It’s been far too long since I updated this site due to other engagements but as luck would strike me twice today here I am. I finally have time to dedicate to this site again and what better when then to start with my first hands on experience with the new “savior” from Nokia, the Nokia N9. I have been lucky enough to be given a private hands on with the new phone and I’m not sure if it’s going to save Nokia but it’s probably the most beautiful phone from Nokia ever!
Design
When everything looks like a copy of a copy of the iPhone I’m glad that Nokia is doing it slightly different at least with the very nice bezel around. It’s a good start to like the device even without having turned it on. It does feel very solid and there are very few buttons here, volume control and camera buttons thats it! So maybe we are finally seeing the Scandinavian minimalistic design actually coming from a Scandinavian country instead of California.. The Nokia N9 features a 3.9″ AMOLED display so it’s larger the California phone and measures 116.45- x 61.2- x 7.6-12.1mm and weighs 135 grams.
Nokia N9 in Action
When we turn on the phone it feels like Nokia could actually be doing something right, for once. The display is absolutely gorgeous, if you have seen the Samsung Galaxy S II then you know what I’m talking about here. As said before it’s an AMOLED screen with a 854 x 480 resolution, not as high pixel density as the iPhone but still plenty good enough. So the big question here isn’t going to be if it has the specs to compete, it does (see below) but if it has the OS and the Apps, it mostly doesn’t. The OS MeeGo is polished and feels promising but it feels like the version 1.2 it is. It’s lacking many of the things most new mobile operating systems do in the beginning and thus the complaining can begin… Not sure how much love and for how long Nokia is going to give MeeGo but it needs a lot of commitment so that app developers can feel safe to develop for the platform. You will find Angry Birds in the app store and a few other titles but it’s mostly an empty house no one visits at this point. Lets jump a head to specifications and then I’ll wrap it up!
Nokia N9 Specifications
CPU: OMAP3630 1 Ghz
GPU: PowerVR SGX530
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 16GB or 64GB
Camera: 8mp, wide angle f/2.2 with auto focus and 720p video
Size: 116.45- x 61.2- x 7.6-12.1mm
Weight: 135 grams
Battery: 50 hours of music, 4.5 hours of 720p, 11 hour GSM talk time
Wifi: 802.11a/b/g/n
Wrap up
What started out as a love affair my very well end up in bitter divorce. It was a lot easier to make cell phones before smart phones become so freaking good as the best iOS and Android phones are today. It’s not just about fancy hardware packed in the latest design. If you don’t have the apps and are missing basic functions you are already way behind in the race. Nokia has a lot of catching up todo if they are going to regin the former glory as a smartphone maker and maybe even as a cell phone producer in general. It feels like I’m bashing the N9 but the truth is, it’s probably the best Nokia has ever produced but it’s still not good enough. Why would anyone buy this when you can buy a Samsung Galaxy S II or and iPhone that have a great OS with solid app stores? There aren’t enough people living in Finland to buy this phone just for supporting Nokia. I really wish Nokia the best of luck and they deserve a win here with the N9 but I wouldn’t bet my money on it!