In a nutshell: Nokia's N95 just got upgraded! Complete with
16 GB built-in memory, GPS satellite navigation, a 5 megapixel camera
with autofocus, 3G video calling, and every other gadget you can
think of! On the downside it's large, battery life is poor, and
the Symbian operating system is still not 100% reliable. Best buy: *Free* direct from Three
.
Review:
September 2008. Last updated November 2009.
The
Nokia N96 was possibly the most eagerly anticipated phone release
of 2008. But that's partly because we'd been anticipating it for
so long! Lengthy delays usually mean that the engineers struggled
to deliver what the marketing boys promised, and there were plenty
of signs of this when the N96 finally appeared in the shops.
But
first of all, let's take the phone out of its box and just admire
it, because it's a lovely piece of kit. It's big of course - slightly
bigger even than the N95, and a touch
heavier too - but it's not the heaviest phone ever. But putting
that to one side, it's still a really nice phone to look at. It's
smoother and curvier than the N95, and the buttons are less confusing.
Now,
looking at the specs, it's hard to see why the N96 took such a long
time to appear, because on paper it's not very different to the
N95 8GB. The only significant differences are the upgrade of the
Series 60 user interface from 3.1 to 3.2, the increase in flash
memory from 8GB to 16GB, and the addition of Live TV. Yes, with
an internal antenna and a DVB-H TV tuner, the Nokia N96 has been
designed to let you watch telly on your phone. But unfortunately
there
is no DVB-H system broadcasting in the UK, so you can't! The
good old BBC has made its iPlayer application compatible with the
N96 however, so you can at least stream BBC TV and radio content
to your phone, which is arguably more useful than watching broadcast
TV anyway.
We noted above that the operating system has been
upgraded. Well about time too, because we found the N95 to be slow
and unreliable. The N96 seems to be no more stable, and still freezes
from time to time. Also, in our reviews of smartphones we always
like to point out that if you're not familiar with the Symbian operating
system, you'll find using a smartphone like the N96 much more of
a challenge than using a mobile phone with a "dumb" OS.
The
rest is the same as the N95 8GB:
Built-in GPS navigation with Nokia Maps application
5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss & Tessar
optics
Secondary video camera for video calling
Wi-Fi wireless internet connection
2.8 inch display with 16 million colours - one
of the largest and best screens available
Ultra-fast HSDPA data transfer (3.6 Mbps)
The camera is one of the best in any mobile phone.
With 5 megapixels, autofocus and the Carl-Zeiss optics and Tessar
lens, it can match most other phones. But already a new generation
of 8 megapixel cameras has appeared (the Samsung
i8510 is the first phone with 8 megapixels) and the dual LED
flash is now also regarded as second best (the Nokia
N82's xenon flash is more powerful), so it looks like Nokia
missed a trick here. Still, the N96 has an undeniably good camera
and a front-facing video camera too, for making video calls.
We'll also mention that Nokia have improved the
built-in GPS navigation system so that you can now download maps
for free, instead of having to pay for a licence.
Of course the N96 has almost everything else you
could think of: a music player with support for all common music
formats, a stereo FM radio with RDS and Visual Radio support, integrated
handsfree speaker, speaker independent voice dialling, talking ringtones,
HSDPA (enabling fast downloads at up to 3.6 Mbps) and lots more!
The N96 has the full range of connectivity possibilities,
with support for Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, Wireless LAN, TV-Out and
a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The memory upgrade to 16GB and support
for microSD memory
cards is very welcome too, for a device of this power.
There's one area where the N96 actually underperforms
its predecessor though: battery life. Anyone who's used an N95 will
know that its battery life wasn't fantastic. Well, the N96 is worse.
With so many gadgets to power, the battery runs out of juice pretty
quickly, and many users are going to find that they have to recharge
on a daily basis.
It's hard to say whether the N96 is actually any
better than the N95 that it replaced. It certainly hasn't been as
successful commercially. Whilst Nokia was busy working on the N96,
the market moved on and everyone wanted a touchscreen phone instead.
Now obsolete and replaced by the Nokia N86.
Features
of the Nokia N96 include:
Series 60 Symbian interface (version 3.2)
5 megapixel camera (2592 x 1944 pixels) with
Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens, autofocus, dual LED flash (auto
redeye reduction), 20x digital zoom
Video camera: MPEG4/3GP VGA video capture at
640 x 480 pixels and 30 frames/second with digital stereo microphone
(AAC format) and 10x digital zoom
Front camera for video calling: CIF resolution
(352 x 288 pixels)
Video and still image editors
Display: TFT, 16 million colours, 240 x 320
pixels (2.8 inches)
Live TV (DVB-H based mobile TV with internal
antenna)
Digital music player (supports MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA/M4A
formats) with playlists and equalizer
Stereo FM radio RDS with Visual Radio support
Built-in GPS navigation with Nokia Maps application
Speaker independent name dialing
Voice commands
Voice recorder
Talking ringtone
Integrated hands-free speaker
Speed dialing
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email (support for attachments)
Push to talk (PoC)
Java games
Advanced contacts database with support for
multiple phone and e-mail details per entry
Memory: 16 Gbytes plus microSD memory card slot
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, TV-Out,
WLAN (802.11 b/g), 3.5 mm stereo headphone plug
WAP, EGPRS class B, WCDMA/HSDPA (3.6Mb/s download)
Quadband plus 3G
Size: 103 x 53 x 20 mm
Weight: 125g
Talktime: 150 minutes (3G) - 220 minutes (2G)
Battery standby: 200 hours
Nokia N96 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!
Reviewed by Liam from England on
27th Nov 2008
I have this phone on Orange, its absolutely fantastic, I was very
unsure of buying it due to the massive ammounts of bad reviews online
but the majority of them seem to be from Vodafone customers. I find
it a very fast easy to use phone, the battery lasts 2-4 days depending
on what applications are running, I can listen to music for 2-3
hours and make phone calls, text messages and emails throughout
the day and still have enough battery to last the next day, I love
the customization this phone allows with the Symbian operating system.
The only 1 thing that dissapoints with this phone is no DVB-H signals
in England (apart from trials in oxford ect.) However this isnt
nokias fault. DVB-H will be launched in England in the near future
(2-3 years) Rating:
Reviewed by dmc from Australia on
27th Nov 2008
After owning and using an N95 8GB for over a year - I was so excited
to recv my N96 and promptly stuffed all my contacts, MP3 files and
images onto the new gadget. Sadly that was the only excitement I
had. The N96 is slow and takes up to 10 seconds to get to a function.
