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The Nokia N96 is now official - the new Flagship

Nokia has announced the N96, its new flagship in the Nseries, with quad band reception, DVB-H (digital TV), 16GB of internal flash memory and microSD expansion. It runs S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2. Plus all the top end specs from the existing N95 8GB. For thoughts, photos and specs, read on.

N96 showing slide extended to left and gaming 'keys' lit up

Looking much like a bigger brother to the N81 than to the N95 8GB, the N96 still has the specs to go straight in at the top of Nokia's Nseries line-up. The inclusion of DVB-H, a full 16GB of flash memory and a microSD slot take it significantly above the N95 8GB, with all other specs (including GPS, Wi-Fi, 5mp camera, 2.8" screen, etc.) the same.

Having used the N81 for a while, I have a few concerns over build materials and screen contrast in bright light, hopefully we can report more on this in the next few days. Note that the dual slide arrangement has been tweaked slightly since the N95, with music controls now 'light up' functions rather than hard coded keys, and with game control functions coming to the fore when playing N-Gage games.

The inclusion of S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 was a given, of course, one of the first devices to have the tweaked S60 interface with more obvious multi-tasking. Flash Lite 3 (with Flash video) is here from the outset of course, just as in the latest N95 8GB firmware.

As some bloggers have noted, the presence of a smallish 950mAh battery is also a concern, let's hope there are significant optimisations under the hood to ensure that the problems experienced with the original N95 don't recur...

Hands-on comments from Rafe will follow in due course. On with the specs:

 

Supported networks

Dimensions

Memory

Operating Hours

Display and user interface

N96 in landscape mode

Video Center

Video codecs and formats

Live TV

N96 includes TV stand

Music

Radio

Main Camera

Second Camera

Video recording function

Photography

Discover

E-mail and Messaging

Mobile Internet Access

Connection options

Standard package

 

N96 in phone mode

 

Published by Steve Litchfield at 9:33 UTC, February 11th

Categories: Hardware
Platforms: S60 3rd Edition

News Discussion
unregistered
Comment: only a 950mAH battery is too bad !!
only QVGA TFT display with a 6.1 inch diagonal display (2.8 inches) , i dint understand this !!!!
Mr. Tight Pants
Comment: I hope the battery got injected with steroids or AGH (Alkaline Growth Hormone) other wise everything about this phone makes me pitch a tent in my pants =) This phone is SOOO Uber.
Orophin Anwarunya
Comment: Lets hope the OS technologies within FP2 will work at optimising power usage so we wont feel much of a hit on the 950mAh.

Very nice device. Shame its a long way from release.
Unregistered
Comment: Nice but not a large enough step to tempt me. The battery is no problem for me, I get an easy 2 days+ on the N95 classic.

I see the dimensions are creeping upwards, an extra 4mm on length, the N95 classic is already at the limit of the size of brick I want to be carrying everywhere, I would be looking for a size reduction, not increase.

Also, why do they stick with the reverse slide music player buttons? They seem fairly pointless because all the controls are duplicated and it causes an involuntary screen rotation. Losing the reverse slide would simplify the slider mechanism and potentially reduce the overall size.

The N95 classic is too big but I tolerate it. I think because the iPhone is so large Nokia think they can get away with this bloat.
krisse
Comment: [quote]The N95 classic is too big but I tolerate it. I think because the iPhone is so large Nokia think they can get away with this bloat.[/quote]

I have to agree with this, high profile phones nowadays are getting a bit big, even the N81 feels a bit chunky.

It doesn't have to be like this, the 6120 and E51 are tiny but have perfectly respectable specs, but no one ever hypes these models.
ajck
Comment: Nice piece of kit. I can't imagine Nokia wouldn't have done something significant to address the battery issue, even if it is the lower capacity.

Anyway - the DVB-H - is this any use to us in the UK at all? Any broadcasts we can watch? I thought this was only use in Europe.

Secondly, the SDTV out resolution - is this higher than the N95? Does it apply to web browser etc?

