Contents of delivery:

• Nokia N9
• Nokia USB Charger AC-16
• Nokia CA-185CD charging and data cable
• Stereo headset Nokia WH-207
• Case
• Brief instructions
• Product information booklet

Positioning

Nokia is positioning the device as a temporary flagship of the smartphone line, which looks surprising, especially against the backdrop of statements by CEO Stephen Elop, who bluntly said in an interview with the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that, regardless of the success of sales of the first and last Meego smartphone, the company will focus on the OS from Microsoft. The official announcement of the smartphone took place on June 21, 2011 in Singapore with a promise to start sales at the end of August. The company was unable to keep this promise; the model began appearing on shelves on October 6. But before moving on to its actual market positioning, it is worth saying what MeeGo and Nokia N9 are.

Nokia began developing an operating system for smartphones back in 2004; it looked like an experiment in the field of touchscreen phones. With the release of the Apple iPhone in 2007, the company began to pay more attention to the development of Maemo (at that time the OS had this name) and believed that this particular OS could become an adequate response to the product from Apple. But existing products, for example, Nokia N800, Nokia N900, could not compete not only with Apple, but also with their own Symbian smartphones. As a result of this decision, the company began investing in Maemo/MeeGo. The total amount of investments in 2010 alone exceeded 300 million euros. In a few recent years- more than one billion euros. With the arrival of Stephen Elop, the company does not plan to actively develop this area and will pay less and less attention to it.

The story is surprising in that Nokia abandoned a direction that could potentially create one of the most modern, powerful and interesting OS. By the time the Nokia N9 was released, this device had gotten rid of many childish shortcomings of the OS, gained impressive potential and was able to win the sympathy of consumers. Moreover, it was cheaper for Nokia to support the model, as well as the entire direction, rather than making harsh statements that buried the Nokia N9 even before sales began. Who in their right mind would buy a product that will not be developed, as the president of the manufacturing company constantly repeats. Nobody.

Instead, Nokia at the top management level is talking about betting on a different OS, the latest product, and so on. On the other hand, the company is investing heavily in advertising the Nokia N9 as if it were a real flagship. Words are at odds with deeds, which creates additional confusion in our heads. The delay in the entry of the model into the market leads to the fact that the advertising campaign launched for this device takes about a month to attract people to stores, where it is impossible to even see dummies. Against the backdrop of the release of competing and more mature products, this looks like a dangerous delay.

Nokia themselves cannot decide on their attitude towards the Nokia N9. On the one hand, this is a device that in the future was supposed to give rise to a whole line of devices, but according to all the comments from Nokia management, this will not happen. On the other hand, they are trying to sell it and lure it with promises of Meego support until 2016. We are talking about service support for sold models for three years, which is normal practice, but no one focuses on this. There are no investments from Nokia in developing an ecosystem for Meego. A former partner in this project is Intel, relations between the company are strained. Nokia's withdrawal from the project was unexpected; as a result, Meego will not receive any support. From Nokia's side, this direction can be considered almost completely closed. And it's a shame. The potential of this device and OS is maximum; in theory, within 5-6 years Meego could become one of the most popular/strong OS. It is impossible to go a long way instantly; every OS and every manufacturer spends time and money on this path. Nokia had done most of the work and were ready to reap the fruits of their labor. But the Meego development team was robbed of its future. And this is the most offensive thing in this story.

How is Nokia N9 positioned? From Nokia's side, this device is presented as a flagship; on the other hand, the number of countries in which the company sells it is minimal. The supply volume of the model is also extremely limited. The situation is repeated with the Nokia N900, which sold about one hundred thousand units worldwide, and it was an absolute failure. Apparently, Nokia thought that the new model could repeat the failure of the previous device (which is not the case), or they tried to clear space for the Nokia Lumia 800 (a temporary flagship based on WP7, which uses the same body and design as the Nokia N9).

