Update: now read our Hands on: Nokia Lumia 800 review (essentially the N9 running Windows Phone 7.5).
The Nokia N9 is the first MeeGo-powered smartphone from the Finns, and we certainly hope it won't be the last because it's actually a rather decent piece of kit.
The unibody polycarbonate chassis might feel a little plasticky to the touch, but it seamlessly integrates into the glass 3.9-inch OLED panel, which offers ClearBlack display technology to make the dark bits darker and the colours more vivid than ever before.
TechRadar used our time with the phone wisely, and managed to bag some time for a quick video preview of the new Nokia N9 as well as the plethora of photos below:
Like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, the Nokia N9 design team has worked to improve the quality of the screen by bringing it closer to the glass, making it look darker than ever when the screen is turned off.
The chassis of the phone is pretty much free from buttons, save for the volume and power keys on the right hand side. There's no physical home button, with Nokia preferring to use an innovative swipe gesture to navigate around.
With no microSD card slot on offer (Nokia says the N9 will come in 16GB and 64Gb variants) the only ports live on the top of the phone, with the headphone jack, a pop-up cover to the microUSB connector and a pop-up tray for the microSIM.
That's right - the microSIM looks like it's here to stay as Nokia joins Apple in the teeny SIM club.
The only other thing of note on the front is the front-facing VGA camera... it's at the bottom of the N9, and it will be interesting to see how this works in day to day life. Assuming anyone ever starts thinking video calling is a great idea, that is.
The back of the phone is 'pillowed' in the words of Nokia, which means it sits rather nicely in the palm of the hand. The dual-LED powered 8MP camera is covered in some natty Carl Zeiss optics, and features an f2.2 aperture which is better for low-light situations.
The camera is positioned more centrally than many other smartphones on the market, which means it's easier to hold - in our brief tests, the pictures felt more like we were taking them on a normal compact, which is definitely a plus.
However, there's no physical camera key, which is a real disappointment as Nokia usually loves them and we're real fans, as it means less camera wobble when you're taking a snap. Touch to focus is on offer to improve the quality of your shots, although we didn't see it making much of a difference when we tried it out.
Your comments (8) Click to add a new comment
marcyj
October 27th 2011
8. The phone has all the beauty to be inspired from but reality check recommends you to not to go for it since you have far better options in the same price. read this critical piece to know more http://radiomobiletech.com/blo...
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drevilpowers
September 9th 2011
7. I like the look of the n9 however thats it!! I like dual ops touch and type the last nokia seems good a slide screen to reveal a keyboard. The best of both worlds. I am a big nokia fan but am waiting for a great phone to provide fast screens app and a great keyboard to email and text. standing with phone in hand tapping with index finger is pants.Come on Nokia beat the rest give us the best not a half measure.
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nomad85
August 28th 2011
6. Why oh why does Nokia bring out a Nokia n8 with 12MP cam then to bring out this Nokia N9 that is only a 8MP cam and my main question for Nokia is if you have joined forces with Microsoft why not use the windows 7 and make a more powerful phone rather than just using MeeGo and putting less power in the phone ? = i have been a loyal Nokia user that has a Nokia N8 very good phone but i will defiantly not be getting a Nokia N9 will be looking for a different manufacturer maybe the Samsung Galaxy S II much better that what i see on the N9
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scottgilbert
June 28th 2011
5. i like the colour schemes, shame abt the rest
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fishleg
June 26th 2011
4. Urghh they never learn... N8 wicked phone just under sold and slow OS but with tweaks its perfect just a shame those tweaks arnt out the box.
N9 has no camera button >< lol thats gonna be fun all them drunks trying to work out how to take pics, cheers nokia. Worse camera than the N8 and an OS that's fast only cause they took symbian and disabled all the features, class idea =/. Instead of trying to make an iphone why not just keep improving the N8 this seems like they have given up and decided to copy Apple.
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5teviewonders
June 22nd 2011
3. I was waiting ages for this to be announced. Had a Galaxy S II, still in box which i was gonna sell cos it was an upgrade. Saw the UI yesterday and opened the S II about an hour later. Meego is a big disappointment for me. I'd like more control over those three screens. I wanna choose what's on them and have widgets.
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barkotron
June 22nd 2011
2. Looks great. Very interested depending on when it comes out...
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akthar26
June 22nd 2011
1. "Please Nokia, don't let this be the only one of its breed... with a little bit of love, MeeGo could be a winning operating system."
I second this.
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