What I really want is a 6120 classic sized device with TV out. Doesn't have to have N95 level hardware, but TV out would be very good.
Unregistered
Comment: As a previous owner of the N95, and since, the iPhone, this would've brought me back to Nokia if it had the touchscreen capabilities. Nokia are lagging behind on that front. Apple introduced a breakthough last year with the touchscreen technology, and future phones should follow. Browsing is such a nice experience on a touchscreen device, but in my opinion, the N95 browsing (and anything else for that matter) was similar to having to use the keyboard on a PC (cursor keys, Alt +F etc), as opposed to a mouse. The Lobster (Windows Mobile) had a built in TV tuner, and failed miserably.

The N96 is a much slicker looking device than the N95 brick, but it doesn't really give us anything new.
jinx405
Comment: agreed... its not a big enough step from the n95 for me to upgrade.. yet. but it surely looks absolutely gorgeous though.. and 16gb plus an sd card slot - nokia have been listening to us :)
yade
Comment: This is just like when they turned an N93 into N93i

I dont think there are many improvements. I prefer N95 8GB Styling. The On board mass memory and microSD is nice but unneccesarry for me.

The screen being QVGA is not a prob, after all we have been watchin PAL/NTSC on huge screens for many years without a complaint.

The battery puzzles me, physically the 1050mAh batter in the N81/82 is smaller than the BL-5F so couldnt they have used that if they had no space for the BL-6F, bizzare!!:rolleyes:

DVB-H doesnt interest me and availability is so small that it wont be much use in this phone and when it does kick off I am sure Nokia will have released a few more handsets anyway.

Surely they could have added a zenon flash instead of 2 LED's. 2 LED's against 1 wont improve things but a zenon would. I believe they didnt because they dont want to reduce N82 sales.

I just dont get it, I get why they did the N95 8GB but I dont get this 1 at all!
krisse
Comment: [quote]The Lobster (Windows Mobile) had a built in TV tuner, and failed miserably.[/quote]

I think the problem there was that the TV tuner was the central feature, and the standard they used wasn't DVB-H.

No one is going to buy a phone mainly because of mobile TV, but mobile TV might take off if it is a side-feature in enough phones.

IMHO though, the future of mobile TV is in sites like YouTube where you can get millions of channels on demand instead of just a few dozen live streams. YouTube's 10 minute clip limit also suits mobile viewing very well.


[quote]I just dont get it, I get why they did the N95 8GB but I dont get this 1 at all![/quote]

Maybe we'll see an N96 32GB appearing a short while after the N96, which fixes all the problems of the original N96? :-)
nj7
Comment: [quote=unregistered;364175]only a 950mAH battery is too bad !!
only QVGA TFT display with a 6.1 inch diagonal display (2.8 inches) , i dint understand this !!!![/quote]

Agree! Same boring screen, same boring design, and more brick then N81... Each new phone is the same as previous...:frown:
yade
Comment: [quote=jinx405;364212]agreed... its not a big enough step from the n95 for me to upgrade.. yet. but it surely looks absolutely gorgeous though.. and 16gb plus an sd card slot - nokia have been listening to us :)[/quote]

Listening with selective hearing.

If they did a survey of what consumers wanted where do you think DVB-H would have come in that??

They had a chance to build the perfect device on their current hardware platform but fell short mainly as a way to keep people hooked for the next round later this year. This is just ruthless business stopping us consumers being entirely happy
krisse
Comment: [quote]They had a chance to build the perfect device on their current hardware platform but fell short mainly as a way to keep people hooked for the next round later this year. This is just ruthless business stopping us consumers being entirely happy[/quote]

I think "ruthless" is the wrong word, no one is being forced to buy any of these phones.