It didn't keep the same ringtone on occasion and often didn't ring
at all. The buttons are hard to press individually with regular
sized fingers. Who designed it - a flamenco guitarist? The PC Suite
software provided doesn't even have the great Lifeblog application
the N95 has - are they joking?? It lasted less than a day for me
& I'll be trading it in for another N958GB or one of the latest
smart fones reviewed on this site. I only wish the N958GB had the
pencil button on the opposite side which would make cut and paste
so much easier since the english language is written left to right
but it's easier to cut and paste right to left and with regular
sized fingers. Rating:
Reviewed by andy from england on
26th Nov 2008
this phone is rubbish nothing good about it at all rubbish Rating:
Reviewed by Carl Baxter from UK on
26th Nov 2008
Shocking phone, had it for two weeks and it constantly crashes,
it cannot cope with two different applications running, even receiving
an incoming text with the radio turned on crashes it. Signed up
to a 18 month contract now, e-bay here it comes! Rating:
Reviewed by chris gray from uk on
25th Nov 2008
3rd review tried to download the bbc i player,it did not work,went
into the voda shop again,i was told the only place in the country
it would work is coventry,so any where else it does not download,message
says on the download section of the cd, phone not compatible,must
be a n96 or i phone, it is an n96 what chance have we got,i think
voda need taking to task on this issue, good phone just does not
like voda software, Rating:
Reviewed by Richard Powell from UK on
25th Nov 2008
I'm happy with my N96 but I have encountered a couple of problems:
There is a flashing grey envelope just above the tool bar which
Vodafone tell me is something to do with un-read messages on my
old phone saved on the SIM card. I've tried deleteing them from
my old phone but it's not worked...on-going investigation on that
one. I also found that there was no ring tone on incoming calls
- another call to Vodafone revealed that it was due to the 3-D ringtone
being activated. Switched off - now it's back to normal...another
on-going investigation into the software. On the plus side - the
Sat Nav is the reason that I bought the phone and I'm very happy
with it. Simple but effective (just what i wanted). Rating:
Reviewed by Peter from UK on
25th Nov 2008
there is a theme here, seems like all (or at least most) of the
unhappy customers are Vodafone customers. Lesson to be learnt -
don't buy it on vodafone, their firmware is obviously rubbish, a
problem they've had before. Has anyone had any serious complaints
on any other network? It doesn't seem so. Also, to the potential
n96 buyer, remember that people are likely to write a review after
buying a product for a number of reasons but that anger is probably
more conducive to a rant [review] than pleasure, and that a few
angry reviews doesn't necessarily give a fair picture. My suspicion
is that the n96 mostly appeals (I guess i'm in a minority here...)
to people with too little time or inclination to write online reviews
of stuff they've bought, leave that to the iphone showoffs, the
n96 is a competent, serious phone for competent serious people,
not gimmick driven style aficionados. If priority number 1 is how
your new phone will play with your mates down the pub, look elsewhere.
if you want a serious phone that is brimming with features and easy
to use, look no further. And if you're that sort of person you've
probably already seen the negative reviews of vodafone n96's so
you'll be wise enough to look elsewhere without needing my sayso.
Rating:
Reviewed by Dan from UK on 24th
Nov 2008
Good spec, more useful than the iphone in principal but extremely
buggy, unreliable and slow,even after firmware update. Have been
a loyal Nokia consumer for 10 years, never switching brand and now
feel very let down by Nokia. Felt confident to sign up for an 18
month Vodafone contract but untill they issue a proper firmware
update I'm stuck with a painful, unreliable lump of plastic. Rating:
Reviewed by chris from uk on
23rd Nov 2008
got my second n96 from voda,the phone is class,but if you turn the
brightness up on the screen to full, the screen switches off so
you cant see anything,turn the brightness down to the next scale
and it works. voda did not know this neither did the shop.so they
should now.The 3 d ring tones dont work but a minor glitch. battery
life is superb for normal phone usage but play with the features
and its battery is limited.only paid £60 on a 12 month so cant complain,
originally was £375 2 days earlier dont know how they worked that
one out, this was an upgrade as well on a £35/month tarrif. Rating:
Reviewed by LuLu from UK on 23rd
Nov 2008
If you're thinking about getting this phone to watch the TV. Be
advised, you have to subscribe to your network provider's service,
it's not free, and the only channels available at the moment are
limited to news and some sports channels where DVB-H based mobile
TV is available. The only free service at the moment is via the
BBC iPlayer which is downloaded to the phone for watching repeated
BBC content etc. Hope this helps. Rating:
Reviewed by Clever Trevor from England
on 23rd Nov 2008
I'm on my third Nokia N96. Keeps crashing for no reason. Hates non
Nokia Bluetooth attachments. Drops out on wifi constantly. Plays
music content on it's own speakers too quietly (except ringtones).
Hangs if two calls come in together, can't answer either. Sluggish
operation in navigating around and opening applications etc. Plus
more problems, too many to list here. I love the design and concept.
The camera quality is fantastic. Shame Nokia released it before
getting it right. Rating:
Reviewed by coachled from uk on
22nd Nov 2008
Do not buy the N96 until all its many bugs have been fixed. Think
of arriving at a five star hotel- the brochure makes it sound fantastic
but the reality is a toilet that doesn't work, no hot water, a lift
that goes nowhere... and you've got the current state of the N96.
I had the N95 8gb and it is the MOST perfect mobile phone, and gave
it away as I got the N96, assuming like a fool that an upgrade would
mean an even better phone. WRONG! The N96 is so slow and full of
bugs that it could do with a good fumigation! I can not understand
how a company can go from producing a superb product to one that
is so rubbish. Rating:
Reviewed by Charles from UK on
21st Nov 2008
Although it seems that some people are experiencing problems with
the n96, I've found the OS much more stable than on the old n95.
In general i'm very pleased with the phone, I don't think it is
particularly nice looking - the plastic looks a little cheap and
shiny, and the silver sides would look much better if they were
black too, but it is certainly an improvement over the n95. I put
a lot of time in deciding what phone to get, I choose the n96 for
these reasons over its competitors. Unlike the iphone the n96 can
be bought for free on £35/month contracts (I got mine from Three).
BBC iplayer is a really nice feature, something I use most days,
and a genuine USP. Unlike the iphone you can download content on
the n96 which means 5 mins on your home wireless and you have tv
for the day - no waiting for it to stream like you have to on an
iphone. It has a proper camera, the iphone doesn't. (I realize that
the new range of 8MP cameras have arrived, but those phones don't
have iplayer, and the n96 camera is still strong enough to take
any photo i'd likely want to take.) 16GB memory as standard, with
a SD slot too. The music player isn't as good as the ipod feature
on an iphone, but with isync its not far behind, and with potentially
more memory capacity it more than makes up for this. Not locked
to one network, unlike the iphone. Essentially my thoughts were
that the iphone is a smooth, easy to use and impressive phone, but
most of what it offers is cosmetic or novelty (googlemaps or ipint
seems cool, but lets face it, how often are you actually going to
use most of those widgets beyond the first time you take it down
the pub to show off to your mates?) I wanted a phone that was reliable,
had a camera that could take the place of a standalone digital camera
most of the time, had sufficient memory to act as a music player
and was free on a £35 contract. The addition of the iplayer is fantastic
- I'd argue the best thing about the phone, and so all in all, i
think while it might not be the best in any category (aside from
tv watching with the iplayer) it is definitely the best all round
phone available at the moment. Admittedly if the Samsung i8510 had
iplayer it would be better, but it doesn't so it isn't! Rating:
Reviewed by chris from west sussex uk
on 20th Nov 2008
mhhhh, where to start lol. I'm with vodaphone, my n95 was nicked,
and i had no choice really, vodaphone don't do the n95 8gb on contract
anymore apparently, so i got the n96 which, until i got it, i was
happy with, all the hype made it something to look forwards too
. . . Mistake lol. Very very slow menu's and screens make using
it a nightmare. Takes ages sometimes to load a screen, and locks
up a lot. No update on the site, and a music station software is
on the phone that can't be used its not compatible lmmfao. Wished
i got an i-phone! Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from Dorset, UK on
20th Nov 2008
When is a mobile phone not a mobile phone? When it's a Nokia N96
on Three. To summarise - Battery life: rubbish. Sound: rubbish.
Keypad: average. Screen: very good, as is the camera, but what's
the use when the reliability is non-existent! This is an absolutely
RUBBISH phone and unfortunatley I have to give it one star as there
are no lower options. I'm now on my 2nd N96 within 2 months and
I'm still not happy - this one even crashes when receiving phone
calls! I have tried using the in-built updater utility via 3G and
WLAN, and it conveniently tells me there aren't any. Now I'm locked
into an 18-month contract and I'm not looking forward to taking
the phone back this next weekend. People can't say that it's problems
with the firmware being modified by the network provider - my first
N96 wasn't even Three-branded! Come on Nokia - DON'T RUSH THINGS
TO THE MARKET! If you want an iPhone killer, make sure your product
actually has the reliability to do it! It's all very well having
a massive weapon to pound the competition with if the engines broken!
