In a nutshell: A very powerful smartphone with a 3.2 megapixel
camera and assisted GPS, but seriously let down by a dysfunctional
keypad. Choose the Nokia N95 8GB instead.
Review:
June 2008. Updated July 2008.
The Nokia N78. A highly anticipated
smartphone with many powerful features. The feature list is finger-lickin
good: Series 60 smartphone with 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, assisted GPS
navigation with preloaded maps, a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl
Zeiss optics, Tessar lens, autofocus & flash, a video camera
with stereo audio recording, a secondary camera for video calling,
a superb MP3 player with a Navi wheel for easy access to your music,
an FM radio. And all this in a compact classic design that weighs
just 102g and looks great. There are even bonus features such as
FM transmitter that lets you play your music on your car stereo.
On paper it's a fabulous phone. Only the lack of
a 5 megapixel camera stops it from being Nokia's best smartphone
ever. Yet we hate it.
Why do we hate it? Because of its keypad. Actually
to say that it has a keypad is overstating things. The Nokia N78
has some numbers painted on its front and some floppy pieces of
plastic that wiggle up and down if you push them hard. Maybe the
number that you pushed will come up, maybe another, who knows? Maybe
after a couple of frustrated minutes struggling to write a text
or dial a number, you'll take a hammer to the keys and give this
phone what it deserves. What on earth have Nokia done?
We had really been looking forward to this phone,
but we're disappointed. It's not a phone that we can recommend.
Brave souls will persevere with the keypad and may learn to tolerate
it, but we would recommend the Nokia N95
8GB instead.
Initially we awarded the phone 1 star. A couple
of people sent us rude email as a result. We've calmed ourselves
done now and rustled up a couple more stars, but we're still angry
with Nokia for messing up such a good product.
By the way, plenty of people agree with us. gsmarena
says, "The knobs are way too tiny and there are no borders
of any kind between keys within the same row. So far we are having
quite a rough time typing on the N78." hardwarezone.com says
"we found ourselves frustrated as we fumbled and encountered
numerous double tapping." igadgetlife says it all: "what
were you thinking Nokia?"
Features of the Nokia N78 include:
3G Symbian phone with S60 3rd Edition, Feature
Pack 2
Assisted GPS navigation with preloaded regional
maps
3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics
& Tessar Lens with autofocus, 20x digital zoom, LED flash
and photo editor
Video: MPEG4/3GP VGA video capture at 15 fps,
AAC stereo audio with 8x digital zoom and video editor
Secondary CIF camera (352 x 288 pixels)
Display: TFT, 16 million colours, 240 x 320
pixels (2.4 inches)
Music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ & WMA
formats) with playlists, equaliser and album art
FM radio
Stereo speakers plus Nokia Stereo Headset HS-45/AD-54
included in sales package
FM transmitter
Messaging: SMS, MMS, email (SMTP, IMAP4, POP3)
with attachment support for images, videos, music and documents
Java & Symbian applications
Advanced S60 PIM features including contacts,
calendar, to-do list, notes, recorder, calculator, clock, converter
Connectivity: WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0,
3.5mm audio connector
Internet: EGPRS class B, EDGE, HSDPA (up to
3.6 Mbps download), Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map, RSS feeds
Dual mode WCDMA 900/2100 (HSDPA) plus quadband
GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
Size: 113 x 49 x 15.1 mm
Weight: 102g
Talktime: 190 minutes (3G) - 260 minutes (2G)
Battery standby: up to 320 hours
Nokia N78 Consumer
Reviews
Love
your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review
this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a
forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear
words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!
Average
rating from 100 reviews:
Reviewed by gerald from kenya on
3rd Feb 2009
bough it in december 08. Its software has failed TWICE already.
this is an enhanced pager!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by SIMON CORNWELL from ENGLAND
on 31st Jan 2009
N78 I hate this phone. It stops working for no reason. Files freeze
have to keep it on gsm. Keys hard to use and ping pong game as to
who should sort it out. It has been changed once. Then same things
happened.Told software upgrade required. the phone was brand new!
