You already know the launch price of the N96 in the Philippines. And that gets you a lot. Nokia is already known for cramming a lot of features into its high-end phones; the N96 takes that a completely new level. It’s as if Nokia’s engineers looked over a list of all the features they’ve come out with, and put it into a single unit. To quote what I wrote before after the local launch:

You probably know all about its built-in WiFi, HSDPA, and Bluetooth, not to mention its roomy 16GB of internal memory and microSD. And of course, its 5.0 megapixel camera and GPS receiver. Heck, I probably don’t even need to tell you about the N96’s Dual ARM 9 264Mhz CPU, TV-out capability, or the 3.5mm jack that supports standard earphones and headphones.

Perhaps due to this, the N96 is one of the biggest phones I’ve ever seen. It still fits in a pocket nicely, but it won’t win any portability awards. At least the size means enough real-estate for a large 2.8″ QVGA screen.

The 5 Megapixel Camera

One of the phone’s strong points is its built-in 5 megapixel camera, which captures photos and video. Here are some sample pics taken under various lighting conditions (click on the thumbnails to see larger versions):

The picture quality won’t give standalone cameras a run for their money, but it’s still one of the better built-in cameras I’ve used in recent memory.

Lack of Responsiveness and Battery Life

Unfortunately, the N96 is not only like the N81 8GB visually, but in how relatively slow it is as well. It becomes slightly frustrating to wait a second or so to access the phone’s various features. It’s as if the gadget has to manage so many things at the same—all the time—that it can devote enough resources to giving what the user wants immediately.

On top of that, the battery is nowhere as powerful as other Nokia phones—particularly the E71 and E63 for instance. Pretty ironic, considering that such a powerful phone needs a lot to juice to stay on for an appreciable amount of time. Consider this: the N96 uses a 950mAh battery, while the E63 relies on a 1500mAh battery. That translates to a battery life of around 2 days for the E63 (with normal usage) and less than one for the N96. No doubt, Nokia had to make some sacrifices to fit all those features in, but it’s hardly a step forward for the N96 to use the same, weak battery, as its predecessor, the N95.

Is it Worth it?

Nokia’s wide range of models works to its advantage, providing the company a product to appeal to practically any demographic and user profile. At the same time however, this means some of its models are actually overshadowed by others, in terms of value for money. The Nokia N96 dangerously falls into this category. It’s a perfect phone for anyone who really wants a phone that represents the cutting-edge of the all-in-one gadget concept.

Unfortunately, at P40,650, this phone is simply too impractical for most people, and minor annoyances like the clumsily-placed earphone jack (using thick earphone plugs prevent the display from sliding up to uncover the keypad) and an overall lack of responsiveness, not to mention the short battery life, really don’t help. I also think that the market for mobileTV—on of the Nokia N96 flagship features—is still too limited here in the Philippines.

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To be clear, there are many other phones that feature a built-in FM transmitter, which routes any music played on the device to a nearby radio—a boon for those who spend hours in the car, no doubt.

But what makes the Nokia N78 stand out is how it packs a complete feature set. In other words, even if you take away the FM transmitter, the N78 is still a pretty versatile cell phone.

You can read the full review over at The Gadget Blog. You can also check out our previous articles on the phone:

• Nokia N78 First Impressions and Pictures
• Nokia N78 Available in the Philippines for at P22,990

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3. Nokia N78 First Impressions and Pictures This phone’s FM transmitter was a breeze to use, and we found ourselves dancing uncontrollably as we streamed music...