Now that the N95 is already a few years old, I find myself asking the question - What phone is the new king of the Nseries? Or even - What phone SHOULD be the new king of the Nseries? Surely the N95 can still hold it's own as far as specs and functionality go. But Nokia fans are dying for something new and drastically improved. I say the N95 was the king of Nseries because of it's popularity - this phone was a HUGE player in the market, and still is. But the Nseries needs a new leader of the pack.



The initial thought is to crown the Nokia N96 as the king. After all, it has a huge storage capacity and beautiful screen right? Yeah, but what else does it bring to the table? Well, we have mobile TV thanks to DBV-H technology. I think this is a great idea, but whats stopping me (a N82 and E71 user) from just getting a Hava box or Sling Player. I can get any TV channels I have at home streamed to my S60 phone. And apparently DBV-H technology isn't doing so well in the markets it's already in, according to Mobile Burn. Maybe the N96 will be a jump start for the market? With it's extremely high price point I'm not so sure.

The fellas over at Phones 4 U also agree with my analysis of the N96. It's hard to tell if the market will catch on and come to love the N96 like they did the N95. The article states,

Ultimately though, this is about a next generation mobile phone being able to evolve on from a previous model, the Nokia N95, which went though 4 ‘design revamps’ before Nokia finally conceded defeat and accepted the new Nokia N96 was due. However, the issue has been raised that the new Nokia N96 is no more than the Nokia N95 with go faster stripes and a new slim line sports body kit, which is the view of mobile phone purists, but will the public be duped.

Harsh words? I don't think so. The article does go on to point out some of the huge advantages the N96 have over other phones in the market. It's definitely worth a full read.


Hey Mike, What About The Double-LED Flash?

I'm really not all that impressed. But again, this is coming from a Nokia N82 user, so what do you expect? I have yet to see a crisp clear picture of two people in a low-light environment living the night up. I've seen a few low-light closeups - but those pictures aren't a realistic situation. I don't think I've ever needed to take a closeup of my moms flower garden or my old GI Joe collection in the dark. What you need is a good camera that takes good pictures in dark conditions from around 5 feet away. Like I said, I'm not saying the N96 can't do it. I just haven't seen any good proof. With tons of Google Reader subscriptions to Nokia related blogs and websites, I've yet to see any N82 vs N96 low light battle galleries. I'm not expecting the N96 to be up to par with xenon flash, I'm just hoping it does somewhat well. I was pretty let down by the N95's flash - not only the amount of light but how long it takes to snap the photo in low light.

My friend Devin from The Nokia Guide just wrote an article about his search for a new phone after getting his previous two stolen. Given the current Nseries lineup with all the new phones, he still went with the N82. Here's what he had to say about the N96...

The N96 comes close to the N95 8GB I had, but adds an impressive 16GB of built-in memory and even a card slot for one of those capacious 16GB microSDHC cards, giving me a whopping 32 GB. Off course there’s also the DVB-H that I won’t be using for quite some time as you’d have to travel for thousands of miles to reach a country where it’s being used. The handset’s current price is well north of the $700 mark, making me rethink this decision. If it was going for around the $600+ range it would have stood a chance. The camera with its dual LED would be perfect for videos, but definitely worse than the N82, a device introduced back in 2007.

Another analysis I agree with. I'd also like to mention that the N96 lacks in the battery department. I'm seeing horror stories that it's similar battery life to the N95 Classic. Why Nokia, Why?

Regardless, the N96 is still a great phone. The huge 2.8" screen is gorgeous, an the 16gb internal memory plus a expandable microSD card slot is to die for. Music/Video lovers will never run out of room, leaving extra gigs for images and podcasts. Definitely a huge advantage right there. Not to mention the dedicated gaming/multimedia keys and the cool little kickstand (which should be on every Nseries phone). One looking to get the iPhone should definitely take a second look at the Nokia N96.

Since I can't say that the Nokia N96 is the new "Kings Of Nseries", then which phone do I think is. In my eyes it's still the N82. The thing is like a ninja. It's so stealthy - yet really packs a punch. When one first looks at it, the design doesn't say much. It's not flash or "cool", but when you start playing with the device you realize it can do everything any other Nseries can do, plus fire great pictures.

But shouldn't the title go to a phone with a larger screen and 3g that works all over the world (n82 NAM 3g does not exist)? Shouldn't it have superb battery life, and the latest Symbian S60 Feature Pack 2, and of course a killer 5 megapixel camera?

To me - right now the most impressive Nseries phone is the Nokia N85. Killer battery life, great screen, comes with 8gb memory card, NAM 3g coming in early 2009 (hopefully sooner), Feature Pack 2, great sound, what more can you ask for. Of course I'd rather have xenon over dual LED but that was left out. A closer look and my thoughts on the Nokia N85 will be a upcoming article.

What do you think? Any N96 owners like to chime in?

Who should get the "King Of Nseries" crown?

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