I have found this phone not fit for purpose and have put my contract
sim back in my old razor phone. In my view, Nokia have slipped on
a banana skin with this product? Rating:
Reviewed by Dave Dunford from UK on
29th Jan 2009
It's feature-rich and has a pretty good spec, but I completely agree
with all the comments re the ghastly keypad. I disliked it from
the start, but thought I'd get used to it - two months later I'm
still selecting the wrong menu items by mistake, opening pages I
didn't want, and it still usually takes about 6 keypresses to unlock
the damn thing. And I'm not usually an all-fingers-and-thumbs kind
of user. An irritatingly sluggish response to key-presses makes
the problem even worse. I got the handset free on contract but I
certainly wouldn't buy it if I had a choice. My previous Nokia (2630)
was far less feature-rich but was SO much more ergonomic and a pleasure
to use. The N78 has a nasty cheap feel to it as well - creaky keyboard
and an ill-fitting back panel. Avoid. Rating:
Reviewed by julie from uk on
29th Jan 2009
the person who made this review is dumb..WAY DUMB!!!i have been
using the n78 ever since it first came out and i did not ind the
keypads disfuntional..eventhough i have big thumbs..i had no problems
whatsoever with this phone..this phone deserves at least four stars..next
time when you guys make reviews,dont just say stuffs like disfunctional
keypad or any other because non of them are true [Editor's reply:
Gee, thanks for your review Julie. And how courteously you express
yourself. Remember that editors and professional reviewers have
feelings too. Just because you're typing on a machine doesn't mean
that your talking to one.] Rating:
Reviewed by Ihaveit from Brunei on
28th Jan 2009
OMG i should not listen to your stupid comments the phone is damn
good.... KEYPAD is good while idk if your fingers are so huge till
you can type with the phone..... i give the phone 4 stars Rating:
Reviewed by Sebastien from France on
27th Jan 2009
Just a nasty phone, why did Nokia bothered with it and with this
nasty keypad. I am stuck with it but I'll give it to my sister (she's
9 and with a little fingers she will have a chance with the keypad) Rating:
Reviewed by steven from russia on
24th Jan 2009
owful.too many bugs for 5 month.fm transmitter really has super
low signal, so it's not useful for MP3's listening in the car. navi
button's easy scratching.and there's absolutely unfriendly bluetooth
device - all connections require extra-forces.It could be my device's
character... Rating:
Reviewed by NIHARIKA from INDIA on
22nd Jan 2009
Its a gud fone at reasonable price.It is DAD of both N73 & n81,with
very little diff in pricing.......I face no prob with KEYS,bt its
faster,lighter,comfortable gripping,wifi,max 3G speed 3.6MBPS not
only 384 kbps as in n73,n81,also both n73 &n81 are nw OLDIES(2006,2007).I
gve 5star$. This site is wrong as gvng only 2stars. [Editor's reply:
Hm, not wrong, just different. And please don't swear, then we won't
have to edit your reviews.] Rating:
Reviewed by Girish Khanduri from India
on 22nd Jan 2009
To start with, i was fascinated with the brilliant looks of this
mobile, searched for the reviews on many more blogs like mobile-phones-uk.org.
Read each and every comment, and finally decided not to buy. After
a couple of days, my bro gave me this mobile as a gift, i banged
my head on wall, to which, now i think was unnecessary, b'coz the
mobile was not what i perceived. Every feature is comparable to
n73 and as bonus you receive faster processing speed, preloaded
maps, stylish looks, sleek and handy design, navi wheel, radio transmitter.
Keypad is not a problem, but rarely you will need to press a key
twice for single operation which i think is affordable Rating:
Reviewed by eyad from jordan on
19th Jan 2009
perfect Rating:
Reviewed by bala gopal from United Arab
Emirates on 16th Jan 2009
this mobile has no such bad things in UAE its just perfect.. Rating:
Reviewed by JOEL from UK on 12th
Jan 2009
This must be the worst phone I ever had. I received this brand new
phone on Thursday 8th january 08 as part of an upgrade, well by
Monday 12 January I sent it back to O2, telling them they can use
it as a Frisbees. In plain English this phone is rubbish for text
messages. If you love texting like myself forget it. The keypad
is just chocking, what did Nokia had in their mind when they created
this nonsense phone. A part from that the phone is great but is
let down immensely by its keypad. I you love texting dont buy it,
dont ask for it as an upgrade and just forget about the N78 or you
might regret it. Rating:
Reviewed by David from United Kingdom
on 6th Jan 2009
Having recieved the phone yesterday and after an initial 1st charge
i have had a good play around with the handset. Ok lets get this
into prospective, the phone looks lovely and the design looks and
feels eligant, the features are amazing, and ive already owned the
N95 to which this phone is more state of the art! The bad points
on this phone are the soft keys at the top where you might be in
the menu for example and wis to exit a certain app(but not go straight
back to desktop) and accidently hit the red desktop/endcall key
for example instead of just exit on the app, frustrating, and your
never quite sure if on a call you will end it with a single press.
The keypad design may look nice but feels sponge and creaks alot.The
number keys are ok to use if you have small fingers. Also no standby
clock after the screen goes out.Also the voice recorder is a little
low when playback. The good points are this phone has all the N95
features and more stuff included its more feature rich than an N95,
but the keypad design is very poor. In pleased with this phone yet
a little dissapointed, i cant understand nokia makeing such poor
keypad just to make the phone look nicer, maybe touch sense keys
might of been a better option, whos knows but its well worth the
£200 i paid for it (sim free) i was origenally looking at the E51
but this is far better where features are concerned. Rating:
Reviewed by Eamz from UK on 5th
Jan 2009
Well personally I find the Nokia N78 a very good phone. It has WiFi
and I can access the internet at anytime FOR FREE! and the camera
is good enough, music player is good quality. The video player is
indeed outstanding because you can download the latest podcasts
and then watch them on the bus or whatever, very useful. I don't
find the buttons that complicated to use, I got used to them with
my fat thumbs straight away! Maps is ok but you would have to pay
if you stopped started travelling as the WiFi is out of distance
but if I got stuck I would use that! Radio=Good, and there is an
FM transmitter to blast MY music rather than buying new speakers
or making ld CDs! I'd reccommend to all, SUPERB! 5 Stars! Rating:
Reviewed by amit_dev from INDIA on
1st Jan 2009
I ALSO BUY NOKIA N78 NICE LOOKING BUT AS ABOVE IT'S KEYPAD IS NOT
GOOD... ALSO MUSIC PLAYER IS SLOW THEN n73 Rating:
Reviewed by Jhona from Mauritius on
1st Jan 2009
Using for abt two month..Honestly the first days using the keypad
is a nightware!! but once used its a breeze to use..Actually finds
it strange to type on normal keypad. The keypad does squeaks like
the back cover.U cant mute the cam sound n switch off the flash
on most n78! Besides theses drawbacks its a good phone..wifi,Fm
radio n Transmitter among others.Actually think the n79 will do
better. Rating:
Reviewed by Brecsh from italy on
29th Dec 2008
Best nokia phone i've had, and i admit the key-pad is lame to start
with, but once you use it a bit it's really good, maybe the reviewee
just didn't actually test this phone out properly! maybe they have
fat fingers i dunno.. [Editor's reply: Quite thin ones actually!
