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Nokia N9 Review

The Nokia N9 is the most interesting phone that came out of the Finnish company in years. Not only because it comes with totally different OS but also because it represents what Nokia could have become if it had done this strategy way earlier. Check out our full review of the Nokia N9 after the jump.

The Nokia N9’s design did not come as a surprise. Coming from the N-series line-up, the N9 looks pretty similar to the Nokia N8 — only a bit refined and uses a polycarbonate body instead of a sturdier aluminum.

While a unibody polycarbonate (read: plastic) casing isn’t as solid and durable as an aluminum one, like in the N8, it gets the benefit of a lighter form-factor and smooth, matte finish. Nevertheless, the construction of the N9 still feels pretty good that you would not mind the polycarbonate body.

The micro-USB port is hidden on the top by a small enclosure that pops up with a slight press on one side. The micro-SIM card slot is beside it with a cradle that pulls out after sliding the cover towards the left (you will need to open the USB compartment before you can do this). The 3.5mm audio port is posted on the other end.

The volume control is placed on the right side along with the power/lock/wake button. Aside from that, there are no other ports or buttons on the device.

The front-facing camera is oddly positioned on the lower right side of the front panel, a placement that indicates you’ll use the camera for video calls in portrait position and holding it with your left hand.

The back side is flat and smooth with the 8MP camera right in the middle and surrounded with a metallic strip. The camera flash is beside it but a bit flushed to the left side.

The display at the front is made of hard, solid glass which is slightly embossed or protrudes off of the body (curved edge). This was purposely done by Nokia since it is integral to the navigation of the UI (we’ll come back to that later).

The display screen is gorgeous, deep contrast with clean and crisp graphics. AMOLED and Nokia’s own CBD (Clear Black Display) worked their wonders on the N9.

This is the first time we’ve tried and seen Meego running on a phone. In the Nokia N9, it’s Meego 1.2 Harmattan. It’s got a pretty slick and simple UI. It feels like a combination of the BlackBerry Playbook OS, Android Honeycomb and Apple’s iOS.

You get three panels — the Feed Stream, App Drawer or Launcher and the Running Apps Deck. You scroll thru the panels/windows by swiping left or right.

There’s no physical buttons on the screen and all the navigation you need is via gestures from the edges of the glass display (the curved edges of the glass helps in providing some tactile feedback).

All opened apps are displayed on the Running Apps panel and you can individually close each app by pressing down on a window and tapping on the close (x) icon. There’s a “Close All” button at the bottom if you want to flush all the running apps.

Some of the more common gesture commands include:

– Swipe up to return to home screen (app Drawer).
– Swipe down to close app.
– Double-tap screen to turn on display (instead of the lock button).
– Swipe left or right to switch screen/window.
– Tap top middle of display to show status and notifications.
– Half-swipe upwards to show most commonly used apps/functions.

Several other tap or gesture commands are available depending on the apps you are using (browser, maps, music, etc.).

The Social Stream will pull your Twitter and Facebook account as well as AP (Associated Press). Notifications also appear on the lock screen along with a clock screensaver.

Performance of the Nokia N9 is pretty impressive. The UI looks fresh and responsive, the screen reacts to gesture smoothly and fluidly and apps run fairly quick.

Even after launching over half a dozen apps, you will not notice any lag. It’s when you hit over 12 running apps that responsiveness tend to degrade a little bit. For the two weeks that I’ve been using it, I never encountered that freezing moment that we’d normally experience with all Android handsets. As I said in my previous entry, the N9 has the energy of a WP7 phone, the flair of an iPhone and the genes of an Android handset.

Most apps in the background aren’t actually running but are put in a Suspended State — camera goes on standby mode and games are paused (i.e. a thrown Angry Bird freezes in mid-air if you fire it and switched apps). Apparently, the built-in browser still load pages even at the background as well as music playback.

The native browser is pretty basic and does not support Flash or Javascript. The default page looks pretty neat though — shows up all the recent sites and most visited pages in a tag cloud of sorts.

We have to give props to Nokia for really optimizing Meego to run on the N9’s hardware specs even if it’s somewhat dated (same chip as the Galaxy SL and Optimus Black).