If you don't think a model is good enough, vote with your wallet and wait for the next one or buy a rival's. That's the language that companies really take notice of, and it's the language they will respond to.
nj7
Comment: [quote=krisse;364221]...vote with your wallet and wait for the next one or buy a rival's. That's the language that companies really take notice of, and it's the language they will respond to.[/quote]

Yessss!;)
yade
Comment: [quote=krisse;364221]I think "ruthless" is the wrong word, no one is being forced to buy any of these phones.

If you don't think a model is good enough, vote with your wallet and wait for the next one or buy a rival's. That's the language that companies really take notice of, and it's the language they will respond to.[/quote]

Thats the problem, Nokia are so far ahead of the game they know that they can keep doing this because no1 else can compete.
krisse
Comment: [quote]Thats the problem, Nokia are so far ahead of the game they know that they can keep doing this because no1 else can compete.[/quote]

They're ahead because people buy their phones. If you don't like Nokia phones, don't buy them!

There are plenty of great non-Nokia models out there, including non-Nokia S60 smartphones. Try one of those instead.
davidmaxwaterma
Comment: I am pleased to see the swirly key still present on the N96 (as well as the N78).

From a developer's perspective, I think it's a mistake to move it since it's one of the only identifying marks for S60 (and so users can easily tell if our s/w will run on it).

Of course, an 'S60' logo on the phone would be better...but that might put people off Series 40 phones, which have a bigger market (I guess).
Unregistered
Comment: May i seriously ask nokia...Wads the point of buying a ferrari when the fuel tank is a 1.5L coke bottle? The N96 has all the cool features but no battery life...Nokia is advertising it as a phone to watch videos on? Lol watch long videos like lord of the rings, half way through the movie and your phone shuts down J.O.K.E. Oh before i forgot, wheres the DAM XENON FLASH?
Unregistered
Comment: I can't underestand nokia
can't underestand why they equip the new N78 with a 1200mah battery but decide to introduce the long awaited high-end expensive N96 with the same week 950mah battery despite it's larger display and more equipments and consumption it has? I already have a N95 and must say it's battry life is a real problem.
If it was possible for them to accommodate a 1200mah battry into a small N78 they certainly could accommodate it in a large n96 too. I think the only reason is that they didn't want to do that.
perhaps we alvays must suffer some issue in a nokia phone.
I feel sorry for them
Arcade
Comment: Has anyone noticed that in the images, the phone rests on a sort of side stand located around the LED's (and probably another stand at the lower end )
COOL !!
Nick17
Comment: Is it me, or, is the front camera missing..?

No video-conferencing on this device
or should we pack an extra mirror..
(and battery..)?
krisse
Comment: Nick17, I think the front camera is that white dot in the top right hand corner.


On the subject of battery life, I have to agree, it's silly to skimp on one of the most fundamental specifications of all, especially in a flagship model. It doesn't make any sense.
yade
Comment: [quote=krisse;364230]They're ahead because people buy their phones. If you don't like Nokia phones, don't buy them!

There are plenty of great non-Nokia models out there, including non-Nokia S60 smartphones. Try one of those instead.[/quote]

I think I will stick with Nokia thanks, im not trying to take a swipe but they keep releasing phones that nearly tick all the boxes but just fail in 1 or 2 areas when we know that the hardware is proven and capable of this!!

1 more puzzling thing about this design, does it really need 2 sets of the media player keys????:rolleyes:
Orophin Anwarunya
Comment: [quote]N96 Product Manager
34 minutes ago

dragon-tmd

What is the reason for including only a 950 mAh battery?



Answer: Instead of putting in a bigger battery than the N95, we optimized power usage of key functions, in particular those related to multimedia and entertainment. For example, video playback time is up to 5 hours and music playback time is up to 14 hours, which we achieved through hardware accelerators and other optimizations.[/quote]

extracted from the current live Q&A session in the [URL="http://tangler.com:80/forum/nokia-nseries-mobile-world-congress-virtual-event/topic/35022"]Nokia MWC forum[/URL]
krisse
Comment: Orophin, thanks for that!

I'm not convinced by Nokia's answer though, why didn't they optimise power usage AND include a battery over 1000mah?

 

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