Maybe I just lack motivation. In fact, reviewing this phone almost
caused me to lose the will to live.] Rating:
Reviewed by Shekhar from India on
29th Dec 2008
Excellent phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Emmanuel from Nigerian on
23rd Dec 2008
I love the phone. Rating:
Reviewed by raj from india on
23rd Dec 2008
i bought this phone a couple of days ago.initially i struggled with
the keypad after i got used to it,and now iam comfortable with the
key pad.ifound the camera of this phone the best one isaw.iam very
happy to have this phone Rating:
Reviewed by j from poland on
20th Dec 2008
exellent Rating:
Reviewed by Little Tinker from Great
Britain on 19th Dec 2008
I love the loud ring tones as I am hard of hearing and the big clear
screen, but hate the keypad. I had trouble clicking on the back
cover and abit had snapped off, the shop put a new one on but I
am nervous to break it again, I had the phone for a couple of weeks
so couldn't take it back to the shop for an exchange. I've filled
in all my contacts but there is no place to put in address details!!!
aarrgh! Rating:
Reviewed by vortex from UK on
15th Dec 2008
My worst phone by a mile! keypad is horrible, battery life poor..and
after 2 months is now requiring a recharge after 4 hours use!! It
corrupted the 8gig flash card and I lost all images and photos/music
etc. It has locked up so many times, the plastic back has failed
where I have had to often take the battery out! The response of
the phone is SLOW.. I've given up now and gone back to my old phone.
It's like a breath of fresh air compared with the N78...avoid! Rating:
Reviewed by kevin from UK on
14th Dec 2008
I have owned the N78 for about 6 months now. I bought it based on
the manufacturers rep and the specification. The phone has been
a big disappointment. My biggest gripe is it blutooth connection
issues with the Parrot car hands-free device. It often crashes when
receiving a call or simply refuses to connect. The keypad is a nightmare
and I still haven’t figured out how to navigate somewhere
usefully with the maps system, it really should give verbal instructions
to be of use. I will be seriously considering my continued support
of Nokia in the future as their phone support has been poor, blaming
the Parrot device (which works fine with other phones) for the crashing
problem. Rating:
Reviewed by Dave from England on
12th Dec 2008
Got the n78 yesterday. The menus take a little getting used to and
the keypad is teeny-tiny BUT very responsive and easy to use, so
long as you don't have Rick Waller hands. Feature packed, it was
simple to get the wifi connected and pop email sorted. Music is
great (and the internet radio) through the stereo speakers and the
camers (3.2MP Zeiss) takes great pictures, even at night, with the
integrated flash. I imagine if you have upgraded from 1MP cam or
none at all, then you will be very impressed; any better than that
and you probably won't really care. The internet works well and
screen can be rotated to landscape and zoomed in and out. Nav is
included but I have't used it as have a seperate nav. I am a little
concerned about a few people saying they have issues with bluetooth
car-kits and the phone re-booting. Mine rebooted once today but
I will give it the benefit and report back after a week or two of
use. Note: I did notice that Nokia released a firmware update a
few months ago that contained improvements for bluetooth hands-free,
so hopefully this is no longer an issue. Hint: If like me, you have
any spare old Nokia chargers and in car chargers, then don't bin
them! I was about to buy new ones until I found the CA-44 adaptor
on the Nokia shop going for £5. If you google CA-44, you can find
it around £3 and unbranded ones are as low as £1.50 - bargain. Overall,
very happy with the upgrade to the n78 but cautious about bluetooth
re-boot issue and drops a star for sometimes slow application opening
and not so intuitive menus. By the way, looks great and not as big
as some people have made out. Rating:
Reviewed by Arslan from Pakistan on
10th Dec 2008
Its very good indeed Rating:
Reviewed by Ihsan from Indonesia on
9th Dec 2008
actually, this phone is amazing! I know, the keypad is little bit
annoying for big-fingered people. But, lets look deeper inside.
There are lots of great features! Such as wifi, 3.2 mp with autofocus
camera, stereo speakers, newest symbian os. And more. In other word,
the price and the features are equal. You just have to wait some
days to let yourself get used to this phone's keypad. Lets compare
n78 with n81. N78 has more features than n81 with same price! Ive
been using this phone for weeks and i dont find big problem in operating
this phone. Great wifi, big memory, good battery, gps, camera, stereo
music player, funny animating user interface.. N78 is my everything!
Oh, one more. Spend more time to clean n78 because its covered by
glossy material! Hehe :) Rating:
Reviewed by allen from UK on
4th Dec 2008
Great phone, missed it now its gone...took great pics but the keypad
drove me mad!!! The nav was handy and hooked with sports thingy
is a cool toy. Rating:
Reviewed by dave from uk on 2nd
Dec 2008
cant say anything good about this handset, unfortunately it is a
big big design flaw and is made without the thought of a human ever
using it! i am ofcourse refering to the keypad which could do with
other keys mounted on top of the current ones so that one can make
out the different keys. very difficult for daily use. not recommended
at all. better to wait or spend more on a n95 or n96 Rating:
Reviewed by faisal from qatar on
29th Nov 2008
the nokia n 78 is quite good but when you want to open a program
it take's so long and the batery cover feels cheap and the navigation
doesn't work shame on you nokia all of the previous phones were
much better and now i have the nokia 6210 navigator and its outstanding Rating:
Reviewed by Bob from Kenya on
27th Nov 2008
Let me start with the good features The FM transmitter is a great
asset. Being able to listen to your music on the car stereo without
entanglements and wires feels very great. GPS...great. The naviwheel
allows you to browse loads of pictures quickly and its interface
while scrolling pics is simply breathtaking. Battery life good too.