Find the differences in the photographs of these two devices. There are none, except for the OS inside the models and minor differences. The fate of the Nokia N9 was sacrificed in order to increase sales of the Nokia 800 Lumia. And this is another mistake by Nokia. Abandoning your own and promising OS in favor of an OS that has not been able to prove its worth is a stupid move from any point of view. It is clear that Nokia N9 is by no means a perfect device, which has many little things that require improvement. This is not a perfect smartphone, nor the best device on the market. But it has novelty (which WP7 does not have in any form), elegance, and I repeat again, huge potential that will never be realized.

For the average buyer, this means a fairly simple thing - the device will never receive the same number of applications as iOS, Android or even WP7. Exactly the same story happened with Nokia N900. Unfortunately, this is a model without any future, but very attractive to a certain audience - geeks. Those who happily bought and used the Nokia N900 know firsthand what the command line is, and want to improve their phone endlessly, scouring for programs. This is more of a story about how you don’t even get a construction set, but a prototype of a construction set for the game. For the mass consumer, this device is expensive, incomprehensible and does not provide additional features other than what you get out of the box (a good illustration is the lack of the ability to publish photos in the Twitter client; there are simply no alternative clients). There are no special innovations in this phone, but the user experience is much poorer even than in modern Symbian phones, but is at the level of WP7.

The bottom line is that we have a very interesting phone for collectors, those who love exotic things, but by no means a product for the mass market. And despite the advertising, ordinary buyers have already realized this and are not buying the phone. I sincerely feel sorry not for this device, but for the entire Meego direction, which could become a new word in the phone market. But it will no longer happen under any scenario.

For developers, Nokia released the Nokia N950 model, this is a complete copy of the N9, but with a QWERTY keyboard. This model cannot be purchased in the store.

Design, dimensions, control elements

The design of the Nokia N9 cannot be called original for the market; it is unusual for Nokia. To some extent this is a rehash appearance Apple iPod, the external similarity of these devices is obvious.

Thanks for the photo @nick_fess

The body is made of polycarbonate, which is a type of plastic. The body is solid, which ensures the absence of cracks and moving parts, making the device monolithic. It is impossible to assume that polycarbonate is an expensive material that can be compared with glass in the iPhone 4/4s or metal in a number of other models. This is ordinary plastic, which is also used in inexpensive models costing less than 100 euros (for example, the Asha line from Nokia).

The protective glass of the screen is made with a slight indentation along the edges of the case, an unusual and pleasant solution. The cover that can be put on the device makes the protective glass flush with this clothing, which is also a plus. To my taste protective case- a completely unnecessary thing, unless you change the color with it. The quality of the case is such that almost no scratches remain on it, and the need for a case is doubtful. The polycarbonate case reacts poorly to impacts and cracks may appear. But I’ll make a reservation that this is rather an exception; the device is reliable and practical.

Some users claim that their screen “comes off” and a gap appears between the display and the body. Considering that the screen is not glued, but inserted into the body, it cannot come off. This problem is not widespread and may be due to poor-quality assembly or, more likely, to the fact that the phone was dropped. IN service center This deficiency can be corrected in a few minutes.

The desire to create a monolithic body imposed restrictions on the device. For example, at the top end there is a 3.5 mm jack, and next to it is a plug for the microUSB connector. You need to press the plug and it opens. The plastic plug is made like a door, on one hinge. The solution is very unfortunate, since charging the phone from an external battery in a bag will be difficult, and you risk losing the plug. And if you leave your phone charging and place it on the bed next to you, you are also guaranteed to lose the plug. For example, my friend accidentally tore off the plug on the first day.

By opening the flap, you can pull out the microSIM card holder. I personally don’t see any disadvantages in using this type of card; there are quite enough of them on the market. The battery, as you understand, is built-in, which makes the model similar to the Nokia N8, but with one big difference. If replacing the battery on a Nokia N8 required a minimum of skills, it was enough to unscrew a couple of screws and have the appropriate screwdriver, then this is not the case. You need to be able to disassemble a phone.

