The Nokia N9 was announced in June of 2011 and features Nokia's proprietary software running on top of the MeeGo 1.2 operating system. While the phone is not yet available for purchase, Nokia is touting it as an all-screen phone that is very user-friendly and fast.
"All-screen" is a pretty apt description for the N9, as the phone has none of the toolbar buttons Android users are accustomed to. The only buttons this phone features are the wake and volume buttons on the side. Its 3.9 inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen takes up the entire front of this device, protected by an ever-so-slightly curved piece of Corning's super-strong Gorilla Glass, giving it an extremely sleek look and feel.
Behind the N9's sexily styled exterior is a 1 GHz Cortex A8 CPU working with one full GB of RAM. Unlike many of its competitors, the N9 does not offer the user the option of expanded memory through the use of microSD cards; however, the phone is rumored to be available in two models sporting 16 or 64 GB of storage.
One of the most incredible features on the N9 has to be its 8 megapixel camera featuring Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash. The pictures this phone takes are incredibly clean and crisp regardless of light levels. Additionally, the phone takes full 720p HD video at a smooth 30 frames per second.
While Nokia's version of the MeeGo operating system does seem to be very intuitive and user-friendly, it comes with a very serious drawback. Nokia is dropping the OS in favor of a close partnership with Microsoft, making the N9 Nokia's first and last MeeGo phone. The OS itself remains under development, but, with Nokia gone, the future of MeeGo looks bleak and its hard to imagine developers rushing to the platform to develop enough cool Apps to compete with the likes of Android and iOS.
All in all, the N9 is a beautifully styled phone with a sleek new operating system that has a lot of potential. Whether the phone flourishes or flops is up to the individual user; however, it cannot be said that Nokia isn't an innovative company that has offered a highly impressive smartphone.
Need to know: Nokia N9
1. The camera in the Nokia N9 is hands-down one of the best integrated digital cameras available in any phone on the market. (The Good)
2. The N9 includes twice the RAM of most competitors' smartphones, allowing for users to multitask without having to wait for the phone to catch up. (The Good)
3. There is no option for expanding the memory in the N9 with external memory cards. (The Bad)
4. The operating system on the N9 is highly intuitive and user-friendly; however, available software and apps may be limited unless the operating system catches on with another manufacturer. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- GSMArena team, GSMArenaBeautiful. Simple. Brilliant. Out of place and hardly on time. Timeless. The Nokia N9 is a story with no happy ending but you want to enjoy every word. Sad story. Post-coital kind of sad.
- Dawid Lorenz, CoolsmartphoneI’m a huge fan of mobiles featuring a physical QWERTY keyboard. I also love customizable homescreens with a decent calendar widget taking prime spot. My daily workhorse currently is the HTC Desire Z and it excels in both these areas, but the Nokia N9 doesn’t provide either. However, the N9 has unque...
- Dan Seifert , MobileBurnThe Nokia N9 is a classic tragedy. It is one of the most interesting and unique phones to be released in 2011, with beautiful hardware and a truly different experience from other smartphones on the market. Unfortunately, because of Nokia's business plans, many in the world will never be able to acce...
- Hanleigh Daniels, TechsmartNokia’s N9 is the most exciting and coolest smartphone that the company has produced for a while, sporting a beautiful design, a very intuitive UI and excellent features. The only question that concerns us is whether users will have access to firmware updates and a multitude of apps in the future, a...
- Chris Davies, SlashGearIt’s hard to escape the polish of the N9′s hardware/software combination. Seldom are we so reluctant to part with a review unit as we are over sending the N9 back to Nokia. It may not be the fastest, or the most whiz-bang of the smartphones, but it’s holistically beautiful and an e...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Nokia N9 user manual here.
Nokia backs up the N9 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your N9 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Nokia support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Nokia's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Nokia N9 Manual (PDF)
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