I was disappointed with my older 6120 that had great features but
poor poor battery life. Camera is good too....better than most phone
cameras. I also like the general look of the phone, looks very sleek.
The only qualms i have with N78 is its key pad which takes time
to get used to. Woe unto you if you have fat fingers....you will
never be able to type with ease. Rating:
Reviewed by Nokia_fans from Indonesia
on 25th Nov 2008
hahaha... for fat finger... it's a nightmare. but for me its not
as bad as it looks. in fact i like minimalism in design. Great sleek
design, and black really suit on N78. Only cant stand with fingerprints.
Full advanced feature, thanks for too many "fat fingers" in this
world, i can get this phone with very satisfying price, hahaha... Rating:
Reviewed by Mitchum from south africa
on 24th Nov 2008
as a nokia fan for 20 years i must say what a load of absolute rubbish,
at first i thought i should probably study the instruction booklet
incase i was doing something wrong, then i tried to find someone
with the same phone to see if it was only me or maybe i had a dud
phone.. no luck to date i still cant find another sucker.... the
guy at the local cell shop says he has never even seen one. i wish
i had found this site before i purchased this load of rubbish, for
the first time i am thinking of going to another make of phone...
thanks nokia you have cost me the price of this phone as i cannot
even give it away in fear of losing a friend... Rating:
Reviewed by Simon h from UK on
23rd Nov 2008
Worst phone ever and I have had some, the keys are hidden, when
you press the keys you have to wait for the phone to decide what
to do, the back fails to click on correctly so falls off, Rating:
Reviewed by pm_7285 from UK on
22nd Nov 2008
Overall a very good phone, I even quite like the keypad. One big
problem though - it doesn't work with the popular Parrot CK3000
Evolution car kit, so if this is something that's important to you,
you should think twice about this phone. Rating:
Reviewed by fahad from pakistan on
22nd Nov 2008
well at first look, it attacted me, so i bought one.. it toubled
me in begining but it doesn't bother me using it.. and above all
it is a fully loaded mobile and i m loving it.. i got a very good
offer to sell this set but i refused bcoz i only use nokia monoblock
sets and this one is a good update for my last set nokia n73 Rating:
Reviewed by Neil McLeod from UK on
20th Nov 2008
I thought the keyboard wasn't that bad even for my chunky fingers.
Loads of gadgets is what attracted me to this phone and ultimately
what disappointed me too. Basically it's too awkward to use. Menus
are buried beneath other menus. Couldn't get WIFI to work. Too much
work. Size too was an issue a bit too big to be comfortable in my
pocket. I returned the phone after a few days perseverence. Now
I have a phone which makes calls and is slim. Rating:
Reviewed by bobbybrain from UK on
9th Nov 2008
I've always had Nokia and with my upgrade opted for N78. Like many,
at first I was horrified with the Keypad and what seemed like an
absolute brick (previous phone was Nokia 6300). But after a few
days I've adapted to using the keypad and am pleased with acquisition.
The Carl Zeiss camera is excellent, Music playback quality is very
good (and I can use my sony earphones). It comes with 2GB memory
card which is useful. Many other features as well on this phone
which overall makes it an excellent purchase. One gripe is fingerprints
on the sheek black surface but nothing major. If you can't afford
the N96 and are not a heavy user of mobiles, the N78 is an worthy
alternative. Just perservere with the keypad!! Rating:
Reviewed by nitin from india on
7th Nov 2008
the phone is good and looking classy... the keypad can get used
to it within a day. features are good. some features lik navi wheel
and fm transmitter stuns us. those who are opting the price between
15 & 16 thousand can go for this!! Rating:
Reviewed by J. from Spain on
4th Nov 2008
Hi! I have this phone and I love it! I come from a LG KE970 Shine,
and N78's keypad is awesome compared to my previous phone... I like
it! Rating:
Reviewed by hilman from malaysia on
2nd Nov 2008
all i have 2 say is congrates NOKIA..im loving my n78 sooooo much!!!!the
keypads are very comfy to use especially if your a perfectionist..anythng
else is just wonderful..2 thumbs up 2 NOKIA.. Rating:
Reviewed by dna_shilka from indonesia
on 25th Oct 2008
what happen to u, NOKIA?? performance no problem. BUT keypad is
extremely bad, do u understand the meaning of ERGONOMIC? Rating:
Reviewed by hugh falcher from uk on
25th Oct 2008
i am very impressed with the n 78 the keypad is fine once your used
to it. As it happens i'm writing this on it now. So it really isn't
that bad. And the overall phone is very functional. Obviously as
a review this is a totally subjective opinion. And everyone will
have a different view on it. But mine is positive! Rating:
Reviewed by N from UK on 24th
Oct 2008
Initially the feature list impresses. Yes, this is enough to keep
one satisfied for a few weeks. However once this novelty subsides
the phone becomes very laborious to use. There are just simply too
many menus for my liking and the build quality of the phone is awful.