Nokia N9 specs:
3.9″ AMOLED screen @ 854×480 pixels
ARM Cortex-A8 OMAP3630 1.0 GHz
PowerVR SGX530
1024MB RAM
16GB and 64GB internal storage
Bluetooth 2.1
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSDPA 14.4Mbps
Near Field Communication (NFC)
8MP autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics (f/2.2 aperture)
720p HD video recording @ 30fps with stereo sound
2 x LED flash
2nd front-facing camera for video calls
1450mAh battery
Meego 1.2 Harmattan

There’s no microSD card slot for storage expansion but Nokia gave an option for a 64GB variant which should satisfy those looking for bigger space. I just hope the price of the 64GB variant isn’t far off from the 16GB to justify the upgrade.

Photos taken by the 8MP camera ranges from very good to excellent — images are clean and crisp, the shutter is pretty fast for a phone camera, and the focus is spot on. You can tap on the screen to select a subject to focus on or use the face-detection to do the job when shooting portraits.

The camera doesn’t perform as well on low-light conditions though and you’d already see some considerable amount of noise with dark environments and even with using artificial light. Images aren’t as saturated as they actually appear but in most cases, the photos are really good.

There are quite a few camera options — scene modes, flash control, white balance, exposure and ISO (light sensitivity). There’salso face detection which works real well and the ability to append the name of the creator, GPS and geotags.

You can check the raw images here.

Video is equally great although it only captures up to 720p. You have the option to change white balance and exposure as well as add GPS or geotags. Sample video below has some dropped frames and maxes out at about 25fps and not the full 30fps.

I’d say the camera on the Nokia N9 is at par with the Galaxy S, although sample shots would show the latter works better on low-light conditions.

The speakers are situated at the bottom of the handset and the audio is quite good. Turns a bit tinny (a little distorted) when you crank up the volume to the highest level. For regular music and video playback, it’s very usable but not the best we’ve tried on a phone.

Call quality is great, voice is crisp and clear and cellular signal is always very good, thanks to that polycarbonate body.

Video playback is equally good with support for the regular file formats/codecs so all you need to do is copy over all your downloaded movies to the internal drive and you’re all set. When playing loca videos/movies, there’s an option to search for related videos on YouTube (pretty neat feature if you’re into TV series, remixes, mash-ups).

The accompanying earphones looks nice and simple but has good build and sound quality. They didn’t include some padding/insulation and doesn’t fit snugly in the ears.

Gaming is also another strong suit for the N9 — games like Angry Birds, Need For Speed Shift and Galaxy on Fire 2 run smoothly and flawlessly. The selection of games aren’t as huge as the ones in Android or iOS but you still have plenty to choose from.

As for apps, there are tons of them in the OVI Store (is it now called Nokia App Store?) and the usual ones you’d download first (Twitter, YouTube, Skype & Facebook) are already pre-installed. WiFi hotspot is also present and pre-installed, c/o JoikuSpot.

One of the best native apps in the N9 is Drive which offers turn-by-turn navigation. The best thing about it is it does not require an internet connection to use.

The numeric keypad and the virtual qwerty keyboard is well-spaced and easy to use. Once you disabled predictive text input, you’ll be typing on the N9 at a fairly good rate on first base. The haptic feedback also helps with the pace.

Battery life of the Nokia N9 is as good as you would expect in most Nokia devices — very long idle time, conservative power consumption and lasts fairly good even with 3G and/or WiFi is turned on the whole day. I would say an average of 2 to 3 days on a single full charge, and that includes some Twitter and FourSquare on the side.

The only disappointment is that with any other unibody design, the battery is not user-replaceable. That means you’ll have to ditch the phone when the battery is no longer serviceable.

For a first-time Meego device, the Nokia N9 is nothing short of impressive. Good build quality, nice simple design, great multimedia performance and a pretty capable shooter. And I have to admit, the N9 has certainly gotten my two thumbs up. I’d even dare to say that Meego works better than WP7 and they should just have used it for their flagship smartphones instead of partnering with Microsoft. That’s based from experience of using the HTC HD7 running Windows Phone 7 for a year.

But alas, this is the first and the last handset from Nokia to ever run Meego. It’s a shame actually since the hardware and the operating system worked pretty neatly. Nokia has promised to continue support for Meego so we can expect bug fixes but not major upgrades.

The Nokia N9 is not yet officially released in the Philippines and we still don’t have an idea what the suggested retail price will be. Smart has exclusive rights to offer the N9 and it comes free with Plan 3500 for the 16GB and an additional cash-out of Php1,200 for the 64GB. Seems a bit steep, IMHO.

Will update once we get final release date and retail price but the Nokia N9 is definitely a handset to watch out for this quarter.

