My Nokia N93 Experience

I know that there are many reviews on the Nokia N-Series on the web posted by more reputed experts on mobile phones, I have even placed some contemplation on actually writing this down in my blog. I was rather excited about getting one of the N-Series as my own that when I am given the chance to test this device by Nokia, I know I had to share my personal experience on the phone which Gary Oldman shot his short movie with.

The N93 is the phone that Nokia debuted as the new range of phone and camera combo with cutting edge multimedia tool that boasted features of 3.2 Megapixel high resolution camera based on Carl Zeiss optics, near DVD like quality video recording, integrated wi-fi and 3G functionalities. Based on a clamshell design (with an added twist), the phone is a great improvement from its predecessor, the N90.

Prior to receiving this phone, I had a mountain of expectations from it. But based on the two days experience I had so far, here are my honest opinion.

The form factor :

I did not actually like the movable limbs for the clampshell design. It gave a sense of "tackiness" and flimsyness in my hand. The size is relatively acceptable but the bulkiness need further improvement.



(The different twist to the clamshell design)



(Size comparison with my other phones)

Operating System :

The N93 is based on the latest version (todate) of the Symbian S60 family. It is running on the OS version 9.1 or S60 Version 3. I will not go on with the OS as the lacking features or functions are based on the Symbian platform, not the phone.

However, I do wish to note that the OS 9.1 is fairly new and enhancement 3rd party softwares are not widely available at the moment. So, if you depend on a lot of additional applications on your phone, you might just need to wait for a while, until the developer community gets their applications perfected and compatible for the OS. (this is for most of the N-Series with the exception of N70).

Quality of pictures and videos :

There are a lot of samples that you can check on the web for the sample of images and video taken with this camera, you can start by reading the review on my-symbian and clicking on the uploaded images and videos.

Pictures are fine in a well lit environment, but it gets grainy with low light situations. The video is similar.

Now, what I need to comment on... the Physical experience of handling the N93.

Using the camera on the phone could get a bit difficult as the design will tend to make your index finger block the camera view.

Here is an image of what I mean.



To get the camera unobstructred, you will need to place your grip at the lower portion of the phone making the grip slightly "unfirm".

And the menu button and the camera controls are so small that it gets clumsy to use it.



Using the phone on the "side-flip" mode does take some time of getting used too if you are using the phone to surf, but for movie viewing.. its just fine.



To summarize,

What I liked about the phone :

- Faster processor (330 Mhz), finally..
- Better feel of web navigation using the default browser
- UMTS, UPnP, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE and GPRS
- High Megapixel camera
- Good software bundle
- TV Port Connector
- The TV ad for the phone with Gary Oldman (Good witty lines)

What I dislike :

- The tacky feeling of the swivelling clamshell
- Slow "camera ready" action
- Location of the camera window
- Small buttons for camera functions
- TV Port connector on the wrong side of the phone
- Limited third party applications available
- No DVB-H (Mobile TV)

Well, from the above, I guess I need to wait for the N95 to be out... it has more drooling features and better design.