Nokia N96 Comprehensive Guide to Specs Price Pros & Cons

Design and Build

The Nokia N96 boasts an elegant design, measuring 103 x 55 x 18 mm and weighing approximately 125 grams. The device has a robust build with a glossy black and silver finish that adds to its aesthetic appeal. It features a Mini-SIM slot and a user-friendly interface with a classic slide-out keypad, which was a hallmark of Nokia's design in the late 2000s.

Display

Equipped with a 2.8-inch TFT screen, the Nokia N96 supports 16 million colors, offering vibrant and clear visuals. With a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and a pixel density of approximately 143 ppi, the display ensures decent clarity and color rendition, suitable for everyday tasks and moderate multimedia consumption.

Camera

The Nokia N96 comes with a 5 MP primary camera, outfitted with Carl Zeiss optics and an LED flash, providing quality photography for its time. This camera setup allows users to capture images and videos at a resolution of 480p at 30fps. Additionally, the device includes a VGA front camera primarily intended for video calls.

Performance

Powered by a 264 MHz Dual ARM 9 processor, the Nokia N96 runs on Symbian OS 9.3 with the S60 rel. 3.2 user interface. Although not exceedingly powerful, this configuration delivered adequate performance for basic tasks, web browsing, and multimedia applications during its era.

Storage and Memory

The device offers 16GB of internal storage, a significant capacity considering its time of release. It also features a dedicated microSDHC slot, allowing users to expand storage as needed. The N96 is equipped with 128MB of RAM, which was standard for many smartphones during its release period.

Battery Life

The Nokia N96 operates with a removable Li-Ion 950 mAh battery (BL-5F). While not particularly large, it supports a standby time of up to 220 hours on 2G networks and 192 hours on 3G networks. The device provides a talk time of up to 3 hours 40 minutes (2G) and 2 hours 36 minutes (3G), alongside up to 14 hours of music playback, highlighting its focus on multimedia capabilities.

Network and Connectivity

This phone supports GSM/HSPA network technologies, with 2G bands covering GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and 3G bands including HSDPA 900/2100, achieving speeds of up to HSPA 3.6/0.384 Mbps. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0, GPS with A-GPS, and an FM radio with RDS.

Audio and Multimedia

The Nokia N96 features a loudspeaker and a 3.5mm audio jack, supporting vibration, MP3, and WAV ringtones, which were popular in its time. With its emphasis on multimedia, the device is equipped to handle various audio and video formats, appealing especially to users interested in music and video playback.

Additional Features

Among its features, the Nokia N96 includes an accelerometer sensor, a WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML browser, and a dedicated RSS reader. It also has pre-installed Nokia Maps for navigation, adding a layer of functionality for users requiring basic GPS services.

Release and Market Impact

Announced in February 2008 and released in September of the same year, the Nokia N96 was eventually discontinued but left a mark as one of Nokia's ambitious multimedia smartphones. Priced initially around 220 EUR, the phone aimed to capture the attention of tech enthusiasts and multimedia users.

Conclusion

The Nokia N96 showcased Nokia's continuous innovation in smartphone technology during the late 2000s. Its focus on multimedia capabilities, combined with adequate performance and an elegant design, made it a noteworthy device in its era. Although surpassed by more advanced smartphones, the N96 remains a symbol of Nokia's influence and legacy in mobile phone development.