NOKIA N9 Pro Reviews

Nokia's really made our lives difficult here. On the one hand, the N9 delivers a double punch with gorgeous hardware and brilliant software. It's arguably the first competitive flagship phone to come out of Espoo since the launch of the original iPhone -- a stunning feat when you consider how far behind the company was even just a year ago. This is the handset that puts any lingering doubts about Nokia's engineering chops to rest. We have dreams of MeeGo running on Galaxy Nexus-class superphones. Yet despite all that, it was killed before even getting a chance to prove its worth. At least the current hardware -- with its fantastic design, amazing screen and top-notch camera -- will likely be reborn as the Sea Ray (guess we'll find out at Nokia World next week). Still, it's a shame about the software, because given the choice, we'd pick MeeGo over Mango, despite its weaker ecosystem. Should you buy this device? It's difficult to recommend a platform with no future, but the N9 is everything Nokia's long time fans have been waiting for, and you could have it today. MeeGo is dead -- long live MeeGo. MeeGo to be folded into Linux-based Tizen OS, slated to arrive in 2012 Want a Nokia N9 in the US? Expansys has some, but it'll cost

Beautiful. 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. And that’s not because the Nokia N9 let us down. On the contrary, we found it to be a revelation: gorgeous design and the divine simplicity of the all-screen experience. If anyone is let down, it's the Nokia N9 itself. The platform is as good as doomed. Forsaken by its own creator. With Nokia giving up on MeeGo and a price tag that confines the N9 to a premium niche, it will be next to impossible for the OS to grow a substantial user base. Without users, developers won’t be too interested in MeeGo either. And the limited number of apps is the platform's biggest weakness.

Barring all concerns with regards to its lackluster apps ecosystem and questionable performance from its multi-tasking, the Nokia N9 looks great on the exterior. Moreover, it comes with strong imaging capabilities and an AMOLED display that works wonders for your viewing experience. The question is: can the pros outweigh the cons of a sluggish OS that’s now playing second fiddle in lieu of Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft? With the Nokia device pegged at S$799 for the 16GB version (or S$899 with a much larger storage capacity of 64GB), this is a gadget more suited for the tech enthusiast who has the spare cash to spend on a phone that will be supported until at least 2015. From another point of view, it could also be an ideal large-screen smartphone for those who have simple mobile needs and don't want to mess around with too many options, features and apps, and yet have a premium phone.

The Nokia N9 is a solid phone and MeeGo is a nice little platform. With the swipe gesture at its core, the Nokia N9 brings a neat concept to the table: the button-less phone, or “pure-touch” as Nokia calls it. Of course Google adopted this concept with Ice Cream Sandwich but the Nokia N9 was there already. You will probably not switch over from iOS, Windows Phone or Android to MeeGo but if you are new to smartphones, the Nokia N9 is definitely a choice you can consider. The phone looks very good, build quality is excellent and it will allow you to live your digital social life, listen to music, and snap great pictures in a great way. If you worry about the possible lack of support from the manufacturer, you really shouldn’t be. There are already reports of PR1.1 being sent out to Nokia N9s and Espoo is well-known for not abandoning devices.

The Nokia N9 has had quite a storied life, even though it was only announced just this summer. Revealed in June, the N9 was the first MeeGo-powered smartphone built by the Nokia, and as it turns out, it is also the last MeeGo smartphone that will roll off of Nokia's manufacturing lines. Pushed aside by Nokia's commitment to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, the N9 introduced a number of interesting hardware and software designs, the likes of which we had yet to see in previous phones. Though the MeeGo software and interface is dead, the N9's hardware will live on, for the most part, in the recently announced Lumia 800 with Windows Phone 7.5.

The N9 is flawed and doomed, but you have to understand, I don’t care. The overriding experience of using this phone is one of delight and desire. Yes, it can get bamboozled and freeze up, and no, you won’t be finding an avalanche of awesome new apps for it, but those downsides fade in comparison to the abundance of positives. The Harmattan UI is fresh, slick, and as natural as anything the smartphone world has yet introduced, while the physical design is unmatched. Not even the shiny new iPhone 4S feels as luxurious in the hand as the N9. I started off by comparing Nokia’s latest handset to a supercar and the parallels run deep. Like Italy’s finest mechanical produce, the N9 won’t be found in many shops, has a tendency to break down, and inspires an emotional rather than pragmatical response. There’s an added underdog charm in knowing it has been discarded by its maker and deemed unworthy to carry the Nokia crown. I’m unwilling to describe that decision as a mistake until I’ve seen Nokia’s Windows Phone range that will be introduced later this month, but one thing’s for sure: the N9 has delivered on Nokia’s promises of 2010. It’s just a shame that the Nokia of 2011 didn’t believe in itself enough to see them through.

It’s not often we review what’s effectively a dead product. Usually, if a manufacturer decides to cancel a project, or if the company itself folds, that happens well before the doomed devices reach the SlashGear test bench. Our frustration is that the N9 doesn’t deserve to die. In fact, Nokia has delivered a double-punch of compelling software and beautiful hardware: a device that earned curious, envious glances while we played with it in public, and a platform that was both instantly usable and consistently slick. Rationally, though, it’s tough to recommend the N9 to the general smartphone audience. Scarcity is one big element of that: the number of locations Nokia will actually sell the smartphone is severely limited, the focus very much being on Windows Phone.

Is MeeGo a viable OS? Is the Nokia N9 design up to scratch? Is the new camera good enough? The resounding answer is yes, bittersweet though it may be. MeeGo ordains Nokia's impeccable hardware with a form fitted OS, one that could even challenge the major players on the usability stakes and before we can celebrate, we must commemorate. For any Nokia fans out there considering this, you get our recommendation. However, from a practical stance, for a day to day consumer who wants to buy into an ecosystem rich in apps and development, the grass may well be greener on the other side. If you, like us, have fallen in love with the Nokia hardware, but the N9 won't be available in your market, you may want to consider an upcoming Nokia Windows Phone, which would eventually spor a similar chassis and Microsoft's better-supported OS.

The Nokia N9 is a curiosity from an alternate universe, but it hints at interesting Windows Phones to come.

The Nokia N9 is the best looking and slickest smartphone Nokia has ever built. It's a combination of superbly built hardware and slick, easy to use, elegant software. However, it's priced too high to compete with iOS and Android alternatives and we can't help but feel it's about 18 months too late.