The buttons become frustrating to use and quickly become even worse.
This is nokia's attempt to provide a feature rich phone with a low
price tag. The mix just doesnt work! Rating:
Reviewed by Phil Hirons from UK on
15th Oct 2008
About to return my 5th N78. The feature list is fantastic, but in
reality, what use is an FM Transmitter when the keypad is impossible
to use, unless you have a childs fingers, and the bluetooth connection
to a Nokia car kit is about as reliable as a British weather forecast.
Throw in almost daily OS lockups, and there you have it - on paper
it's great but in real life it's nowt but a pain in the behind! Rating:
Reviewed by Murugavel from India on
15th Oct 2008
I agree with the Keypad's crappyness but its the box's features
that make it roll. It comes with a standard screen protector + the
camera's picture and video quality are outstanding for the price.
I have some difficulty with the GPS lock, but i guess it is also
cos of the muggy weather here in bangalore. Battery life is Good.
A shaky backcover that doesn't bother me much as it is quite difficult
to open it without nails. Voice quality and reception are great.
Interface, software navigation and weight are decent. I wish the
volume/zoom control could have been used for scrolling through e-mails/or
mp3 track or for the matter ant list just like the blackberry. WLAN
connection is little flaky on .11g mode. Overall a good buy for
the price, features and size of the phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Dans from Indonesia on
15th Oct 2008
I've bought this phone a month ago. yes it took me a while to get
used to the 'keypad', but I think that's not a big problem compared
to the features attached. overall I think this phone worth to buy,
it's the best phone with so many great features, especially the
A-GPS and the wifi, now I can surf the Internet whereever there
is a w-lan spot. And the performance of this phone is quite good
enough. My advice... get it now, no more waiting for confusing reviews,
it'll get you a headache... ;) Rating:
Reviewed by Adel from Indonesia on
10th Oct 2008
actually this phone have a sleek design and great features on it,
but i try very hard to see my recent calls,ev'time i push the call
button, boom! i see my inbox appear not the call log. ewww! and
the same thing happen ev'time i want to end my active call...it's
so weiiirdddd Rating:
Reviewed by Mehrshad from Canada on
8th Oct 2008
I have this phone and i have to say it's one of the best phone i've
ever seen with great features..... but there are tones of bugs in
this cell phone that sometime makes you disappointed. 1st this mobile
freezes very often. 2nd i think the RAM is not enough for this phone.They
should put more RAM for this phone. 3rd the camera sometimes doesn't
work I mean you cant zoom in/out. 4th Sometimes id doesnt show any
video and so on... But after all this phone somehow deserve to be
purchased Rating:
Reviewed by shahab from iran on
5th Oct 2008
the only problem is the awful keypad... Rating:
Reviewed by Amit Kaushik from India
on 5th Oct 2008
Kept my fingers untill I started using it bought it yesterday and
this is really amazing phone..... Looks are great and features are
like what it doesnot have???? People who are confused by the reviews
from different websites... Buy this phone guys its an amazing piece
of gadget, I sold my 5th Gen 30 GB ipod and really i have no regrets
as the navi wheel works same as that of an ipod!! N 78 rocks for
sure.... Rating:
Reviewed by Johnny from UK on
4th Oct 2008
Think alot of the reviews about the people complaining about the
Keypad are from people who have never tried the phone it has an
amazing Keypad. Rating:
Reviewed by eyad from jordan on
3rd Oct 2008
outstanding phone! Best phone ever Rating:
Reviewed by Tony from Lebanon on
2nd Oct 2008
That phone is a piece of junk... it keeps freezing and rebooting
all by itself when u connect wireless car kit... and try 90 seconds
idle power saver: it NEVER works... really sucks Rating:
Reviewed by jonny from uk on
29th Sep 2008
my screen broke twice. sent back withing two days Rating:
Reviewed by Blake from India on
28th Sep 2008
Hey the N78 is not a bad phone .Yes the keypad is weired but it
does not actually hamper the functions. Rating:
Reviewed by really cool from jordan
on 26th Sep 2008
cooooool mobile Rating:
Reviewed by okd74 from iraq on
26th Sep 2008
ugly keypad i hate it Rating:
Reviewed by Johnny from UK on
24th Sep 2008
Amazing phone most stylish thing out in the phone market. I dont
really know what people are complaining about the keypad I got to
tell you I have sausage fingers!! I build Diesel Engines for a living
and i got to admit the Keypad is the best for ease of use I have
ever come across it the best and well thought out by the designer.
Genius phone Rating:
Reviewed by Dee from Sri Lanka on
21st Sep 2008
A very high quality piece of equipment I've used and all the features
are also excellent! Rating:
Reviewed by Manos from Greece on
16th Sep 2008
fantastic phone, it has everything you need plus amazing design. Rating:
Reviewed by n78 lover from india on
15th Sep 2008
i hav got this powerfull tool it has a gr8 camera best music n out
of dah world looks dah only probs dah keypad .... all n all a gud
phone to hav Rating:
Reviewed by jaz from uk on 13th
Sep 2008
don't bother. keypad is rubbish. i used only 3 days then sent it
back. Rating:
Reviewed by anon from uk on 7th
Sep 2008
great phone. the keys could have been better but are perfectly useable,
only those with chunky fingers may struggle :D. installed garmin
& GPS works brilliantly and is very useful to have. pic quality
is ok, not the best but by far not the worst either (in reality
do you even take pics on your phone when on holiday etc - thats
what a proper digicam is for). Navi wheel works great after i updated
the firmware. Wifi is excellent. Lots of little tweak/settings on
the phone so you can really customize it to your needs unlike many
other phones ive had. Symbian OS means various apps can be loaded
onto the phone. I really must say this is all i could want in a
phone (for the time being and near future anyway). Rating:
Reviewed by ciaran from england on
5th Sep 2008
its a ok phone. the camera is extremely powerfull and can produce
good images but the keyboard is really dificult to use and its letting
the phone down overall. i would rate the camera 4/5 and the keyboard
1/5 Rating:
Reviewed by phil from uk on 5th
Sep 2008
I was very nervous reading your probs with the keypad.. but I read
other public reviews and realised the public don't agree with you!!