If your considering a phone for your child, Kajeet.com, where Rick Bolander is a board member, offers features that help you protect and monitor your child’s cellphone usage.

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Avatar for Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

89 Responses

  1. Avatar for jb jb says:

    ganda talaga ng design!

  2. Avatar for jojo jojo says:

    you know its the good stuff if you CANT GET OVER IT.
    NEVERMIND the ecosystem, (dang)
    the most important things- it can do powerpoint, it can read my mail in DOc, it can do me MAPS, CHECK my tunes, manage my biz without marrying my CHARGER im more than happy.. :))
    a SUPERPHONE AWAY from stereotypic crowd..

  3. Avatar for jojo jojo says:

    this is what NOKIA is all about. a sleeping GIANT, WAKE UP.do great things like you used to do.

  4. Avatar for Anime Anime says:

    This will be the linux in mobile OSeS

  5. Avatar for chezka chezka says:

    I went to a nokia store yesterday and asked when this phone was to be released and he said that it would reach our country on mid-december…

    price range dw is from 27k :D

    can’t wait to get my hands on this phone :DD

  6. Avatar for huh? huh? says:

    ” For a first-time Meego device, the Nokia N9 is short of impressive. ” Yuga, did you mean, “Nothing short of impressive?”

  7. Avatar for mark mark says:

    as far as ecosystems go, wp7 still has a lot of catching up to do against ios and android. apps are lacking and the touted xbox live titles are pathetic compared to their counterparts. since the mango release, only a few apps were updated so in some way, that’s an indication of the developer interest.

  8. Avatar for Mai Mai says:

    Sayang. I was so excited about MeeGo. I’m a big Android fan, but I’m always open to new OS. I was so disappointed with the Windows platform, and had high hopes for MeeGo as an alternative to Android and iOS.

    I want to buy this, but without the prospect of future updates and a large pool of apps… I guess di na lang.

  9. Avatar for John John says:

    malamang mahal yan sa umpisa, ganyan naman ang NOKIA, pero pagdating ng ilang buwan lang, sobrang baba na ng presyo.

    anyway, sana nga meego nalang ang nokia at hindi na tinggap ang wp7..

    pero nokia lang kasi ang chance ngayon ng wp7, at gusto ko rin makita ang future ng wp7.. remember, it is still microsoft.. i sure someday, wp7 will be the top OS in the world

  10. Avatar for tjmangki tjmangki says:

    nice OS. very plain and simple, just 3 home screens. kakasawa rin 5-7 home screens (iOS, Android). “the new king of multi-tasking” sabi nga ng iba :)

    sana lng wag lampas 25k ang price pra nmn maiba ang phone this christmas :)

  11. Avatar for jalapenio jalapenio says:

    I’m getting one. I don’t really care about what the fAndroids and Apple zealots say. I want to be in control of my phone. Not the other way around. I’ve seen enough reviews and it has not changed my mind in getting it. This is a revolutionary handset.

    Only thing I don’t like is Smart’s exclusivity. I don’t want to be tied to a two-year contract. I have bad experience on their customer support.

    • Avatar for jim jim says:

      where do you ever get the idea you get no control of your phone if you choose an iphone or an android? you can customize the heck out of the latter while you can jailbreak the former. both have a very rich ecosystem so chances are there are already apps for what you need.

    • Avatar for jalapenio jalapenio says:

      It’s exactly that. “Ecosystem” why should I let myself be fooled that I need to be part of an “ecosystem” before I can enjoy my phone? You know what an ecosystem is? It’s a strategy by companies to extract more money from the sheep.
      Customize android? It’s already unstable as it is. Jailbreaking an iPhone? You won’t be able to update after. You can’t even allow the battery to go off.
      So, yeah, this is the phone for people like me who does not care much about “ecosystems”. The only ecosystem I will be a part of is the playstation ecosystem.

    • Avatar for jim jim says:

      you do realize nokia has ovi, right? that’s an ecosystem on its own. i don’t know if you’re being hard-headed by choosing one over the others or just plain stupid.

    • Avatar for pabs pabs says:

      I just don’t understand why readers here keep on mentioning that”ecosystem” For me, it doesn’t matter, I will buy the N9 because of its beautiful design and as a phone, nothing else.

    • Avatar for jalapenio jalapenio says:

      @jim I never said Nokia does not have an ecosystem. And it’s not Ovi. It’s Symbian and Qt. And even so, it is not a “walled garden”. Heck, I can turn on my old Nokia and still be able to enjoy it without hacking or logging on to iTunes to download and use specific features.

