AT A GLANCE
- The 8-megapixel camera
- Runs on MeeGo
- A micro-SIM is needed
- Multiple homescreen views
- Easy mail set up
- The simple swipe gesture used to control the phone.
Enter a sleek, sophisticated design coupled with Nokia's always durable and reliable hardware. Enter the perfect mix of beauty and power. Enter a phone that seamlessly crosses the divide old the old and new. A phone that changed people's perceptions of Nokia. Forever. Enter the N9.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my Nokia E7 dearly but when the Nokia N9 arrived I promptly fell in love - there may have been squeals of delight too. With the phone it is clear from the offset that Nokia are doing things differently. The packing was more compact, the slight tweaks in accessory design and the phone and the bright, bold colours it comes in are all a testament to their new outlook.
While it took me a few days to arrange a micro-SIM for the phone once using it, it was an experience every Nokia fan needs to have. Truly inspired. Everyone knows that Nokia is going nowhere with MeeGo past the Nokia N9 and with that not much was expected with the launch of the phone. My oh my, did it prove everyone wrong.
The phone introduces a simple swipe gesture that replaces the traditional home key, a feature that has proven to be one of the most exciting I have experienced on a phone, it takes all the fuss and the bother with buttons and ultimately proves that they aren't really needed.
It also offers three home views designed to give fast access to the most important things, namely download and use apps, stay up-to-date with notifications and social networks, and switch between activities. Using Twitter and Facebook on the phone was a pleasure and setting up my mail? It was easy to activate and allowed a simple set up for most e-mail accounts.
Gone are the days of the clunky and tiresome Symbian, enter MeeGo, a slick, responsive and delightful software experience, one that is already rather nostalgic but nevertheless was exciting and fresh.
As for the touchscreen? The 3.9-inch AMOLED screen providing the crystal clear display doesn’t hurt. Oh and the 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor, a wide-angle lens with HD-quality video capture? Well, it is camera that rivals many. Snapping pictures has never bee so much fun. Everything looks great.
The N9 just so happens to be the world's first smartphone with Dolby Digital Plus decoding and Dolby Headphone post-processing technology; what does it mean you ask? Think a surround sound experience like no other. With any set of headphones. It’s simply magical. As for the games and other apps I must admit I went all out, Need for Speed was rather addictive and great to play. As for Angry Birds? Simply a classic. I may have wasted a more than a few hours on each.
Overall the Nokia N9 is the perfect stepping stone from the days of Symbian to those of the Windows Phone; bridging the gap between the old and the new and making the transition to the next phase of Nokia phones all the more seamless. It is clear Nokia has changed their standards in terms of innovation and design and it is a formidable and elegant device that is set to be a game changer for Nokia.
Turn ons
- Great camera
- Twitter and Facebook integration
- Long lasting battery life
- Relativity low cost
Turn offs
- Lack of apps due to MeeGo, so no WhatsApp
- It takes a micro-SIM
Price: R5999.99