I bought a new phone on Ebay (unlocked Brand New In Box) and it's
fantastic. Camera is amazing, KEYPAD is totally cool and easy to
use, I have rock-climbers hands... and still no probs using it.
LOVE IT!!! Rating:
Reviewed by julie from uk on
3rd Sep 2008
the camera sucks! Rating:
Reviewed by jason de ensor-staniforth from
england on 2nd Sep 2008
i have to disagree with the small keys comments, unless you have
disgustingly huge sausage fingers then there is no problem with
them, if anything, the fact that they are thin makes it easier to
differentiate between each separate number. it seems to have everything
that you could need on it, i must say it is one of my favourite
phones to date. Rating:
Reviewed by Keith from UK on
29th Aug 2008
I bought the N78 to replace my SPV E650 which I had been delighted
with but which was due for a change. To begin with, I found the
N78's interface confusing after the very familiar Windows set-up
of my previous SPVs, but now, just three or four days after buying
it, I am totally at home with the N78. My big fingers have very
few problems when typing using the keys - indeed, as long as I keep
my right thumbnail cut short it is a very reliable keyboard to use.
I no longer miss the QWERTY pad of previous handsets. The GPS is
a bonus and works well. The media player also works well (but see
below) and the FM transmitter is a great asset on a handset like
this. The camera is OK - not bad but not great either - and once
you have learned to find your way around the handset, it is a delight
to use. I also think it looks smart but it does pick up fingerprints
very easily and needs regular wipes with a cloth to keep its looks.
OK. I mentioned the media player. Well, it began by exhibiting a
very annoying tendency to stick in some kind of continuous loop
whenever I selected it, and I needed to remove the battery to stop
it. This remained so until Day Three when, during my morning dog
walk in the forest, I decided to do a Factory Settings reboot. Everything
has worked fine since, and apart from a few twiddles necessary to
restore some of my personal settings, it was a painless evolution.
It's funny how overcoming such an irritating quirk so easily can
make you love the phone, but that's how I feel about it right now.
It's a fine Nokia handset and I'm happy I bought it. There may be
better handsets out there (your opinion depending on what you need
them to do, of course) but I think I've chosen well. I really must
disagree with the 'dysfunctional keyboard' assessment above. It
takes a day or two to get used to, but afterwards it feels right.
the 'sharp' keys mean that you tend not to slide over them and I
find that typing is a more positive experience than I would have
expected. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the typing experience
is a strong point and not a weakness! You pays your money .... Rating:
Reviewed by Arianne Delim from Canada
on 28th Aug 2008
Ugly design, but good features. Rating:
Reviewed by ricky from india on
26th Aug 2008
s60 N78 is truely a featured pack phone. its keypad is a little
difficult to use but once u get a hand on it its quiet easy to use. Rating:
Reviewed by gary from england on
25th Aug 2008
initaily i thought it was cool, but having it for a week left me
wanting, linking the n78 to my pc was a pain and would not find
numbers etc on outlook ex, buttons became annoying and puttin album
art to my tunes was a pain Rating:
Reviewed by Fahad from Uae on
24th Aug 2008
i bought this mobile a couple of days back though i am not a big
fan of Nokia N series but after looking the features of this phone
i bought it, it looks a bit like plastic phone but the function
is pretty gud very easy to use keypads and mp3 player is really
gud, fm transmiter on the other had is a great feature in this phone
over all great phone but the gps reciver is a bit problem i am looking
for a free gps navigation do let me know. thanks in advance Rating:
Reviewed by Dmitrii from Russia on
24th Aug 2008
The buttons: My friend told me that the guy who designed this phone
was left handed.... I've tried to type & text on N78 with my left
hand and it actually worked.... So, this definitely sucks for right-handed
people, but for South-paws, this N78 is a gift... Everything else
is great, just gets real greasy from fingerprints (I'm looking for
a good cover) The phone's actually a bit too fast for me, the menu
while operating sometimes jumps ahead of me. But after a lot of
slow Nokia's, this is great. The Micro-SD card cover broke after
few days and is half-way closed now. (Again I'm looking for a good
case) But the best thing is that I'm getting excellent pictures
(indoors worse) and Broadband Internet on a laptop with just this
phone works perfectly even at my summer house in the forest 1 hour
away from the city.. That's power! Basically, I'm happy, it's all
in a candybar design & it's slim & small & powerful & I got over
the keypad problem quickly and I'll get a good case to take care
of other little snags... See a bunch of pixs taken with it here:
picasaweb.google.com/Dmitrii.Coclea/GlimpsesOfRussia N78 plays Youtubes!
