Nokia 7900 Prism review: In colored light

The big bro in the Prism family doesn't really need to elbow its way into the spotlight. And, by the way, the two handsets in the Prism pair are nowhere near each other's clone. Nokia 7900 Prism offers features that are nowhere else to be found. It has no intention of bringing phenomenal all-round functionality like Nokia N95 or the HTC TyTn II but the handset surely has a charm of its own. The living wallpapers and the configurable keypad backlighting color can surely get you noticed. Besides, a 16M color OLED display is not something we see every day in mobile phones.

Nokia 7900 Prism official photos

Key features:

• 2" 16M color OLED QVGA display, fantastic in low light
• Large internal storage (1GB)
• Nokia S40 user interface
• 3G and EDGE support
• Rich preloaded content
• Charging over USB
• Configurable backlighting color and light effects
• Living wallpaper
• Nice music player

Main disadvantages:

• Mediocre camera
• Inadequate QCIF video recording resolution
• No memory card slot
• No dedicated camera key
• Poor legibility under direct sunlight
• No video calls
• Fingerprint magnet
• Insecure grip, easy to slip
• No FM radio

Nokia 7900 is a true example of out-of-the-box thinking. It is clearly not the most feature-packed phone on the market but it brings an enviable number of innovations. The main highlight of course is the 16M color OLED display, which is the first in the whole company portfolio, hitting the shelves one month before the second one - 8800 Arte.

Nokia 7900 Prism views

The configurable keypad backlighting is also worth noting as something no other phone can get you. The backlighting might not work the most accurate colors but you do not need to be perfect when you are the only one.

The Prism pair are style-driven handsets, along the lines of the l'Amour collection and the premium 8-series. It is quite hard to determine the key market rivals of Nokia 7900 but, as we see it, Samsung Ultra line and the more looks-centered Sony Ericsson mobiles - for example S500.

If OLED screen is what you are looking for than BenQ Siemens S88 and the just released fashion high-fliers Nokia 8800 Arte and Sapphire Arte are your only options. Quite a bunch of clamshells do have of course OLED external displays, including the monstrous Nokia N93.

Within the Nokia portfolio, the 6500 Classic and Slide are another two viable alternatives. The 6500 Classic is already more affordable than the Prism and many claim it looks better, while the Slide offers an incomparably bigger feature load for the same price.