I'm now using my ever-reliable Nokia E65 which has never crashed
on me; it's lacking a Zero key at the moment but at least it works...
probably the last decent Nokia phone before everything went T*Ts
up... Paul (Dorset, UK) Rating:
Reviewed by Mark Shaw from UK on
19th Nov 2008
The Nokia N96 is a great phone, no doubting that. It can give the
iPhone a run for its money any day. Some people will prefer the
touch screen on the iPhone, but the N96 performs better all round.
Only downside is it weighs a bit more, but that's a smae price to
pay for a superior phone. What's more, the phone isn't tied to one
network! Rating:
Reviewed by chris gray from uk on
18th Nov 2008
Just reviwed storm yesterday,and i said that was rubbish,got my
n96 today,and guess what it does not work,when the backlight goes
off it does not come back on unless you switch the phone off,so
you cannot see the screen,very slow interface, and if you try and
watch the videos on the full screen it breaks up, so its awful to
watch.Thats going back tomorrow,up till now not as good as n95 8gb
which ive had nearly a year without a hitch,must admit voda are
good in sorting replacements out but thats if you can get touch
with customer services which takes forever to get them to answer.Ill
let you know how my new one fairs up. Rating:
Reviewed by Tris from UK on 15th
Nov 2008
If you are the owner of a N95 and are thinking of upgrading to the
N96 then don't bother.This is not the step up it should be.For a
start it does not have the build quality of other nokia phones.More
importantly it does not have the software either.It has a tendencey
to crash and for some reason the ring volume becomes mute if you
switch profiles sometimes.All these things can be corrected by either
performing a factory reset or simply taking out the battery but
why should you have too! I have had this phone two weeks now and
it keeps letting me down.Its shame because its a nice phone besides
these problems and it does have some very cool features.My advice
is simple,go to a phone shop and try out all the smart phones before
you make your choice! Rating:
Reviewed by dave from u.k on
15th Nov 2008
without doubr the worst phone i have ever owned it should never
have been released as the software is useless...continually crashes
even with software update....im not alone 3 people i work with have
dumped this phone already..i wish i could...but no such luck stuck
witht it ...i would go for the c905 eerytime Rating:
Reviewed by liz from australia on
14th Nov 2008
how bout the 3D tone cant b play? su ck ya... Rating:
Reviewed by sara from us on 14th
Nov 2008
people clearly the phone uses more battery power cause it has better
features duh!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Nick from Exeter on
13th Nov 2008
I think who every reviewed this phone must be an employee of Nokia,
who an earth can anyone rate this phone as being excellent? There
is no doubt, that this phone is the worst Nseries ever produced.
I can see why O2 are not stocking this phone in their shops. The
phone keeps crashing, and it feels very cheap too. I have done all
the software up-dates and the phone crashes even more now. What
is the point of adding the TV function on this phone, when we are
unable to use this function in the UK. How can Nokia justify a price
tag of £535.00 for such rubbish. I have gone for the Samsung i8510
this is a much better phone than the Nokia N96. [Editor's reply:
No, I'm not an employee of Nokia. Just an independent reviewer!
I seem to remember that our review recommended the Samsung
i8510 as a better alternative.] Rating:
Reviewed by Mark from UK on 13th
Nov 2008
DANGER KEEP CLEAR!!!!! I heard all the hype with N96 and decided
to take a new contract out to get my hands on one, Glad I got the
phone for free and I really do feel sorry for people who have paid
cash for them. The phone does look very stylish, and 1st impressions
were good, after just hours I noticed the phone freezing etc whilst
browsing through menu, this was the start of it, I then went on
to watch demo video clips etc, the phones screen then went black
and I had to take battery out to un-freeze, it has now started freezing
on basic things like scrolling through contacts and im finding myself
taking battery out more or less every time I use it. Been in touch
with company I got it off and due to me using for calls etc I cannot
select different mobile so got another N96 on way to me and im stuck
with it for 18mths, please just look through reviews before buying,
other smart phones out there 10 times better. Mark-Doncaster Rating:
Reviewed by Gareth M from Northern Ireland
on 12th Nov 2008
I ordered this phone as it seemed to be perfect. Huge storage with
so many features. And when it arrived, I was so pleased. Pictures
and videos look absolutely fantastic on it. It has enough storage
to keep thousands of songs and videos! Then on the first day of
using it (having fully charged battery obviously), I picked it up
and realised it was 'off'. A bit strange but didn't think much of
it. Thought maybe I had pressed a button without realising. Then
two days later, the same thing happened again while at work. Picked
it up from my desk and it was off. "Weird.." I thought but ignored
it once again. I set up the alarm for the next morning but the alarm
didn't wake me up. Pretty annoying as I could have slept in. I checked
the phone and it was off again. It was at this point I decided to
check the web to see if other users had been having the same problem
and voila....seems most reports on here are about the same problem.
Such a shame! I love the phone but it kind of defeats the purpose
when it is so unreliable like this. Can you imagine an emergency
situation, reaching for your phone and finding it's just randomly
died on you!!? Also noticed battery life seems pretty rubbish compared
to all previous phones- requires charging daily (reminds me of the
Nokia 3210 days). Sad to have to say goodbye to it already -am going
back to good ol Sony Ericsson. And have to give it a 1 star rating
despite all the great features it has. Rating:
Reviewed by Peter Lai from UK on
12th Nov 2008
The phone is rubbish, I've had it for 3 weeks and i abosolutly hate
it. Battery life is shocking, i left my phone on the bed stand with
4 bars out of 6 and it was empty in the morning. The phone is constantly
crashing, at least 1 a day, often 2 -3 times a day. The MP3 players
keeps going weird ever 10-20 minutes. The phone in general is very
slow and often just don't respond at all. This reviewer is abosulte
disgrace to give this phonbe a 4 star, when half the funtionality
dosen't work without crashing at least once. [Editor's reply: Peter,
many of the problems are actually due to network providers' firmware.
Which network are you on?] [Reply by Peter Lai on 12th Nov 2008:
Three, they're rubbish as well, internet bearly works most of the
time, but that's to do with the network so i didn't mention it here.
I just got the firmware updated from the nokia website and it's
even worst now. The mp3 players just goes crazy ever 10-20 minutes,
before it would go crazy once every few hours. Camera is god awful
as well, just dosen't focus on close up pics.] Rating:
Reviewed by Fizzer from Uk on
12th Nov 2008
Having loved the N95, I was drawn to getting the N96 thinking it
would be better than any other phone in the world ever. WRONG! The
N96 looks good, sounds good, has everything. So whats the problem?
Its toooooooooooo Slow! Ever wondered what its like to wait nearly
30 seconds to get a message menu up. Or 15 seconds to wait for a
picture you selected to come up. If you want the answers get the
N96. I actually now hate it more than any phone I ever had. Oh another
problem as well, games. It has a real problem dealing with a new
game you've downloaded. It likes to overwrite previous games you
have PAID for. Over all. Come back Sony all is forgiven, my Nokia
days are over! Rating:
Reviewed by Rich T from UK on
12th Nov 2008
My N96 was very unstable, & kept freezing between applications,
I have tried to update the firmware from 10 to 11 but have found
that because my N96 was supplied by T-Mobile they have locked it
down from updating any software, this upgrade should improve things
greatly (come on Nokia don't let the network providers mess with
your hardware as it's ruining your reputation), and as many the
battery only last a day, apart from that it's a gr8 phone Rating:
Reviewed by Chris Courtney from England
on 11th Nov 2008
Ive had this phone since the day it was released and all I can say
is WOW. This phone is basically the N95 but looks like the N81.
I have had no problems with this phone at all and my battery lasts
at least 3 days. All these haters on here must be fanboy/girls of
other phones. Much like the Xbox 360/PS3 fans. Seriously I love
this phone and have no complaints what so ever. Rating:
Reviewed by ??? from uk on 9th
Nov 2008
i think its a great phone and i dont know how people can give it
a bad review. maybe they arnt treating it very well or something
because mine has no problems. also, a lot of people have been saying
that it is slow but it cant be slower than the n95, the n95 was
my old phone and it was slow but i still loved it. ONLY bad point
is the battery seems to be a it shorter than my old phone but its
not really a problem. great phone :) Rating:
Reviewed by Marc from UK on 9th
Nov 2008
had the phone more plugged into the wall than in my hard, what a
useless battery, selling it on e-bay after just a week of having
it. what a waste of a man good hard working money.... Dont get me
wrong the phone looks, feels and has some great features and downloads
but you play with them a wee bit and the battery dies and makes
you plug the dam thing back into the plug... NOKIA GET YOUR FINGER
OUT AND GET YOUR UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS SORTED OUT WITH A FREE BATTERY
UPGRADE.... Getting my out lg, and samsungs out again till I can
get a new phone when I sell this thing.. Rating:
Reviewed by David Roberts from Bath
UK on 7th Nov 2008
Nokia has seem to have taken a backward step in developing this
phone. I had the N96 the second week it came out, and I experienced
a lot of problems with is, it kept crashing, the response time flicking
to menu to application very slow too. I expected this phone to be
the ultimate entertainer, but unfortunately it’s a let down.
The build quality is so so cheap and tacky. I agree with Shannon
the N95 8 GB Is far the better phone. Just like when the N95 first
came out there were software problems, so Nokia decided to resolve
all the issues with the N95 and produce an up-dated version of the
N95 being the N95 8 GB. Give it 6 months down the line, Nokia will
bring another version of the N96 out with all the software patches
resolved. To date, I can Truly say, the best Symbain operated phone
is the Samsung i8510. The whole thing about the phone is amazing.
Build quality, it never crashes and the performance is out of this
world. So, Nokia if you thought, the N96 was going to be the iphone
killer, Nokia has thought very wrong. I guess the guys from Nokia
need to spend sometime with the boys and girls from Samsung to see
how a phone is really made. The only problem with the Samsung i8510
it’s not available on the 3 network. To all you N95 8 GB lovers,
you can download BBC1 iplayer to this phone and it works. Anyway,
to sum it all up, I would not recommend anyone to buy the N96 if
you already have the N95 8GB. But, if you are looking for any upgrade
from your N95 8 GB I suggest that you go for the Samsung i8510 this
phone is amazing. I am giving the N96 1 star as it’s probably
the worst N series phone they have ever made. David Roberts (Bath
UK) Rating:
Reviewed by Supa from UK on 7th
Nov 2008
Great Specs! But useless Rating:
Reviewed by Shakiru from UK on
6th Nov 2008
Nokia have made a mess of the N96. Nothing on this phone works properly.
Very slow and poor battery life. Back to Sony Ericsson! Rating:
Reviewed by Ivan from Serbia on
5th Nov 2008
Awesome phone Rating:
Reviewed by shannon from barnsley on
5th Nov 2008
i've had the nokia n96, and honestly am very very disapointed. i
had the n95 8gb before and believe it or not i would prefer to go
back to that. i loved the n95 8gb and must have had too high expectations
on nokia because this grade of phone has really really disapointed
me. i am doin a swap tomorrow. The n96 is very flimsy, plastic and
cheep looking, it is very slow and crashes alot, some of you may
think i have a faulty phone but thats not so my friends are sending
and have sent theirs back too. Rating:
Reviewed by connietiglao from philippines
on 5th Nov 2008
i bought the unit 2 weeks ago, and as excitement sets in, when i
get hold of it, it seem that the glitches such as composing message
seems to be hanging, and opening at least 2-3 applications made
it much worse. when i got it, there were 6 tv channels incorporated
in it, namely the mtv, kfc (PBA), dzrh test broadcast, tv02 and
tv04 which are both non existent yet (to be available soon as it
says). after 2 days, mtv is no longer accessible, then the next
day after, KFC (PBA) is also no longer existent. during its 6th
day, guess what happened? the memory collapsed! i was very frustrated
because the video shoot i had made in my daughter's field demo presentation
was not yet downloaded in my laptop. since nokia diagnosed the problem
as "OS" related problem, they informed my supplier, that they just
need to reformat it. after almost 4 days, the unit was returned
to me, with the assurance that i would not encounter any more problems
with it. but guess what again? after 4 days again , the phone while
in locked status hanged! it refuses to be unlocked and therefore
could not be turned off, and operated on. i opted to get the battery
out so that it will restart. and 3 hours after, even if the battery
is still 3/4 loaded, the power just shuts it off! now, i am again
returning the unit to the supplier for them to coordinate AGAIN
with nokia service center ANOTHER problem which i think they would
again pinpoint to the OS????? C'mon i paid almost Php 42k for the
unit! Is this worth all the trouble i am experiencing with the unit????? Rating:
Reviewed by kelllly from durham, england
on 1st Nov 2008
i got one of the first batch of N96's and it sounds like i got lucky
after reading the other reviews. I get 2-3 days battery life depending
how much i use the internet (which is dead fast bt, especially as
you can connect to your WLAN), had no problems with anything so
far, great picture quality from you tube & iplayer, the sound is
a bit on the low side, but that might be because of how it stands.
as for the nokia maps, mine came with Google maps which is loads
better and works indoors too. I love this phone, and the camera
is great, quicker than any other phone ive owned and definatly better
looking, i would recomend this phone to everybody! its brilliant! Rating:
Reviewed by Annie from UK on
1st Nov 2008
Had this phone now for 5 days. Quite like it. Only downside for
me is battery life. Have to charge every day which is a bit of a
pain. Although quite happy that it comes with Car Charger in the
box. The other thing not totally happy with is the size of the buttons
when typing a text message. They seem very small. Maybe cos i'm
used to a motorola. I got this phone cos i like voice activated
dialling although i have not really sussed this option out yet.
You need a good few days to sit down with the phone and set all
the options to your requirements. Great if you have the time. Must
admit i prefer the Samsung Tocco but that doesn't have Voice Activated
dialling. Rating:
Reviewed by Carolina from Uk Liverpool
on 31st Oct 2008
Hi, got ny N96 it's been a week now and i have to say, it's brilliant
. i read all the reviews before buying and i was still very reluctant
to buy after reading so many bad reviews.. i've always been a sony
ericsson girl mainly because the walkman . i have to say that now
i regret not having bought a nokia N series before.. the camera
is great, the phone is fast, the music is far much better than sony
. i think this phone has all to do with how much you use and what
do you need the phone for. the battery is working perfectly im only
charging every 2 days..and i use as ipod everyday and also use internet
everyday . didnt have any crash so far. i love this phone , it's
a great technology , well done nokia. it's a great phone. i cant
recomend enough . and as someone said in one of the reviews.. it's
only a phone ! Rating:
Reviewed by Eddy from UK on 30th
Oct 2008
Usual Nokia software problems slow to use poor battery life big
disapointment sending back asap . Had Nokia for 5 years have slowly
got worse and worse cant decide what to get SE C905 , Samsung Pixon
, LG kc , Nokia even slow to keep up anymore as new releases are
8 Mega pix cameras Nokia are phones of the past !! Rating:
Reviewed by Matt from UK on 28th
Oct 2008
I have had this phone for just over a week now and i am impressed
with it until yesterday afternoon. On the last numbers dialled list
i cannot call a number if i select it from that list or from contacts.
I can only call a number that i physically type the number in the
screen, great if you know all your contacts of by heart!! Also on
general profile the ringtone is ridicuously quiet, texts are loud
but since yesterday calls have been quiet so i miss them. Have spoke
to my friend who works for orange and he said they had recalled
loads of N96's because of problems. Wait u couple of months to buy
this phone once patches and software updates are avaliable. Rating:
Reviewed by aaron from uk on
28th Oct 2008
dont buy!!!keep having problems uploading muic n is just poo Rating:
Reviewed by Eddy from UK on 27th
Oct 2008
General In use keeps displaying each time an attempt is made to
delete a text or draft looks like usual Nokia problems or is it
orange software messing the phone up ? Rating:
Reviewed by ash from ENGLAND on
26th Oct 2008
the worse phone ever, not tested, too big as soon as u put it in
ur pocket it slides either way. if changing from lanscape to portrait
it take 9 secs to change and thats if u have a low quality background.
VERY VERY SLOW AND CRASHES OFTEN AND SHUTS DOWN WITH NO WARNING,
ITS GOT RUBBISH BATTERY LIFE AND MOBILE TV QUALITY IS RUBBISH SOUND
AND VIDEO QUALITY NOT TO MENSION THAT THE GPS MAPS IS ONLY 90 DAYS
TRAIL, SO IS A TOTAL CON.MUSIC WILL NOT PROPERLY GO ON THIS PHONE
AND THE POOR MUSIC PLAYER ON THE PHONE CARNT FIND OBVIAIOUS MUSIC.
NOKIA HAVE BECOME 1 OF THE WORST PHONE MANUFACTURERS IN HISTORY
THANKS TO THIS PHONE. IF U ARE EXPEXTING A PHONE THAT WILL HAVE
NO PROBLEMS AND WORK STRAIGHT AWAY OUT OF THE BOX, WELL THIS PHONE
ISN'T ANY OF THESE! ALSO SOFTWARE UPDATES ARE NON EXISTANT AND THIS
SHODDY BUILT PHONE WITH POOR LOCK-SYSTEM SHOULD NEVER BE BOUGHT.
aLSO THE NEW SONY ER - 8MP IS BULKY AND STILL BOORES US WITH THE
SAME MENUES- THE ONLY DIFFERENTS IS THE CAMERA STUCK ONTO IT- UP
CLOSE IT LOOKS TERRIBLE. bEST ADVISE- BUY THE SAMSUNG TOCCO WHICH
IS BETTER THAN ANY INCLUDING THE IPHONE Rating:
Reviewed by Eternity from UK on
23rd Oct 2008
I got N96 because of the memory slot. This N96 is driving me mad,
constantly switch off, keeps crashing, and worst from i use to watch
real player on my N95 8gb. With this it keeps stuttering. The biggest
downfall has i travel abit. I had it exchange with the a new one
thinking that maybe it is the handset fault, but with suprise did
the same thing. NOKIA IS FOOLING US. They did it with Nokia N95..
had it faults,, then they took out N95 8GB to correct those fault,,
like everyone who loves mobile purchase it. I THINK NOKIA KNEW THESE
FAULT. EVERYONE BUYS IT THEN REALISE IT HASN'T BEEN WORTH IT. IN
FEW MONTHS TIME THEY WOULD TAKE ANOTHER HANDSET OUT TO CORRECT THE
PROBLEM. NOKIA DAYS ARE OVER AND I AM GOING TO LOOK FOR A ANOTHER
HANDSET. Rating:
Reviewed by Joe Farrugia from Malta
on 22nd Oct 2008
perfect Rating:
Reviewed by Harry from UK on
22nd Oct 2008
Had the phone since Sunday, and have had no problems. Everyone is
surely aware that DVB-H doesn't exist in the UK, so should know
better than saying that TV feature "doesn't work". iPlayer works
brilliantly, although I have to do this through wifi at the moment.
It is great that you can save the programmes to watch offline. T-Mobile
advised a new firmware patch was coming out on Monday, but I've
not seen it yet. Other than this, the phone is great. I don't want
to use it for gaming, so don't really care about the frame rate.
Photos seem OK, videos seem OK, phone is stable and has lots of
good features. Both my cars have satnav built in, so the phone's
GPS will only be used for walking, and the N96 does that brilliantly.
No problem with crashing, and I've charged the battery once since
Sunday, despite playing with the phone constantly! Only problem
I've had is the videos sometimes stop and drop sound for a fraction
of a second when they first start playing, which is a bit annoying,
and hope this will be sorted in a firmware update. I can only rate
this phone as 5 stars - does everything I expected, because I did
my research before buying. Anyone who does this will know what they
are getting, and cannot complain. Rating:
Reviewed by Stu M from England on
22nd Oct 2008
I got my N96 yesterdat morning. Charged it for 6 hours. Messed about
with it as you do, installed Opera Mini went on the net, took pictures,
made a couple of calls and sent a load of texts. Battery is still
at full capacity. I absolutely love the phone. My only small gripe
is the keys are a bit to close together and unresponsive for my
sausage fingers. Other than that I like it. Remember...it's just
a phone! Rating:
Reviewed by mark from england on
22nd Oct 2008
not worth the 2 months i was waiting to purchase this phone, this
was my first nokia phone having always had sony's, it has now gong
back to vodafone and i'll be getting the sony c905 on friday. battery
was rubbish, phone was slow, camera defo not as good as i was hoping
for. Regularly freezes. and couldnt hook it up to my hi-hi using
bluetooth for some reason. for such an expensive phone it should
be alot better. Rating:
Reviewed by Dale from Stockport, England
on 21st Oct 2008
I've had this phone for a week now. Only problem I've had is it
has crashed about 4 times on me which with everything thats on the
phone I think that should be expected when you first start using
it. I've had no problems with the battery, I reckon people with
battery problems will be from over charging it at first, you are
only suppose to charge it until the battery is full!!!!! All in
all I think this is a great phone so far and the updates will hopefully
solve any problems everyones got anyway!! Rating:
Reviewed by J from UK on 21st
Oct 2008
Upgraded from N95 first edition, I am very pleased with this Phone.
I originally upgraded a while back to the N95 8gb although i sent
it back as apart from the screen size which for me ended up giving
the phone too much of a larger feel, it just felt like no improvements
had been made. However this Phone so far has come out on top with
all my comparisons to the N95. Battery can be short lived but that
is something i am now used too after owning almost every Nokia Symbian.One
trick is to disable the GPS this should increase batteries life
as it is similar to leaving your bluetooth activated. I can understand
there being a lot of buggy N96's out there as this has happened
with many symbians when they were first released, Thankfully mine
has had no problems whatsoever and runs better than any n series
i have used to date, once the Firmware updates are available these
problems will be forgotten. my only downsides are why waste time
flipping the screen downwards for the music players keys when they
are also now located on the front? Does feel like cheap plastic.
Apart from this all the extra features this phone has to offer makes
this a worth while upgrade. Rating:
Reviewed by Brido from UK on
21st Oct 2008
Had the N96 for a couple of weeks now and was very close to returning
it within the first couple of days. Software wise its no better
than the N95, infact its even slower and more prone to hang ups.