Yahooooooo!!! Straigt off the site, no conversion!!!!! Love it!!! Rating:
Reviewed by sohai akhtar from pakistan
on 22nd Aug 2008
i havent used but i have listend it from my friends that n78 is
the best mobile in the n series i have told to my bro that buy me
this exiting mobile he wil send it after a week then i wil review
again Rating:
Reviewed by Colin from Scotland on
20th Aug 2008
After ignoring the negative comments, I decided to get this phone
and I am more than happy with it. I have many N series phones (n70,
n73, n82, n95 8gb) and I would say that this is my 2nd favourite
after the N95 8gb. The keypad looks hard to get to grips with, but
in reality it's just as easy to use as the one on the N73, although
the casing is a bit creaky. Everything else about the phone is excellent,
especially the camera (which despite only being 3.2 megapixels)
produes top quality snaps! The new menus are also excellent, internet
browsing super fast, b ut the star of the show is the FM transmiiter
which works like a dream. All in all a quality phone with a sexy
minimalist look. Rating:
Reviewed by Melvyn from Dominican Republic
on 20th Aug 2008
The issue with the keyboards it's not true, at least with mine.
It appear to be a software issue, and you can ever update with Nokia
pc suite's software updater. It just take 5 minutes to download
and install. The battery is another history, because GPS and 3G
eat lot of power. Rating:
Reviewed by funtime dave from scotland
on 18th Aug 2008
was looking forward to picking up my new phone, what a let down
that was. got it yesterday afternoon and its going back 2morrow,
its totally awkward to use, keypad is rubbish,got to hit keys 3
times to answer calls,menu is awkward, couldnt start the gps or
maps, twice i had to take the battery out to unfreeze it, a total
piece of junk. always bought nokia, gonna try the 6220 classic as
a last chance. c,mon nokia get back to what you used to do well-
good phones that never let you down!! (only giving it one star cos
it doesnt give you a zero rating) Rating:
Reviewed by Dan from UK on 18th
Aug 2008
Big fan of this site, so i too was a bit nervous about the hand
set. However i have to strongly disagree with the negative comments
about the keypad, i actually think its a brilliant design, not once
has the wrong letter or number come up! The phone itself is a marvel!!
i have owned evey n series phone, and some of them a couple of times
over!. I have to say this is the best marriage of features so far!
The camera is very good, and thats with me just coming from the
n82. the battery life is the best yet, audio through headset is
as good as N81, N82, but playback through speakers is a little under
parr. video playback is very smooth, and thank god it will play
clips of 30fps!! unlike the N81. GPS i think was a little quicker
than on the n82, geotagging is alot of fun! Navi wheel on my handset
is very responsive, menu and general navigation is also first rate,
very smooth and fluid. So if you want great battery life, good camera,
good music you'll love it! i definately prefur it from the N81,
N82, and N95 i've had previously. Rating:
Reviewed by Faz from UK on 12th
Aug 2008
I read this review and was really worried about the keypad but went
ahead and bought the phone anyway... I'm really glad I bought it
because honestly, I can't see what all the fuss is about with the
"keypad". It works for me, I've been texting away and dialing numbers
and its worked perfectly! I had low expectations from the keypad
but for me, it was a big fuss out of nothing (and I'm not blessed
with small fingers either). The phone has some brilliant features,
although I had a N82 before this so really miss the Xenon flash
but I don't really take a lot of photos so its okay for me. The
FM transmitter works (quite clear unlike what some people stated).
The bad thing about this phone is that the "Navi wheel" is absolutely
rubbish. It really is in its own world and selects whatever you
dont want selecting, its a joke. But you can turn that off, so again,
can't really complain. The only other thing which REALLY annoys
me is that the build quality is not brilliant. The back cover is
flimsy, the phone looks solid but it isn't. I stuck a crystal cover
on so the phone stays intact, I recommend this because it attracts
fingerprints! This really is a "TRY BEFORE YOU BUY" phone because
you'll either hate it or love it. Rating:
Reviewed by jinane from Lebanon on
12th Aug 2008
i agree that the keypad is a bit of problem but it is nothing compared
to the features it has. i don't know why it got only three stars.
i think it deserves more... i just love it. Rating:
Reviewed by Patch from The Netherlands
on 11th Aug 2008
Exellent phone, fast and responsive. The keypad provides no problems
whatsoever and provides the phone with a very stylized look. Massive
amounts of functionality in a small form-factor. I just love the
GPS, especially combined with sportstracker, which is an amazing
application. The music sounds great, IF you have ditched the native
headphones, which are ridiculously bad. The player software isn't
too bad, allthough I think that Sony Ericsson still has got the
edge here. My only gripe with Nokia is it's lack of proper linux
support. As a usb storage device adding music is no hassle but pictures
will not be picked up by the gallery when just copied from the PC.
With linux software I would have given 5 stars. Rating:
Reviewed by Clive Saywood from United
Kingdom on 7th Aug 2008
N78 - Plenty of nice features but as has already been said, the
"keypad"?? is a disaster, I sent mine back after a week of getting
sick of pressing the green "key" (vague area) to call up the recent
call list and getting the message menu instead, then trying to dial
a number, pressing 5 for example and getting either nothing at all
or several 5's in a row. It's all just too vague with the keys very
poorly defined. All that and a generally flimsy feel to the phone.
Just don't bother. Rating:
Reviewed by Warria from Toronto, Canada
on 7th Aug 2008
N78-3 rocks... GPS locks in 15sec, Decent pix quality, WiFi is cool!!...
