Nokia N79 Review

Nokia has been on a roll since about a couple of months riding on the strong sales of its smartphones. Last month it launched two new smartphones – the new N79 and N85 as part of its N Series expansion plans. Both of them sport a 5 MP camera and are aimed at those who don’t like the N82′s plain design and supposedly wacky keypad, and those who can’t afford the rather pricey flagship Nokia N96. Both the N85 and N79 sport superb specs and features that threaten to push other phones in their category to extinction. The N79 also sports a nice stylish design and is slim and light. On the first look, it seems like there are very few phones currently on the market that can compete with the N79 except Nokia’s own N82. It is the new N73 – the very successful Nokia smartphone which redefined the N Series. In this review we check out the Nokia N79 and see if it can continue the success that its predecessors have set.

Nokia N79 Specs:

• Dimensions: 110 x 49 x 15 mm
• Weight: 97 gms
• Display: 2.4 inch TFT, 16 M colors, 240 x 320 pixels
• Connectivity: GPRS class 11, HSCSD, EDGE class 32, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UPnP
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• OS: Symbian OS v 9.3, Series 60 v3.2 UI
• Camera: 5 MP Camera, 2592 x 1944 pixels with Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, flash, secondary VGA videocall camera, VGA video recording at 30 FPS
• Memory: 83 MB Internal memory, expandable to 8 GB by MicroSD
• Battery: Li-Ion battery 1200 mAh – BL-6F

Other Features: Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3 / M4A / AAC / eAAC+ / WMA support, Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM transmitter, TV out, 3.5 mm audio output jack

Design and Build Quality:

The Nokia N79 sports a subtle yet stylish design. It is remniscent of the simple looks of the N82 but sports a much better and ergonomic keypad and the body is almost fully composed of plastic instead of metal. At dimensions of 110 x 49 x 15 mm, it is compact and very portable. It weighs just 97 gms which is quite commendable considering a phone with so many features. It has excellent build quality just as expected of Nokia phones and is made with high quality materials. It can easily withstand bumps, shocks and rough treatment and emerge unscathed. It is suited for everyday use. It is visually one of the better looking phones in the N Series lineup.

The front face of the phone sports the 2.4 inch display and below it, the keypad. Exactly above the display, you find the earpiece, the secondary cam and the ambient light sensor. On the right, you find the N79′s stereo speakers, the volume rocker and a dedicated camera shutter key. On the left, you find the data cable slot, the MicroSD slot and the standard charger slot. The top of the phone houses the Power key, the 3.5 mm audio jack and the keypad lock button. On the back of the phone, you find the 5 MP camera with the LED flash protected by a cover. All the elements easily blend into the design to give the phone a superb look and feel.

Display and Keypad:

The Nokia N79 sports the tried and tested 2.4 inch TFT display which is common in Nokia phones. It has a native resolution of 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA) and supports 16 M colors. It is a superb display with perfect brightness and contrast levels. The image quality is very detailed and the images very rich in colors. The sunlight legibility is also nice. Though normal TFT displays aren’t as good as the newer OLED ones, like the one we saw in the Nokia N85, this one still manages a good job.

The keypad is very ergonomic and is good for SMS and email junkies. The keys are adequately sized and don’t feel cramped. They also provide decent feedback. The D pad is superb for navigation around the S60 v3 interface.

OS, Interface and Performance:

The Nokia N79 sports the latest iteration of the Symbian OS by Nokia – S60 OS v9.3 with FP2. It is the best Symbian OS / interface yet and offers some visual and performance improvements over the older iterations. The basic layout and interface design is the same as theprevious versions with slight improvements. The Active standby mode, the auto UI rotation all add to its appeal.

The Nokia N79 is powered by a ARM 11 369 MHz CPU but doesn’t include a built in graphics accelerator like the N82. The UI is still pretty responsive and you can easily multitask with 4-5 apps thanks to the ample amount of RAM provided. However it can render images and videos as well as the N82. The N79 comes with 83 MB internal memory and includes support for upto 8 GB MicroSD cards. It comes with a bundled 4 GB card which should take care of your storage needs.

Multimedia and Camera:

The N79, being a N Series phone, is obviously expected to do well in the music and video playback department and it manages to live up to its expectations. It has nice sound quality which is much better than most phones in its range. The built in Music player is quite capable and supports a whole range of formats including MP3, M4A, AAC, eAAC+, WMA and has some nice customization features like a customizable EQ with 5 presets, Album Art support, playlist creation etc. It provides for a better overall music experience.

The video playback is also very nice. It supports all the standard formats and you can also use 3rd party players like Real, Core or Smartmovie for better video playback. The default player supports the portrait, landscape and fullscreen viewing modes. The N79 also sports a FM Radio with RDS and a FM transmitter using which you can transmit your own music locally on a desired frequency.

The N79 sports a 5 MP camera which can shoot images at a maximum resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels. It comes with autofocus and a dual LED flash and the image quality is quite decent. It is one of the average 5 MP cameras, but not as good as the Nokia N82 or the Sony Ericsson C902. The camera interface offers a range of advanced customization options. It also has geotagging which allows you to link your images with geographical coordinates. The camera can capture video at a VGA resolution at 30 FPS. The video quality is decent too.

Battery Life and Other Features:

The N79 is powered by a standard Li Ion 1200 mAh battery, the BL-6F which does a nice job of powering it and provides nice battery life. It provides about 5 hrs and 30 mins of talktime and can easily last for about 2 days with moderate usage. The call reception quality is very nice and matches the high standards set by Nokia. The GPS reception is alo quite nice and voice based navigation works very well. It sports all the basic connectivity features like GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi etc.

The Nokia N79 comes bundled with a 4 GB MicroSD card, a handsfree, a Micro USB cable, a charger, and two extra covers for the phone. You also get the standard user manual and software CD with the N79.

Pros:

• Nice Design and Build Quality
• Good Sound Quality
• 4 GB MicroSD bundled
• FM Transmitter

Cons:

• Average Camera

Conclusion:

The N79 is a nice balanced phone with many features and offers good value for its price. However, if you can do without the 5 MP cam, we would suggest you to wait for the upcoming Nokia 5800 XM.

Our Rating: 4 / 5.