[Gemini-Phoenix]

I'm finally due an upgrade next month after what seems to have been years since I took receipt of the Nokia N96 on day one. I literally took it out of the box, used it once, and shoved it in a drawer out of disgust, reverting back to my humble N91 which I have become quite attached to over the years

Being one of the 'Anti-iPhone' brigade, I initially had my heart set on the N97, but I noticed that it's not without its flaws and Nokia have since announced the N97 Mini (Which looks and feels much more like the cheaper, nastier, 5800 which every benefit scrounging soccer mum and her twelve kids seems to have these days) - However, the N900 has also caught my eye...


Determined to not make the same mistake as before and end up stuck with the same naff handset for the next 18 months (Only for Nokia to come along in six with something more desireable), i'm looking to get a few opinions on these three handsets before comitting myself to just one when the time comes to announce which i'd like to upgrade to


So, what are the pro's and con's out of these three? Obviously i've ran the comparison between them on the Nokia website, but it seems that no single handset really shines through as superior, each having its unique strengths and weaknesses...

Truth be told, i'll probably end up hating it and sticking with my N91 as it seems to be the closest to perfection as any handset has ever come for me - I'm not particularly bothered about touchscreen phones (Having previously had a Sony P900i back in the day), and ideally i'd want a true successor to the N91, but I think that's wishful thinking...

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Oh, things I might add:

* Metal - Ideally I want a metallic handset. I hate how cheap plastic mobiles feel and look - Why make a technological wonder and then finish it off in plastic? One reason I love my N91 so much, although a significant flaw of the N900 in my eyes, and the main reason I hate the N95, N95, and N82 so much

* Size / Weight - Doesn't really bother me too much, but I actually prefer heavier handsets. I've progressed from the likes of 7110, to N-Gage, to P900i, and then N91 (With a few upgrades afterwards such as N95 and N96 etc), so i'm used to having larger handsets with a bit of weight to them

Why Nokia still can't produce a handset as slim as the iPhone or Samsung Tocco is anyone's guess...

* Colour - Preferably silver. Black may be 'En vogue' but I care not for such things. It looks cheap and tacky, and like some kind of naff 80's revival. No thanks.

* Memory capacity - Bigger the better. The N91 has 4GB. The N96 has 32GB on-board, plus upgradeable with a 16GB MicroSD (Which I have), so ideally i'd want at least 32GB (N97 Mini apparently only has 8GB on-board)

* Battery life - This is where the N97 Mini fails against the N97

[BT@HOME]

From the original post and the updated one above I don't believe any of the phones you list are suitable. They all have failings according to your list.....although personally I have no idea why you appear to liken the N97 mini to the 5800 they bear no likeness in either looks or build.

You state that size/weight don';t matter and then wonder why Nokia do not make thin phones, you want something other than black and yet all of them are dark (N97 is white also but N900 is black only).

[Steve_P]

Would a Nokia X6 be a better option to meet your requirements?

Nokia Europe - Nokia X6 - Products

http://www.avforums.com/forums/nokia...on-thread.html

S.

[ash23t]

None of them.

Ive been waiting for ages for the N900 but decided against and went for the HTC Hero.

N900 is fantastic on paper but kinda big to carry around, has questions around battery life, and importantly for me - its the only phone with linux so apps are not going to match Android and Iphone for a longtime (if ever)- Android apps are growing so fast and the Hero is so well regarded that I didn't feel N900 was worth the risk of all the usual Nokia bugs, will wait till the platform is more mature and see if it is poopular in a year or so.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I suppose I am being a little too picky, but like I said, none of these three seem to do everything right, but collctively they come close if that makes sense.

As far as perfection is concerned, the N91 done everything apart from the thickness right - I love the button configuration and everything seems to be in the perfect place. If only it were half as thin, with a bigger internal memory, and had a crisper display (Similar to that of the N96 or N82) - A xenon flash and at least 5mp camera would be ample

Why does Nokia have to jump on the bandwagon and make every new phone a touchscreen handset? Why can't they improve on ideas which were good in the first place, rather than replicate the worst features of past models? The N96 was a terrible handset! I honestly think that I could do a much better job of designing a ground-breaking handset which takes the best elements from previous models and blends them into a handset which is perfect!

I just can't see why Nokia would go to the effort of making these premium range devices, and then finish them in cheap plastic rather than metal. Are a few grams really that important? Both Sony and Samsung can do it, as well as making their handsets much slimmer, and this is for middle-of-the-range models, so the least you could expect is for Nokia to make an effort with their flagship models


Out of these three I don't seem to be leaning specifically towards any one particular model. The lower battery longevity and smaller memory of the N97 Mini is a turn off, but the keypad does seem much better than the N97 and apparently sports a metallic case. But like many reviews i've read, most people may think that the Mini is just a smaller, less powerful brethren of the N97. However, a lot of reviews have slated the original N97 and have picked out a number of pysical and software flaws which has put me off it more than anything.

So far the only thing putting me off the N900 is the fact that it's not available in metal nor silver, and seems like everything the N96 really should have been (Rather than a tarted up N95) - The lack of official specs for the N900 means i'm not ready to commit just yet though, and I don't want to find that in another 3 months Nokia are rushing out an N900 Mini to compensate for any flaws that may arise (Something which they've done before with teh N95 and now the N97)

[SibTiger33]

How about the NOkia E72?

doesnt have the internal memory but should tick all other boxes

why the big fuss about internal memory when you can add your own anyway?

[yant]

Gemini, from what you wrote, i see no reason for you to buy any of these phones. All of these ared high end smartphones, expensive and fairly complex devices. You never got on with the n96 but also hardly gave it a real chance. There no hint of you having any real desire to use the smartphone features of these devices. You may as well keep you current phone and try to get a cheaper contract instead. .

Certainly the n97 is not the most intuitive totally user friendly phone that is all love at first try. I don't expect the n900 to be either. Maemo might promise a lot but the n900 is essentially it's first real mass market outing and you have to expect some growing pains. It sounds more like a simple solid and reliable camera + music phone would be your ideal. I'd be tempted to look at mid range SE offerings if you really want to replace the n91.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I'm due a free upgrade, so I want to make the most of it, especcially as i'm going to be stuck with my choice for the next 18 months. It's better to get a free expensive handset as the upgrade and then I can buy a cheaper mid range at any time should I feel the need to, rather than get an upgrade to an already obsolete handset.

There's a big difference between howning a decent high end phone and choosing not to use it, opposed to being stuck with a mid range phone because you can't afford a better one. I have upgraded a number of times since owning the N91, but the one phone I deliberately paid for was the N82 which is the closest I have come to the N91.

The N96 was a the best out of a bad choice, and at the time the only other real alternative was the iPhone (No thank you!). Unfortunately, the N96 was nothing more than an N95 iwith a make-over, and felt like they took everything bad about the N95 and expanded on that.

Again, i'm faced with the same dilemma, where these are the best choices out of a bad bunch - What are the alternatives? iPhone (Again, I don't think so)? HTC H2? Sony Satio? - The latter I actually considered along with the Aino, but from what I can tell the Satio doesn't seem to have a 3mm headphone socket, although does have a xenon flash...


Previous favourites I have owned include the Nokia 7110i, 8850, and Sony S700i, and of course my current favourite, the N91. These are the phones I personally consider to be the best of their generation (At the current time), and all have something wonderful which makes them great - I am looking for the next great thing, and something which fits into my handset history - Which to be honest, the N95 and N96 do not


At this moment in time, I am currently leaning more towards the N900, with it's only major flaw I can find is the fact that it's black and made of plastic. Oh, and full specs haven't yet been released, which I am eagerly awaiting. Although I will say that the Satio seems to be a contender at the moment...

[Ataripower]

Originally Posted by Gemini-Phoenix

At this moment in time, I am currently leaning more towards the N900, with it's only major flaw I can find is the fact that it's black and made of plastic. Oh, and full specs haven't yet been released, which I am eagerly awaiting. Although I will say that the Satio seems to be a contender at the moment...

Full specs for the N900 are available and the phone is also available for pre-order on the Nokia website

[chelsea.tone]

Sounds to me like your ideal phone IS the iPhone. Apart from battery life, it ticks all your boxes. I hated the iPhone until i actually owned one (always had Nokias), now i wouldnt change.....ever.

Tony

[yant]

Originally Posted by Gemini-Phoenix

I'm due a free upgrade, so I want to make the most of it,...

There ain't no such thing as a free upgrade (TANSTAAFU ? . You are paying for it one way or another.

So your contract has run its minimal length. there are a few options open to you:

1- Get a so-called "free" upgrade on a flash new handset but keep paying high monthly line rental.
1-a- Keep this flash new handset and use it.
1-b- Sell this flash new handset for a high price on ebay (or similar) and use the money to subsidise the over-priced line rental.

2- Move to a cheaper monthly no-contract tarrif like for example O2 simplicity.

3- Phone your network retention office and tell them you are planning to leave. Negociate with them that you are willing to stay if and only if they can reduce their line rental significantly. Tell them that as compensation you don't need a new handset because you are happy with your current one.

Even if you are able to afford a flash handset, that's still a pointless waste of money if you don't use it. You may as well use the money for other things that you will actually enjoy rather than throw to the bottom of a drawer in disgust. The thing is that in your case, you appear to want a no-hassle, user-friendly handset that does the basics right. "Smartphones" may well have lots of features but they tend to be harder to live with that simpler more basic models. The more features, the more chance for bugs. The newer, the less testing and fixing times on bugs. The more power on the cpu, the less battery life. etc. So if you don't plan to use the fancy features, why spend any money on them. If at least you'd carry the new expensive flash handset with you, you might be getting some value out of it as a "status symbol", but left at the bottom of a drawer, you don't even get the so-called "status-symbol" that some peoples are associating with expensive handsets.

[addyb]

Originally Posted by chelsea.tone

Sounds to me like your ideal phone IS the iPhone. Apart from battery life, it ticks all your boxes. I hated the iPhone until i actually owned one (always had Nokias), now i wouldnt change.....ever.

Tony

I originally thought that but im totally bored of my iphone after owning one for nearly 3 years. I will no doubt get the next iphone depending on what its like but my contract is up in a couple of mths so may as well just get a 12 mth contract with another phone, possibly the HD2 and then get the new iphone next year after that contract has run out!