3G on rogers wireless JUST for Video Calling. Data on rogers will
wipe your bank account. This phone is light weight. Nice high end
sound and loud enough. Make sure you get the HSDPA 850/1900 for
3G in North America. Rating:
Reviewed by Huntelaar from Ned on
31st Jul 2008
Have it 4 weeks now. Its great playing with it see nokia-n78.blogspot.com Rating:
Reviewed by neovia from UK on
20th Jul 2008
This phone is fantastic. It represents a pinnacle of human achievement.
The fact that you can get so much functionality into a phone is
incredible. When you first pick it up it feels a bit creaky and
plasticy but it's a far better size and weight than any other N
series phone. The keyboard is 'different' but perfectly usable.
It looks good. It's what's on the inside that's really amazing:
maps, gps, voice navigation, wi-fi, fm transmitter, browser, email,
great camera, music player and phone etc. All work well with a super
interface and good battery life. As well as the big things, I like
the small touches such as the option to update phone's software
over the air, the option to download small applications, even the
option to send a text message when your can't answer the phone.
Compared with other phones, the N series ones are in a totally different
class. The N78 deserves 5 stars for functionality. Rating:
Reviewed by Jane from UK on 11th
Jul 2008
I have had this phone for a week and I love it! It looks great and
has everything you need. The camera produces very clear photos...the
battery life is wonderful...I can't think of anything that is bad. Rating:
Reviewed by james from UK on
7th Jul 2008
No,Problem with the keys maybe the person who reviewed this had
fat sausage fingers? [Editor's reply: Quite small ones, actually!]
Great phone, all round. Far better option than the n95 8gb as the
battery is far superior in the n78. Rating:
Reviewed by pintsky from england on
5th Jul 2008
Hi all Just got this phone, and have read all the the poor reviews.
As with tony i cant fault this phone or the keys... I have big fingers
and thumbs and texting is not proving a problem.If you can forgive
the slow N-Series response time then I think this a superb gadget.
Symbian softwares' benefits far outway the down sides. I have owned
the 3330,3510i,6600,6681,N80,N73 and now this one.. I for one say
ROCK ON NOKIA :-) Rating:
Reviewed by Phil from Australia on
19th Jun 2008
this was a very disappointing buy!!!!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by andrew from uk on
18th Jun 2008
i had to take back my third nokia n78 to carphone warehouse that
was in the space of a week, the phones kept on crashing on me when
i tried to connect to my car bluetooth device and i could not make
any calls from my contacts list on the phone sales poeple agreed
with me that there must be a software issue that needs addressed
if nokia sort that problem out and fix the navagation button and
keypad issues it might be worth another look Rating:
Reviewed by p a lloyd-jones from england
on 17th Jun 2008
Purchased this phone a week ago, have long been a member of the
Nokia appreciation society..this phone, however, really disappoints.
For such a feature rich phone i am surprised it is cased in such
a cheap plastic coating. Have been using Nokia E65 for the last
year which to all intents & purposes is pretty well bulletpoof.
The N78 feels so flimsy i know it wont see me through an 18 month
contract intact..18 days is stretching it!! Yet its featues like
the navi wheel pictures, internet radio, GPS, music features et
al are fabulous..Why couldnt Nokia have wrapped all these goodies
in an E casing, incidently the reason it is being returned to sender
is that the sound quality on incoming calls is terrible, I thought
it must have been a faulty phone & went back to the shop to test
another...same result..even the sales crew were surprised at its
lack of tone & volume...Its time to finally switch my allegiance
to a Samsung Soul Rating:
Reviewed by Tony from England on
12th Jun 2008
Purchased phone on Monday and as pleased as punch just glad I didn't
read review first.It looks great and feels great and I have had
no trouble with the keys Rating:
Reviewed by SteveH from Northern Ireland
on 11th Jun 2008
If I had of read this review first I would never have purchased
the N78. Glad I didn't read it! The mobile is outstanding with brilliant
battery life and an abundance of features. Yes the keyboard is not
the best in the world, but why would this stop reviewing the rest
of it? The FM transmitter is cool, the GPS first class, the screen
is excellent and sound quality is very good. The back cover is a
bit flimsy but this helps keep the weight down. Overall - keypad
not great, everything else excellent. Rating:
Reviewed by Ankit from India on
11th Jun 2008
one of the waste & worst phone of Nokia Rating:
Reviewed by tina from singapore on
9th Jun 2008
I am currently using this phone. I must say the keypad looks awkward
at first, but after using it, it is pretty much like any other phone.
It has a good battery life, and has practically every function that
can be equipped in a phone. Camera 3.2mp is sharp with autofocus.
You can also view youtube with it as it is equipped with the latest
flash lite 3. Naviwheel is good for scrolling long list of songs
or contacts. FM transimitter is cool as it can transmit songs that
the phone is playing to a radio. It is pretty stable after using
for a week. To sum up it is a phone version of a swiss army knife. Rating:
Reviewed by Rory from Ireland on
8th Jun 2008
I think it's a very good phone but the numbers are a wee bit hard
to use but battery life makes up for it and features are actually
very good Rating:
Reviewed by Bob the builder from UK
on 5th Apr 2008
phone is amazing camera is 3.2 mp and is excellent quality similar
to sony ericson k810i but better never froze on me also the touch
sensitive scroll wheel thing works very well on long lists such
as phonebook Rating:
Reviewed by waqas azam from uk on
3rd Mar 2008
the fone is good apart from the size. freat features Rating:
Reviewed by Andrew from Australia on
24th Feb 2008
rgis fone great but the buttons r weird and yer thats all i have
to say bad about this fone Rating:
