The Nokia N73 has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. When it was originally announced and I wrote the story for MobileBurn, I didn’t like it. It just looked funny to me, and I wasn’t really interested. Here we are though, five months later, the N73 has been released and I have one in my hand – and I love it. Read on for my initial impressions/mini review of this powerful multimedia handset.
To start with, the Nokia N73, despite its top-heavy look, feels great in the hand. It is well weighted, and its size makes it easy to get a firm grasp on. It is on the large end of the size scale, but is not so big as to prove awkward – and considering its features, it is not an unreasonable size at all.
The first thing you will notice about the Nokia N73 is its large, high resolution (QVGA, 240×320 pixels) screen. This has to be one of the N73′s star features; it is bright, clear, and the only thing that I would say can match it is the N73′s Nseries cousin, the N80. With that said, the N73′s screen is still larger, and in my opinion, better to use.
Arguably second to the screen, the N73′s other draw card will be its camera. The camera looks great on paper: a 3.2 megapixel resolution and Carl Zeiss auto-focus lens put it on the same level as the video-centric N93, as well as the N73′s rival, the Sony Ericsson K800. I can’t comment too much on the camera due to lack of testing, but expect some sample photos and notes to be posted here in the next couple of days. What I will say though, it is seems the camera application has a little trouble when it comes to the preview before taking a shot. The viewfinder gives everything a bad blue tinge, which then disappears after taking the shot. The offshoot of this is the fact that it is hard to toy with white balance pre-photo, but at least the tinge doesn’t come out in the final image.
The keypad featured in the Nokia N73 will be its weakness for a lot of people. While I don’t have a problem with it personally, the numerical keypad is rather small. To offset this, the keys have a good sized ridge on them, and provide a great level of tactile feedback. On the positive side, the N73′s joystick is one of the best I’ve ever used. It is firm, and really feels like it will last the distance, unlike many other phone joysticks that feel like they will break after a period of use.
One, albeit small, thing that I’m happy to see has returned to a handset is the small blue indicator light on the front of the device. This light blinks periodically after the display has gone to sleep to show that the handset is turned on, saving you from activating the screen. The only pick I can make on this light is that I would prefer that it either changed color, or blinked in a different fashion when you have a missed call or new message.
On the software side of things, it is all standard Nokia S60 smartphone fare. The Quickoffice suite is pre-installed, allowing you to view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. The Adobe Reader application is also here, as are the usual fair of PIM applications, plus Nokia’s Lifeblog software. The speed of the S60 v3 UI is greatly improved over v2, and the N73 is one of the faster S60 devices I have used of late. The handset includes a ’3D Ringtone’ application, which utilizes the handset’s stereo speakers to make 3D effects, such as ZigZag and Circular, when you receive a call. These speakers also have the effect of making ringtones extremely, almost ear piercingly, loud when you use an MP3 as a tone.
One thing that I have noticed, which could possibly be remedied with a firmware update, is occasionally the signal meter will fluctuate from full to almost nothing several times, even with the phone completely stationary. Curious indeed.
Overall, the Nokia N73 marks one of the best, if not the best, S60 smartphone I have ever used. Good speed, a great camera, and great design make it a must have in my opinion. If you are looking for a solid smartphone with an awesome screen, I can honestly recommend the Nokia N73.