Nokia N96 review: King's new clothes
- n
- nick
- nxw
- 04 Oct 2008
i think the proccessor information in this review is incorrect, i think the n96 houses two proccessors, one for the graphical side, and a main proccessor which runs at 332mhz. i may be wrong but alot of people accused the n95 of having a 206mhz proccessor when they were just looking at the wrong one.
needless to say, the n96 is a bit disappointing, and i cant think of any reason why id need to upgrade my brilliant N95-1 to this.
- ?
- Anonymous
- 3bu
- 04 Oct 2008
:):) Like there is saboteurs in Nokia from Samsung or whatever. N96 is just an overexpensive crap (for the money).
- ?
- Anonymous
- 3Ce
- 04 Oct 2008
Vivek, 04 Oct 2008hi, well... first I broke a kickstand in a friend's N96 ye... moreok dude it does not take a genious to sense that the kickstand is weak...some friend you are breaking your pal's brand new N96...i hope it was not from jealousy...hahaha, jus messing bro yea i agree and am really worried that the kickstand does look like one of those parts that would probably be better not to tell people about cause you know how noone cares about your new phone and in the end they brake or scratch it breaking your heart.......
- ?
- Anonymous
- TIE
- 04 Oct 2008
Now when u mentioned in your review that the 8 megapixel Samsung INNOV8 i8510 actually costs more than the N96, it does not seem to be the case over here.
Here in Singapore, Samsung has already released the INNOV8 for sale here at a price of SGD$488 - $588 with a 2 year contract. Compared to the N96 which is going for $688 - $888 with a 2 year contract under similar price plans, the Samsung INNOV8 easily gives the weaker N96 a run for the money. Even without contract the INNOV8 costs $968 compared to a $1188 for the N96.
Im sure when the INNOV8 is released in other markets in the world, it will be priced cheaper than the N96. Nokia's only hope is to bank on the cheaper N85 to stave the competition but thats still quite some time away.
Im afraid by the time the N85 arrives, it will soon find itself in an arena of many other capable contenders to fend with.
- D
- Davidov
- 3Ke
- 04 Oct 2008
Hm, after reading the review I was disappointed. I will definitely keep my black N95(on which I'm typing this btw) until the N97 shows up, if that one is better of course.
- ?
- Anonymous
- uBZ
- 04 Oct 2008
Having used this for close to two weeks, I can honestly say that the N96 is worse than my 2 year old N95 and 10 month old N95-4. However, it's still better than the N8x and some of the E-series models.
I'm putting it up for sale to clear some funds to buy the Innov8 or N85. Anybody in India wants it for 28K (11 & 1/2 months warranty and no scratches)?? Bought it for 34K, some I'm taking a 6K loss. :(
- ?
- Anonymous
- L51
- 04 Oct 2008
One word:
Weak
- V
- Vivek
- 2SQ
- 04 Oct 2008
hi,
well... first I broke a kickstand in a friend's N96 yesterday.
I was shocked..
It seemed like a piece out of a $2 Chinese toy I buy for my kids...
I have a N958GB I am happy with its performance... but hardware...
Nokia has to improve...
I coincidentally saw a E90 yesterday and boy! the back was completely scraped and peeling and what not...
It was again a 5 month old phone...
I am happy as my phone has a rubberized finish on the back and looks pretty durable... and is expected to also after the amount we pay..
the front however is a different story.
I can see defects in the plastic finish with slight curves, waves etc. think you get the picture... jus as the cheap toys from china look.
I hear china has a great quality manufacturing capacity also... only that they cost slightly more.
well I certainly hope its not so much more that nokia cant afford...
why look at SE, Samsung, HTC, they make great bodys too...
I felt very bad for that N96 and my friend.
lets see if he can get that mended ... the fone was jus three days old.
- D
- Dilmeet
- vGf
- 04 Oct 2008
To All Nice People here..........The main reason of the N96 getting every1 disappointed is the fact that it was announced way long back in February at that time the market scenario was different......now its 4 all 2 c dat d latest n series like n85 and n79 all hve much better build and if they arrive in time dey r gr8 mobiles at their expected price points......if only Nokia had not delayed this handset sooo much that nw it pretty hard 4 it 2 fight d competition like 8 meg phones 4m samsung, LG and SE.......Its just dat that d phone is released really late dat has ppl critizing it 4 its short comings......just hoping that Nokia doesn't do this wid their N85 and n79 as any delay wud surely change the market scenario and again d devices wud fail 2 meet expectations of ppl.......If only N96 ws launched earlier d scene wud had been different may b an improved version of N96 wud hd been dere nw as ppl's feedback improved N95 to N95 8 GB so wud had N96.....So its just dat the product getting released dat late is not meeting our expectations....bcoz nw market hs better products at better prices....Plz Nokia don't do dis to N85 and N79 and 5800......LAUnch dem as promised and on time........
- B
- Bakhti
- 4CM
- 04 Oct 2008
Also, just for the record. It seems N96 is getting scary often compared to Samsung Innovate. So, I thought sales statistics should be pretty good indicator of the popularity of the devices: N96 had been Plemix's top selling device since the day it started shipping to be replaced by Samsung Omnia only yesterday. Now, Innovate, on the other hand, has never made it to the top ten, and I suspect it never will. Just thought it was interesting thing to know.
- B
- Bakhti
- 4CM
- 04 Oct 2008
Kal, 03 Oct 2008I don't quite agree with you.