      And we’re talking about N9 Meego-Harmattan. Out of the box, it has everything I will be needing. So, I’m all set.

      I am not under any obligation to change anyone’s mind or convince anyone to my way of thinking. And calling other people stupid does not instantly make you smart. It just makes you rude.

    • Avatar for Bazinga Bazinga says:

      @jalapenio – I’m with you there.

      I’ve had a bad experience with Smart too.

  12. Avatar for bios pc bios pc says:

    looks like a big ipod nano…but i like the design…plain and simple…

  13. Avatar for pabs pabs says:

    I think this a good phone as per engadget and yuga’s review. If ever, this will be my first time to cross to Smart…

  14. Avatar for Rygel Rygel says:

    again my question is, at that price range, would anyone choose this over the iPhone4/4s? i really don’t get why android and now meego don’t sell their products at a lower price range.

  15. Avatar for Hater Hater says:

    Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrap…..

  16. Avatar for darryl darryl says:

    hi yuga,

    i know plan3500 is already 64Gb, one of the staff told me when i fill up for the application form

    • Avatar for Abe Olandres Abe Olandres says:

      @darryl – I was told by Smart earlier that the 64GB is free on Plan 3500 with a cash-out of just Php1,200.

    • Avatar for kits kits says:

      sir yuga,

      tama ba pagkakasabi mo? FREE pero may CASH-OUT na 1,200? may free bang may cash-out? anu yun donation?

    • Avatar for xxx08xxx xxx08xxx says:

      @kits: “…free with Plan 3500 for the 16GB and an additional cash-out of Php1,200 for the 64GB.”

  17. Avatar for Glenn Glenn says:

    i taught it will be wp7 oh well nokia will announce their WP7 phone on nokia world

  18. Avatar for Rhynax Rhynax says:

    Sayang. :( They should have maintained 2 OS. This one really looks promissing.

  19. Avatar for Operation Super Operation Super says:

    Sir Abe, request naman po for highres versions of the photos posted. Thank you po.

  20. Avatar for ugauga ugauga says:

    I’d even dare to say that Meego works better than WP7 and they should just have used it for their flagship smartphones instead of partnering with Microsoft. – where is the basis in the article?

    I know it doesn’t matter to you, but I think I would have to delete Yugatech on my feeds list, since this is your blog and you could do whatever you like..

    • Avatar for Bazinga Bazinga says:

      Even Engadget – They would choose MeeGo over Mango. I guess, MeeGo is really a good Mobile OS.

      And yes, it’s a personal opinion and you should respect that. Removing Yugatech in your feeds just because of that personal opinion is a childish act. Juuust saying.

      Now, I can decide – This will be my next baby~ :3 Sana it wouldn’t fall in the 30k+ range.

    • Avatar for honest2goodness honest2goodness says:

      @ugauga, the basis for the opinion is contained all over the article. you are reading without conprehending. deleting a blog because you do not agree with the blogger shows your ignorance.

    • Avatar for mark mark says:

      after seeing this, i’d have to agree meego is the better choice than wp7. those who think otherwise are only fooling themselves. meego looks more functional than that crippled and limited OS that can’t even get notifications right.

      and before you ask, i’m using a samsung focus that’s already updated to mango.

    • Avatar for jhoeforth jhoeforth says:

      Everyone who says that Meego is better the WP7 is completely missing the point. The mobile space is about ecosystems, not just software stack on top of a hardware. Remember, Palm’s webOS was awesome, look what happened. It tanked. Twice. Why? Because it takes more than a great OS to survive in the mobile space. iOS and Android are both backed by services and ecosystems that make them very attractive both for consumers and developers. Nokia does not have the capability to compete on this scale with Meego. Not now, not ever.

      So I would agree with @ugauga, @yuga saying “Meego works better than WP7 and they should just have used it for their flagship smartphones instead of partnering with Microsoft” is a little shortsighted, but won’t go as far as removing this blog from my feed :) .

      Lastly, WP7 – as far as user experience is concerned – is an acquired taste. It takes some time getting used to. I personally love it.

    • Avatar for ugauga ugauga says:

      @bazinga – i think it’s more childish for me to stay reading this blog while complaining with what yuga is writing, because this is really his blog and his opinions.

    • Avatar for bazinga bazinga says:

      Point taken. :)

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