Actually used my old N95 as my alarm clock but cannot do that with
the N96 anymore as the thing crashed when I pressed snooze the other
day. made me late for work Bah!... The Camera is supposed to be
the same as the N95?... The colour seems washed out, no where near
as vivid as the N95..Video capture can be riddled with pauses and
sound drop outs. The microphone seems to pick up a lot of background
hum and when played back through the built in speakers its nowhere
near as good as the N95. What I do like is the added feature that
allows you to check at a glance what apps you have left running,(helps
to squeeze a few hours more from the short battery life) 16Gb flash
AND memory card slot are a step in the right direction as the N95
8Gb had no expansion slot. All in all the N96 feels like it was
rushed out the factory. "Navi wheel" for example. Whats that about...
Id prefer it if the software on the phone actually had a purpose.
As the N96 has no Navi Wheel to speak of. I have decided to wait
a while to see what happens with Firmware updates, hopefully this
will cure some of my woes, if not then it'll be on ebay after xmas.
Rating:
Reviewed by john morris from uk on
18th Oct 2008
I have used this phone for 1 week and took it back yesterday. It
has been a total failure from day one. Wi-Fi is barely useable,
Regularly freezes. Will not recognize memory card. Goes into offline
mode spasmodically. Says sim not inserted. If online on wi-fi asks
for you to connect to wi-fi when on iplayer. Was told by t-mobile
shop that they are aware of these problems and that a new software
version will be out on Monday. I shall try it (even though they
wont download it for me) and any problems and they will get it back.
Bit like selling a car with faulty brakes. Why there problems were
not solved prior to launch beggars belief. John Morris UK Rating:
Reviewed by George from UK on
17th Oct 2008
OK..AVOID THIS PHONE. Received my N96 upgrade from my n95 8gb today
and its gone straight back in the box and being returned. What the
review above fails to mention is the fact that the processor is
slower on the n96 and it is also missing the 3d chip used for gaming
and other apps such as gps mapping. Look on Youtube for n96 vs n95
and look at the framerate that the preinstalled racing game runs
at. the n96 feels very platic and flimsy. Also the camera takes
very pale looking pictures (agreed this may be fixed in a firmware
update).. Yes it has 16gb and looks pretty but that really is the
only improvement. If you have an n95 then wait before you upgrade!!!
I've had just about every N series phone and the N96 is the only
one i've been really dissapointed with. I'm going to check out the
samsung innov8 with 16gb and an 8mp camera.(with online video editing
to 120fps) Rating:
Reviewed by andrew cross from uk on
17th Oct 2008
fantastic phone, but battery is useless. mine only does 6-7 hours
without even making a call Rating:
Reviewed by Fazila Patel from England
on 16th Oct 2008
A bit complicated at the start but after u get use to it its the
best phone EVAAAA!!!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Tim from England on
16th Oct 2008
Absolute Rubbish, on my third phone now in less than two weeks,
phone is slow , freezes, then it turns itself off and you cant turn
it back on,ok yes its got loads of features but reliability is not
a patch on my old k850i, wish id never upgaded to this phone cos
its useless. DO NOT BUY ONE, YOU WILL ONLY REGRET IT. Rating:
Reviewed by Bagz from UK on 15th
Oct 2008
Bilal, i disagree. There are people in this forum that DO know about
symbian phones and i suspect from your comments you may have a phone
that was bought unlocked. Unlocked phones have already had their
firmware upgrades and are problem free, where as locked down phones
i.e. vodafone devices have bugs. It may well appear to be better
than it's predecessor as you put it but for those that have had
to have their phone replaced 3 times, i disagree. This phone is
by far the worst nseries device nokia has released and it's a shame.
[Editor's comment: This is clearly a developing theme. It would
be helpful if people could mention in their reviews which network
they use. That would help everyone to understand where the problems
are coming from. It does look like Vodafone have messed with the
firmware of this phone, which wouldn't be the first time they've
done this.] Rating:
Reviewed by bilal from pakistan on
14th Oct 2008
nobody knows about symbian phones who say that n96 is not good.
Its the best fone i have ever used. Its much better than n95 8gb
and samsung i8510 that i have used recently. Honest advice to everyone
dont miss the chance for getting this fone. Rating:
Reviewed by Rampant Rabbiter from UK
on 14th Oct 2008
I don't own this phone but my brother does and I have to say that
the phone is incredible. I've played with it a bit and it is very
speedy with no freezing or crashes.I can't really comment on individual
features as I don't know enough about it, nor do I have much experience
with it. However, my brother has had this phone since late September
and has experienced none of the issues stated on here. He bought
it completely SIM-free, which I think makes a huge difference. Networks
like to put their own version of software onto phones, especially
Vodafone, which makes them buggy and also you can't update them
as soon as updates are released. My advice - don't bother with a
contract or an upgrade. Just buy the phone outright and SIM-free.
That way, you'll get it exactly as it should be straight from the
Nokia factory. No rubbish software, no freezing. A few other people
on here have advised the same thing. I always buy my handsets SIM-free
for this very reason. I can't stand all th e rubbish network software
they stuff it with. If you can't afford it SIM-free, just wait until
you can. You'll only get problems otherwise. Rating:
Reviewed by Gavin from London, UK on
14th Oct 2008
I got my N96 on Sunday 12th October, unpacked, activated it - all
seemed well, transferred all the numbers from my old phone, left
it on charge overnight - used it on Monday morning (13th) and then
in the afternoon it turned itself off and wouldn't turn on again.
I put it on charge again and when I turn it on now, all I get is
a blank white screen for about 6 seconds and it turns itself off
again. It's going back to the store !! Rating:
Reviewed by Foggy from Isle Of Man on
11th Oct 2008
Very slow. Poor Battery. TV does not work. Too Large and too expensive
!!! Other than that it's fine !!! Rating:
Reviewed by aaneesh from kerala on
11th Oct 2008
it is very usefull phones for the this generation people Rating:
Reviewed by Bagz from UK on 10th
Oct 2008
I have to say reading the comments below that Nokia shipped the
N96 without thorough testing. The N96 is a great handset and is
better than it's predecessors, however, as most of the posters below
have noticed, the battery is poor (not talking about not charging
it from the first day because i did) merely because it's the same
battery that was in the n95 which we all know caused issues. My
main beef is with the music player. someone below mentioned they
got two handsets with the same problem, so did i. the music player
goes in a constant loop looking for new music but finds 0. You have
to turn it off or have quick fingers to navigate to the exit option
out of music. I'm extremely disappointed with vodafone in particular
for not taking better control of this situation. if there really
is a dodgy batch of these handsets (clearly there must be) then
why didn't vodafone stop distributing them until the issue was solved?
if it's because of a firmware upgrade, then GET IT OUT TO US NOW!!!
there's already a general firmware update out so what's the holdup
vodafone?? The other disappointing thing is you can change the programs
under the first smart/active menu but you can't change any of the
others. I hope you do a firmware upgrade to allow us to put our
own programs in each section (i.e. media player, web, applications
etc). I see most of you are counting the 14 days, like me, to decide
whether to keep this phone or not. this is the first time i've had
to think like this. the n95 8gb is absolutely solid. you'd have
thought nokia would've learned from that handset when making the
96. i guess not. oh well Rating:
Reviewed by Y from UK on 10th
Oct 2008
I dont understand people, WHY CANT YOU WAIT AND LET IT CHARGE! your
having all these probs with battery life cause u dont let it charge
when u open it! The phone is amazing! Rating:
Reviewed by Danjamouf from UK on
9th Oct 2008
Sounds like Voda have a dodgy batch.I have a generic 16gb version
and its excellent. If yours is running slow shut down background
applications. I've got two days use put of mine without having to
charge and i've put it to use trust me. It does everything it says
on the tin. Well done Nokia Rating:
Reviewed by Pabel from United Kingdom
on 9th Oct 2008
Great phone, some problems, too slow, freezes quit alot, and too
big, the featurs are excellent, n96 is simular to n95 8gb, just
with more memory and tv built in, il rather save money and buy an
n95 8gb, no point spending £600, overall phone is decent, and quality
is excellent. Rating:
Reviewed by Chris from Oxford on
9th Oct 2008
I have had the N96-1 since 25/09/08 (an a cracking 18m deal for
£35), and having got used to it, I feel I can comment more thoughtfully
on it. The first 2/3 days were infuriating, as it takes that long
to get the new battery up to charge. The menus & features are genuinely
great, but still a bit slow, despite the hyper-fast processor. Battery
life is worse than the N95-1 I previously had. To be honest, this
was the same when the N95-1 came out as well, and I expext firmware
updates in the near future to make it far far better than the N95
was after its last update. Its quite annoying to have to wait for
it, but it will be worth it, as it was with the N95-1 each time.