Those who loved nokia for ... moreKal, again, by no means do I say that N96 is a perfection, Nokia could have done better, and I'm sure it will do better. To be perfectly honest, I never even liked original N95 -- Nokia at its best is candybar or, lately, qwerty (my E71 totally blows me away), solid devices -- and not hip wannabes (my opinion here).
Nevertheless, GSMArena is way too, shall we say, imposing in its recent Nokia reviews. If GSMArena doesn't like something, it should offer it as its own opinion at one point of the review and not thread it through the whole 7 pages. Reading today's review was like watching Fox (or MSNBC, for that matter, if you're conservative).
And honestly, when I'm reading a review, do I really need a poetic language of "too late, too little" or do I want a solid readout of all specs, key features and cons? I think this is a question GSMarena should ask themselves if they don't want to alienate their readers. The irony is GSMarena excels at the second part of the job (solid review), yet totally fails (again, my opinion) in keeping their reviews professional (e.i., objective).
Anyway, not picking a fight here, just shared some of my thoughts.
- ?
- Anonymous
- LEv
- 04 Oct 2008
come on nokia
wake up
this is a disaster
n96 should have been
xenon flash
8 mega pixel
720 p video
1500 battery(e71)
16 gig
good screen
600 hz procesor
etc
come ooooooooooooooooooooooon
wake up
samsung its gona a kill you
they are coominggggggggggggggggggggggggg
- S
- Sayem
- jW5
- 04 Oct 2008
Hey, Can anybody tell me that N96's Tv works here in new york or not?i have tried with my nokia N96 but it says no channels available. On Gsmareana's Review about Nokia n96 says that some few places around the world DVB-H in service and that includes New york too.the page link is this www . dvb-h.org/services. htm and up there there is a company listed named Modeo (New York City). On Modeo (New York City)web page there no proper information available or any phone number to call.
Gsm arena please take a notice about this matter and give us a clear idea.
Thanks
Sayem
- Z
- Zylam
- 3Ce
- 04 Oct 2008
so much more confussed...saving up for N96 for along time but does't seem to pack that punch but i'd still buy it the only probs are the N85 and 5800 being much more for alot less....i'm hoping that with those two phones coming N96 will see a major price drop really soon...thats exactly what happened to the N78...here in the middle east Nokia have a huge foothold and the N78 went from being more than the N95 to less than the N81...thats good news for everyone for those who like it (me) we get a fair price! later homies! keep chillin!!
- M
- Mircea Liviu
- pXd
- 04 Oct 2008
Man...who has the N95 can skip two generations and wait for the next N series. And those of you that have the N95 8GB , well look on the bright side you will only have to skip one generation.
I didn't like the looks of the N96. It looks like a chunky N81.
And another thing is that the Symbian version is behind the one found on the E series (E66 and E71) that can change the customization by the touch of a button. a simple feature, but hey, if your emptying your pocket already why shouldn't you deserve it.
All around I hope that Nokia comes um with a true substitute for the N95 because if not I will be skipping a whole lot of generations otherwise.
- C
- Cre8or
- fvA
- 04 Oct 2008
No Xenon flash in the Samsung INNOV8 as mentioned in the first page of the review...
- A
- AGC
- jUP
- 04 Oct 2008
I sort of agree with the sentiments of all three of you below. But I have to admit, while I'm not that fond of the N81 style myself, I'm getting pretty tired of reading GSMarena's newest negative slants on it. Seriously, your team writes awesome reviews, I love everything about them, but it's true: by infusing them with your heightened objections to some aesthetic quality of a handset, the review is intrinsically more subjective. You're better than that, so why not write that way.
Cheers
- D
- Deano
- 0Bq
- 04 Oct 2008
Got one on contract from T-Mobile (£40 a month), and I'm still getting to grips with it, but never does the quality of the phone demand a £500 price tag... Creaky, light leaks from the case and the slider's not great...
DON'T buy it sim-free if you can help it!
BTW: sim-free on eBay is £300...
- K
- Kal
- 2SU
- 03 Oct 2008
Bakhti, 03 Oct 2008I'm a bit surprised by what seems to be a very subjective r... moreI don't quite agree with you.
Those who loved nokia for years, expected nokia to bring out something that they can claim to be the best are mostly offended, disappointed. The words and the emotions are natural and nothing surprising to me.
I don't know what those designers and marketing guys are doing at nokia but I can see many who are in fact not fond of this glossy plastic design. Moto stuck to their Razr design for years and we know where they are now. Everyone loved it in the beginning. That's a lesson enough. As a reviewing site, GSMarena should have their own opinion.
After n95 8Gb the market was expecting more from Nokia. But in reality Samsung actually released innvo8 with all those specs and a lot more, and Nokia failed to deliver on time. There isn't much that has been added on N5 8gb. You are right you live in a place where a true multimedia monster will never get to see the light with all it's feature in the market. Thats one reason why Nokia dosen't have a strong foothold in their. US carriers will never release a phone with built-in GPS, HSDPA, TV out, WiFi to begin with.
Had Nokia releas this much before Innvo8, it would be a whole different perspective to look at. Hence it's too little too late.
- S
- SE + Nokia Fan
- i}d
- 03 Oct 2008
Bakhti, 03 Oct 2008I'm a bit surprised by what seems to be a very subjective r... moreGeeeeezzzz! Lighten Up Bakhti... No need for the statistical report, Duh!!
I'm not crazy about this N96 either. From all other 'better' Nokia designs, they picked N81 as the base for N96.
Sigh...
The keypad certainly look cheap and probably easily smudged as well.
I guess I'll be waiting for the 5800...