Nokia N96

Nokia N96

Manufacturer	Nokia
Predecessor	Nokia N95/N95 8GB
Compatible networks	Quad band GSM / GPRS / EDGE: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 Dual band UMTS / HSDPA: UMTS 900 / 2100] or 850 / 1900
Form factor	Dual-Sliders
Dimensions	103 x 55 x 18 mm
Weight	125 g
Operating system	Symbian OS v9.3, S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
Memory	16 GB
Removable storage	MicroSD 16GB Max (32GB Max MicroSDHC available in 2009)
Battery	BL-5F (950 mAh)
Rear camera	5megapixels, dual LED flash/video light (back)
Front camera	VGA video call (front)
Display	2.8 in QVGA (320x240 px)
Connectivity	WLAN 802.11b/g, Micro-USB (USB 2.0), DVB-H class C, Bluetooth 2.0 (we#Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
Data inputs	Keypad

Nokia N96 is the newest Nokia smartphone in the Nseries range of products. It is the official successor to Nokia N95.

The handset was publicly announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona 2008, and started selling in September 2008. Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific are the first locations to provide the handset for consumers. The American and Chinese versions are expected shortly thereafter. October 1st is set as the U.K. release date for the N96, although London has a separate date of September 24th when the device will go on sale exclusively at Nokia's flagship stores on Regent Street and at Terminal 5 (Heathrow airport).

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Features

The Nokia N96 features the following:

• Quad band GSM / GPRS / EDGE: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• Dual band UMTS / HSDPA: UMTS 900 / 2100 N96-1 (RM-247, Global), UMTS 850 / 1900 N96-3 (RM-247, Global), no UMTS N96 (RM-297, PR China)
• 3G and WLAN access (RM-297 variant (PR China only) does not have WCDMA, WLAN and DVB-H).
• Mobile TV (network-dependent feature).
• GPS Navigation, map data fetched over mobile datalink or downloaded over the Internet and transferred to the phone over USB.
• Access to Ovi
• Instant upload to Flickr, Vox, Yahoo! and Google.
• Full-HTML browser.
• Symbian OS v9.3 S60 3.2 Edition, user interface.
• 16 GB of internal flash memory.
• Memory expandable to up to 48 GB with 32 GB microSD/microSDHC cards (maximum available card storage capacity 16GB/32GB (once released in 2009) ).
• 2-way slide, as in Nokia N95.
• 5-megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss optics.
• High quality VGA camera in front of the phone, for video calling and self-portrait use.
• Double LED flash for the camera.
• Pre-bundled with WaveSecure in India variant
• Plays music files, and lets you download easily via Nokia Web.
• Allows high-quality video calling using 3G
• A built-in motion sensor that can automatically rotate the screen when tilted as on the Nokia N82.

Major differences between N95 and N96

Positive

• 16GB of integrated memory (as opposed to 8GB for N95 8GB), plus further extensibility via microSD memory card
• 2.8 inch display with 16 million colours (same as N95 8GB, versus 2.6" display for original N95)
• Camera flash is a dual-LED in the N96 while it is only a single LED in the N95
• New audio DSP for improved audio quality and longer playback time
• New version of Nokia Video Centre
• Longer music playback time (14 hrs) and video playback time (5 hrs)
• Windows Media WMV9 video codec is added
• Hardware acceleration for video codecs for H.264 and WMV (as well as MPEG4 as before)
• Location tagging (geotagging) of pictures, using the integrated GPS
• Mobile TV DVB-H receiver is built into N96
• New release of Nokia Experience Software
  • Maps 2.0 with satellite images, upgrade to pedestrian mode and voice-guided car navigation
  • Internet Radio pre-installed
  • Home Media Solution (sync with DLNA / UPnP devices over WLAN)
  • Online sharing of pictures with plugins for Flickr, Ovi Share and other services (Can be added on N95 with newer version of Share Online Application)
• S60 3rd Edition is upgraded from Feature Pack 1 to Feature Pack 2
  • Symbian OS is upgraded from version 9.2 to 9.3
  • The Java ME engine is upgraded from MIDP 2.0 to MIDP 2.1
  • User data is preserved when upgrading firmware (This feature is also present on the N95-2 as v21 installs UDP base files)
• The FM radio is upgraded with RDS
• Limited graphics acceleration (only for internal apps)
• N96 is a dual-band HSDPA (900 and 2100 MHz) while N95 was a single band (2100)
• MicroSD memory card slot (as in original N95, while N95 8GB has no card slot)
• No need to open the slide for optimal GPS reception
• USB charging with the CA-126 cable
• New design
  • Landscape-oriented design (landscape oriented speakers, connectors and buttons located optimally for landscape use)
  • Flip-out kickstand
  • Media keys available in all modes (even when slide is closed, for background control of music)
  • Media keys on short side can transform into gaming keys
  • Lockswitch (enables quick lock / unlock of keypad)
  • Thinner and lighter than N95 8GB
• N-Gage included. About 5 games preloaded and one free game coupon (varies by country).

Negative

• CPU downgraded to ARM9 264MHz for N96 (N95 have Dual 332Mhz ARM11 based CPU)
• The lens in the N96 is 2.8/5.2, and in the N95 2.8/5.6 (N95 has more aperture)
• Same battery as original N95 (950 mAh), but the N96 reportedly has a much better battery life using the same battery (Nokia N95 8GB has 1200 mAh)
• No infra-red port on N96
• No Hardware 3D graphics accelerator for N96
• Built-in support for VoIP telephony (and thus cheap Internet Calling) removed from N96 (N95 has Nokia VoIP 2.1)
• Digital zoom is only x10 on N96, while it's x20 on N95 8GB

External links

• Original Press Release, Americas Press Release
• Nokia N96 Device Details at Forum Nokia
• Official N96 page at Nseries.com
• Nokia N96 Review
• Nokia N96 - MobileSift
• N96 Video review
• N96 real users review blog
• N96 Real user Review - N96 not recommended
• N96 user complaints on Nokia forum board