Still far, far outstrips the iPhone... I give it 4 stars now, once
updates are available, it'll be an easy 6 stars plus Rating:
Reviewed by docurley from UK on
8th Oct 2008
My god this phone is bad, I love Nokia's and have a N95 first edition
which I love but I have had this phone since last week and it going
back. Problems: General system errors when playing music, Phone
keeps rebooting its self, Slow between Apps and trying to hang-up
a call, Battery is a joke. Now I understand there is new firmware
upgrades on the way but my Vodafone will not extend my 15 day return
option till then so it going back. I have to say I’m very
disappointed with this phone and will say the N95 is way better
and this should never have been released like this and Nokia should
have learnt this by now. Rating:
Reviewed by OldWolf from UK on
8th Oct 2008
Right, I'm going to take back a part of what I said in my previous
comment. Charging helps, but the phone is still slow quite a lot
of the time. Having some problems with video as well, as it stutters
sometimes. Note - sometimes. other times it flies along. Would be
interested to find out if supplier firmware is a part of the issue,
since that's been mentioned. Rating:
Reviewed by James from England on
7th Oct 2008
This phone is great in principle, but here are a few advisories
for you: 1) don't use the N series software disc supplied, go onto
www.nokia.com/pcsuite and download pc suite 7, you'll get more functionality
out of the phone and can use more features. 2) the digital tv won't
work in this country, go to Italy if you want to use it! 3)BBC i
player won't play tv shows if you're on a 3g connection on o2, it
states you must be on a wifi connection to do that. 4)The battery
life is appauling. I'm having to charge mine 3 times a day, when
i only charged the N95 once a day. Rating:
Reviewed by Ali S Omeri from Yemen on
7th Oct 2008
Always greet what ever Nokia manufacture, and specialy N96 ?, very
good mobile phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Shiva from India on
6th Oct 2008
My N96 froze three times in as many days. Nokia care informs me
that there is software update that would solve this issue. The retalier
replaced the first set, same problem with the new set too. Rating:
Reviewed by R from UK on 6th
Oct 2008
There's Alot Of Dumb People Out There That Don't Know How To Charge
A Phone Before Using It! Rating:
Reviewed by Jonathan from UK on
6th Oct 2008
The phone performs wonderfully, but that was only after I debranded
the phone (Vodafone - which was sluggish) to the generic Nokia firmware! Rating:
Reviewed by Scott from Edinburgh, Scotland
on 6th Oct 2008
I have had the phone since 2nd October and am more than happy witht
the phone. I had the N95 and it is far superior. It has most things
the N95 had but the phone is far more stylish. It is an excellent
phone and all the comments below I am shocked at. I have no problems
about the phone swithcing itself off or being slow. NOKIA N96 ALL
THE WAY!! Rating:
Reviewed by OldWolf from UK on
4th Oct 2008
To anyone who has had problems on the first day with the menus being
slow... charge your damn battery. I had this problem on the first
day, but it was fine on the second. Not saying its a full fix, but
it will certainly help. As far as the phone goes, video playback
is excellent and the whole build is good. It is a 'fingerprint magnet'
though, and somewhat too slippy. Will definitely need firmware tweaks
though. Rating:
Reviewed by Zack from Sunderland on
3rd Oct 2008
Poor, shocked by the poor performace by this phone. sending it back
and getting Google Phone Rating:
Reviewed by iain from UK on 2nd
Oct 2008
Yet again Nokia have shot themselves in the foot with the N 96.
It Has the same dodgy battery that was in the 95.Thanks for that
nokia at least I have 2 spare batteries. Rating wise looks and feels
better than the 95 so 5 stars. But the old battery only rates it
as a 1 sorry I can see it going the same way as the 95 battery problem
/firmware and software problems lucky I have 14 days to return.
Be lucky to keep for 14 hours returning to store tomorrow Rating:
Reviewed by adam farrell from england
on 2nd Oct 2008
Had the phone 24 hours and ... yes its going back ! hideously slow
between menus! no battery, and the worst thing of all...... its
looks and feels really cheap, does not look or feel how expensive
it is! ive used an iphone since they were launced and bought this
cause its new, no other reason! yes it might have more features
than the iphon however the iphone is the most easy phone to use
ever. nokia, its rubbish, slow bulky and cheap looking! glad vodafone
do a 14 day returns policy! lol Rating:
Reviewed by Michalis from Cyprus on
2nd Oct 2008
I've had this phone to 2 days changing from a N95 8GB. :( This phone
keeps on restarting and swiches off. I want my N95 back :( I am
very dissapointed. Sorry nokia but my 740euros went down the drain.
As soon as I get rid of this phone I will try a Windows Mobile hoping
to be better or go back to the satble normal OS we had in the old
days, my wife's SE C902 battary last 4 days and she is a heavy user.
My N96 last 1 and 1/2 mostly on standby. Rating:
Reviewed by Lee from Suffolk, UK on
2nd Oct 2008
Hate it already, only had it a day, My N95 is far superior. N96
crashes repeatedly and very sluggish when opening menu's. Not impressed
so far, hope a firmware update resolves the issues. Other than that
when it is working it has a nice menu structure just like the N95,
although the screen res doesnt appear to be any better than my n95 Rating:
Reviewed by kevin dorman from uk on
2nd Oct 2008
Just got the N96 Yesterday an was sourly dissapointed, my previous
phones is the 6300 and in comparisson the N96 feels very very plastic,
the 6300 has many batter functions for example you can have a security
cod eon the keylock, u can copy an paste things in the calendar,
very usefull if you see similar clients each week.Wehn your tying
to select a name to text on the N96 it has a very long way of going
about it. I am seriously considering going back to my 6300 and abandoning
the N96, not a happy bunny. Rating:
Reviewed by Paul Johnson from UK on
30th Sep 2008
Just got the phone today and within an hour I have 2 faults!! Dissapointed
everytime I take a pic or a vid it switches the phone off!! Rating:
Reviewed by jason from england on
30th Sep 2008
David Thompson writes below that shops have it sealed up and not
available to have a look and play with this phone. That is not true
the Nokia shop in Manchester UK had the phone in early september
and was available to buy from the 24th September, so it is out there.
I myself have had a play around with this phone, all looks good,
not sluggish, the only thing i couldn't test was the battery life Rating:
Reviewed by Petre Krell from Botswana
on 29th Sep 2008
I bought the N96 from Uncle Chan's Technik Store at Granges. It
is a great phone. It beats the pineapples out of the iphone and
kicks the Zebra zings out of the 850. Love the stand at the back
and the unlimited runtime rasterisation of the diacritics. Go Nokia! Rating:
Reviewed by Dr T from UK on 28th
Sep 2008
Just received my Nokia N96 earlier today. It was a free upgrade
so well worth it. However, if you already have the N95 I would not
upgrade to the N96 if it is going to cost you anything over £50.
