Nokia N78 Review

You can’t accuse Nokia’s high-end N series phones of scrimping on features. From the imminent powerhouse that is the N96 to the hefty and highly-specced N82, every phone comes chock with goodies.

In this respect the N78, which replaces the ubiquitous N73, is certainly a winner. As you’d expect, there’s HSDPA on board and tag team of GPS and Nokia Maps are on hand to guide you home from the pub. There’s also Wi-Fi and even a FM transmitter for playing tunes through your car stereo. But it’s not all good news.   

Camera letdown
Having got used to Nokia spoiling us with 5MP snappers, including those on the excellent N95 8GB and N82, the 3.2MP camera is a disappointment. Pictures come out noisy in low light and look as if they’ve been taken on a far cheaper phone than this one.

The real issues, though, are cosmetic. The phone’s super slimline keyboard eschews the regular twelve-button approach, opting for four bars that make the keypad on the Sony Ericsson W880i look positively huge. Typing out emails, texts and even web addresses is tortuous when you first pick it up.

Then there’s the all–in–one pad, for access to the main menu and on screen sub menus. While it gives the phone a sleek finish, it’s all too easy to accidentally slip into the wrong part of the cell. Note to Nokia design team – must try harder.

Painful navi wheel
Likewise, the navi wheel, while an improvement on the clunky N81 8GB version, still remains a source of concern. It doubles up as a four way navigation button, and can easily lead you into the wrong menu system. Our advice is to switch it off if it’s becoming a nuisance.

While these are essentially minor quibbles, the build of the phone certainly detracts from what is otherwise a stellar handset stuffed to the gills with mobile treats. We suggest you tread with caution.