is the Nokia N85. It comes with a large 2.6inch 240 x 320 pixel display that has an accelerometer for auto rotate. Also with this Nokia N-series phone is the touch sensitive Navi wheel. The other controls include dedicated media buttons and a number pad each of which are revealed through the slider at opposite ends. This Nokia N-series phone has a digital music player and digital video player with external stereo speakers or 3.5mm audio jack to listen to music. The Nokia N85 supports 3G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi. On board is a 5MP, 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus with LED flash camera and a secondary camera for video calls. This Symbian 9.3 OS N-series phone has an FM transmitter in addition to the FM radio. This Nokia N-series phone supports N-Gage gaming and installable apps and games that can be downloaded from the Internet. The Nokia N85 comes with flash lite 3 and has a TV-out port. This Nokia N-series phone is available in black and copper. Visit this link for a full review of the Nokia N85.
Nokia N97 and Nokia N97 mini (5 out of 5)
The Nokia N97 which comes in either white or black is a Nokia N-series phone that was released in mid 2009. The Nokia N97 comes with a large 3.5 inch, 360 x 640 pixel touchscreen that has an accelerometer for auto rotate, handwriting recognition, full QWERTY keyboard and proximity sensor. This Nokia N-series phone is capable of playing digital audio and digital video through the 3.5mm audio jack or the external stereo speakers. This Symbian 9.4 OS Nokia N-series phone comes with an FM transmitter and FM radio, is compatible with the N-Gage gaming platform and can download apps and games. The Nokia N97 comes with A-GPS and Nokia Maps with Geo tagging built in and has a photo and video editor and has a flash lite 3 player. The Nokia N97 mini also comes with Ovi Maps 3.0. There is a TV-out port in addition to the USB, Bluetooth, 3G and Wi-Fi. Inside the Nokia N97 is a digital compass and 32GB of memory expandable by 16GB external memory. With a backing of a 5MP camera this phone can record video with an attached video light. Read the full review of the Nokia N97 here and follow this link to read the full review of the Nokia 97 mini here.
Nokia N86 8MP (4 out of 5)
The Nokia N86 8MP N-series phone is a slide phone that was released in early 2009. It came with a scratch resistant surface and has an accelerometer sensor for autorotate. Through the external stereo speakers and the 3.5mm audio jack one can listen to digital music and digital video using the inbuilt music player which can be controlled by dedicated keys. The Nokia N86 8MP has got 8GB internal storage and external storage with a maximum of 16GB. There is 3G and Wi-Fi on this Nokia N-series phone which facilitates the downloading of apps and games through the N-Gage platform. This Nokia N-series phone is named after the 8MP, 3264x2448 pixel, wide 28mm Carl Zeiss lens, autofocus with dual LED flash camera. In the Nokia N86 8MP there is an FM transmitter and FM radio. There is a A-GPS receiver with Ovi Maps 3.0 preloaded and Geo tagging capabilities in-built. The Nokia N86 8MP has a flash lite 3.0 player and TV-out port. For full details about the Nokia N86 8MP you can read the review about the Nokia N86 8MP design, display and OS here and the review of the Nokia N86 8MP multimedia, camera and connectivity can be found here.
Nokia N8 (5 out of 5)
The Nokia N8 is the latest in the line of N-series phones which so happens to be the last N-series phone to use the Symbian OS. It is expected to be released in October 2010. The Nokia N8 comes with a capacitive touchscreen with a length of 3.5 inches and a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels. The Nokia N8 has multi-touch input. Proximity sensor for auto turn-off, accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, and a scratch resistant surface. This N-series smartphone as a TV-out port, an FM transmitter and FM radio and is capable of downloading and installing games and apps from Nokia’s Ovi store. In addition to the digital compass there is an A-GPS receiver with Ovi Maps 3.0 with in-built Geo tagging and face and smile recognition. The Nokia N8 is the first Nokia phone to come with 12MP camera with a resolution of 4000x3000 pixels. With 32GB external memory and 16GB Internal memory on 256MB RAM and 512 MB ROM there is no other Nokia phone to date that has those specifications. There is also a hardware 3D accelerator on this phone. There is Dolby Digital sound capabilities built into the phone which also suports playing DVD formats. To add onto that the phone can be used to do video and photo editing. For more information on this Nokia N-series phone, you can read the complete preview of the Nokia N8 here.