The features are more-or-less the same, with some additional enhancements
of course. Overall, very happy with the handset, but no doubt I
will come across its problems like I did with the N95. I love fault-finding. Rating:
Reviewed by Adrian from UK on
27th Sep 2008
Just come back from my local Vodafone shop very proudly holding
a brand new n96. Had a quick play with the demo in the shop and
found they have put an episode of Top Gear on it, great for a petrol
head like me. I was offered the phone on 18 month contract at £45
per month or, £75 as an upgrade. Went for the £75 upgrade, everything
else on the tarriff stayed the same. Gonna have a look at it now,
will post again with first impressions and any niggles that may
arise. Rating:
Reviewed by Kees from Netherlands on
26th Sep 2008
I actually own this phone. KPN (Dutch telephone provider) is the
first provider to bring out the Noke N96 in the entire world. Costumers
were able to purchase the N96 on the 15th of september. I love this
phone, because of the fact it is a multimedia phone, wich you can
watch television, movies, pictures on and listen to music. It has
an internal memory of 16GB, wich is more then enough for your music,
pictures and movies. If it is not enough for you, wich is almost
impossible, then you can always watch live TV, listen to FM radio
and even internet radio! It also has an extraordinary good 5 mega-pixel
camera. Two LED-flash lights, wich can be turned on for filming
to. The Nokia OS let's you organize all your media very synoptic.
I think all and all this phone is a very good product of this time.
The price is very high, but if you, just like I did, haggle a bit,
you can always get a nice discount. I think I got a very fair price
for this phone. With free TV and internet. I will leave you all
alone now, please all keep the forum clean and don't hate eachoter
as it is just an internet forum. Goodbye Rating:
Reviewed by Nick from UK on 25th
Sep 2008
we got this in store yesterday!!! not allowed to sell till the 1st
of oct. we have had a play. it feels disapointlingly plasticy and
the OS is the same as the current n95. however, the screen is AMAZING
as is the camera the internet radio is a novel item however it will
charge you internet data costs to use it. as well as this it has
a 'prop' at the back so you can watch movies and videos with on
it without having to hold it which is handy on a small train seat
table if you want a drink as well. despite the OS being the same,
it is faster and more reliable. overall, a good phone. just a shame
it doesnt have the stainless steel construction of lots of modern
phones Rating:
Reviewed by usman from pakistan on
25th Sep 2008
i've bought this fone b4 2days no battrey life lazy fone slow prcessing.so
dont waste mony on rubish fone.k850 is much better camera.... Rating:
Reviewed by Mark from Guyana on
23rd Sep 2008
I wasn't lucky as some of you guys to have the experiene to actually
play with the phone. I just saw a picture of the phone in the local
news paper. It is selling in Guyana at some stores for $256000 guyana
dollars. Which is about us$1280.I like the idea of the 16gb memory
since i was planning to buy the n95 8gb but the only thing i am
not so happy about is the phone not having a touch screen since
it is"the going thing". I will also be happier if the phone can
have a larger screen maybe like the iphone. But over all i think
the phone will be cool. Rating:
Reviewed by Damion from AUSTRALIA on
19th Sep 2008
I've owned one of the first series nokia N95 phones for 2 years
and there is one thing you other reviews never seem to touch on.....sure
all the gizmo's like GPS, VGA output, 5 mega pixel camera, radio,
web browser etc etc are good but to be honest they aint worth a
thing for one simple reason......the N95 battery life is an ABSOLUTE
DISGRACE. I would barely be a medium user and have to recharge the
N95 every 2 days. Another thing to compound this problem is that
the newer N96 8Gb phone has a longer lasting battery.....but this
doesn't fit the old N95. I've also read the N96 is no better for
battery duration. When will Nokia see the light and produce a phone
with all this functionality but with a battery so you don't need
to charge it so often ??????? [Editor's reply: Battery life is an
important issue, and we always discuss it in our reviews. Recharging
every other day is not unexceptional for a phone of the N95's calibre,
but it very much depends on usage and how well you treat your battery
in the early stages of ownership (fully discharging, then fully
recharging again, etc.) Besides, the N96 hasn't yet been released
yet, so this is just speculation.] Rating:
Reviewed by David Thompson from UK on
7th Sep 2008
I got a chance to play with this phone in a shop and its simply
fantastic. I don't think that come October there will be a better
phone than this on the market. It has 16GB memory, a 5mp camera
and mobile T.V. Yes I know the price is a bit steep but this will
be the phone that everyone will want santa to bring them for christmas.
It gets my five stars hands down! [Reply by Nick on 21st Septemner
2008: There is no way you have played with one of these yet. nokia
has asked ALL suppliers that NO ONE open a box or show them to potential
customers. in fact they have asked them to seal the box's inside
bin liners inside the shop as soon as they are delivered. these
then have to be tied up with security tags! so not a chance have
you laid eyes on there regarding the phone, i would avoid and get
the 6600 slide instead.] Rating:
Reviewed by Broomster from UK on
3rd Jul 2008
@ Daniel from India: with grammar like yours, I highly doubt you
are a reviewer, and thus completely faking the story about getting
one for free. I, on the other hand, have used one this phone, and
also own an N95. Sure, it looks nicer, sure, it offers some new
stuff, but if you own an N95, I personally don't think it's worth
the upgrade. If you are in the market for such a phone, wait and
get the iPhone 3G instead, then wait for Nokia to bring out the
N97. Rating:
Reviewed by harry from uk on
15th Jun 2008
i have seen the dummy of it and i can tootally say tha it is the
worlds best phone at the moment. phurnomenal phone buy it. launching
on october 2008. Rating:
Reviewed by Ben R from England on
6th Jun 2008
Looks like what should be a good multimedia device. It's got all
the things you need really, good camera, video, plenty of memory
for music. The only problems are the 950mAh battery, and the fact
that it's not touch screen, which is the way technology is going
now. Rating:
Reviewed by Ritchie8Piper from United
Kingdom on 10th Apr 2008
Was one of the 'fortunate' people to have a 20 minute ply with this
phone and to be honest i wouldn't say that i felt the same buzz
of excitement as i got with my first 20 minutes with the n95, perhaps
this was because the n95 was original, it brought something new
to the table (5 megapixel cam and a dual slider) whilst the nokia
n96 still has these features, it doesn't improve. When holding the
phone i couldn't help but wonder why Nokia didn't make the display
a bit bigger as we've learnt from the screen size increase from
the n95 to the n95 8GB a few more fractions of an inch does make
a difference and there is clearly more space that the screen could
cover on the n96 u don't need to use one to know that, you can even
see from the picture above. But all faults aside the nokia does
deliver where it promises; the memory most of all is a big improvement
for me personally as i have a collection exceeding 8GB but overall
i am gonna stick with my 16GB iPhone as although it is far from
perfect it is slimmer with a bigger screen. Rating:
Reviewed by Rich from UK on 19th
Mar 2008
I got the oppertunity to have a play with this phone and it is aweseome
the camera is just fantastic better than some digital cameras currently
on the market I would highly recommend this phone it is amazing
bit of a brick though but thats a small price for such a great handet
it does everything it has GPS and records videos in DVD quality
a must buy. Rating:
Reviewed by Daniel from India on
15th Mar 2008
I am One of those lucky ones to get this phone for free to review
it the cam is fantastic It plays music even better Coola looks nice
big keypad The phone is sort of a brick but this phone is awesome Rating:
