The N96 – Why A N9x Phone?

Its has been 24 hours since the N96 has been leaked and it has managed to generate quite a bit of buzz around the web. I saw the news yesterday but had an exam in the morning so couldn’t really spend time on the device. Since then I have a lot of questions in my mind, even had them bothering me while I was writing the exam! But lets start with what we know about the device or at least think we know:

– Music Centered Device based on the N81-N95 combine.
– A 5MP Camera with dual LEDs and no lens cover.
– Feature Pack 2.
– 2.6/2.8″ Screen. ( I hope is 2.8″)
– All features of the N95 and the audio quality of the N91 plus noise cancellation and 16GB storage may be.
– A provision to make it stand for video consumption.
– A card slot for even more memory!
– More shots of the device here.

Now here’s what I think.

Looks:

I really like the phone, nevermind the gloss. I liked the N81 too but the 2mp cam was a big put off. I still want to gets my hands on the N81, specially after the next N9x is going to be modelled on it!

Construction:

– This is always a tricky part for the Nseries, in one picture I can already see a gap between the slide which may make the device rattle! (Top Right) But if Nokia  can get this right, wow! I’m a fan of sliders and this one will be especially cool.

 

– The little stand that makes the phone stand up ‘somewhat’ is a joke. It will not be able to make the phone stand at an angle of more than 60 degree or somewhere near-about so I will still need to bend to watch the phone, quite pointless IMO.

– The loudspeakers look decent and they might just be four in number! One on all sides, now that’ll be fun! [Update: Two only]

– The camera review key is gone, I had got used to it but never-mind.

– The dual slide is somewhat of a mystery as the dedicated audio buttons already exist. The explanation is that it is for gaming. But a close look at the photo reveals that there is no button which will offer tactile feedback, something which is essential in gaming. The area looks LG chocolate like.

Other Features:

– Rumour has it that it might just support DVB-H also. I see that as point less, Nokia knows what happened to the N92 and N77. Plus today it is no longer about TV anymore. A lot of countries all over the world do not even support it.

Questions:

Now this is the single biggest question in my mind. Why is it a N9x? Traditionally the ‘9’ series is reserved for something that hasn’t been done before. The N90 was a revolutionary camera phone, N91 music, N92 TV, N93 video, N95 GPS. So what does the N96 have to be an 9 series? Surely FP2 is not reason enough, gaming too cannot be it, music is already taken, camera it cannot be! So why?
I beleived the next 9 would be the phone with touch UI and not what we see. If Nokia is hiding something like a mini projector in it then great, else it would be a waste of a N9x!

Opinion:

Continuing from where I left off, if this is how the N96 pans out, minus something cutting edge, I don’t see it as an upgrade for someone with an N95. There are not a huge lot of people who will be willing to upgrade for the 16GB memory and the music. By the time this thing hits the shelves it will be an anniversary for the N95, yet they will be no upgrade in sight!

PS: The shots seem to have been taken with either a N95-2 or N95-3! Look at the reflection!

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