On the right side there is a paired volume key, next to the on/off button. At the bottom end there is a speaker grille, there is only one here. Unfortunately, the use of a polycarbonate housing introduces certain problems; the speaker sounds quiet. The ringer volume at maximum is not enough to hear the phone from your jacket or jeans pocket. You can hear it, but the volume is almost half as loud as on regular Nokia devices (for example, worse than on the Nokia 6700 Classic, Nokia 5800, Nokia X6, and so on).

The phone weight is 135 grams, size is 116.45x61.2x7.6-12.1 mm. The device fits well in the hand, and it feels like a weighty block. The case material does not look cheap, it is of high quality and has an unusual feel. The device also fits easily in your pocket.

On the back surface you can see an 8-megapixel camera, as well as an LED flash.

The device is available in four colors – white (appeared later), black, turquoise and purple (black, cyan, and magenta). Unofficially, the company showed two more colors - green and orange, but so far there is no information about the timing of the launch of these colors.

Display

The screen is made using AMOLED technology and has an anti-glare coating. In the sun the picture remains readable, which is not bad. Screen resolution 854x480 pixels with a diagonal of 3.9 inches (16:9). Picture quality, brightness, colors - everything is at the level for the current market and flagships from a year ago. There is nothing amazing, a good display, but not up to par with dreams.

The screen has a Gorilla Glass coating built into it, which has also been adopted by all major manufacturers for about a year. The curvature of the screen surface has also been mastered by other companies. But here it is quite appropriate and pleasant.

The disadvantages of the screen include its diagonal and rather small font size. The fonts are curly in many menus, but this makes the device feel worse and the information is harder to read. This is especially noticeable in the browser; the perception of information is much worse than in the iPhone 4/4s, Galaxy S/S2. Both the screen diagonal and font size have an effect.

After using the mentioned devices, browsing the Internet on the Nokia N9 is not very convenient, although all other functions do not raise any questions. At all. Everything is fine.

The screen is capacitive, pressing is very pleasant and simple, at the level of an iPhone or Galaxy S2, huge step ahead compared to Symbian products. There is automatic screen rotation depending on the position of the device. The problem is that rotation only works in one direction, on the other hand, many applications and menus do not support rotation. Why this is so remains a mystery to me, but the spread does not work in many places on standard menus. And this is a huge minus to the standard functionality and the experience that you expect from the device.

The Nokia website states that the device has a built-in light sensor that automatically adjusts the screen backlight level to the external conditions. Unfortunately, this is not true, since there is no such setting in the menu, only manual level selection. It is clear that if there is a physical sensor (it is here), automatic backlight changes will be added later, but at the moment this is not the case. Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of such minor discrepancies between the official description and reality.

Battery

The phone has a 1450 mAh lithium-ion battery and is non-removable. According to the manufacturer, with it the device can work up to 380 hours in standby mode and up to 11 hours in talk mode. In the networks of Moscow operators, the device works for about 2 days with 40 minutes of conversation per day and up to an hour of using other functions. The time to fully charge the battery is about 2.5 hours. In the menu you can see all the information about the battery charge and estimated operating time.

There is an energy saving mode; it can be automatically turned on when a certain percentage of the battery charge is reached. This is a convenient setting, although it is not clear what exactly the device turns off (reduces the backlight level, probably does something else).

The huge advantages of this device and the Meego platform include operating time. The device lives quietly for about 2 days, in comparison with Android this is an achievement, with the iPhone the results are quite comparable. And this strong point phone.

Unfortunately, some programs cause a sharp increase in energy consumption, especially if they are running in the background. I don’t know what this is due to, the crookedness of the programs themselves or something else. But such software can drain the battery very quickly. Therefore, if your phone has started to work significantly less, it is worth looking at what you have installed recently.

For some users, the charging indicator does not work well; in particular, it does not blink during charging, and after charging is not constantly on. This problem is discussed on the Nokia website.

Unfortunately, it is not very clear what this problem is related to; the SC does not have a description of such a problem; sometimes it disappears by itself. In my opinion, it is not worth attaching great importance to this behavior of the indicator.

Memory

The device comes in two versions, with 16 or 64 GB of internal memory. Memory cards are not provided in any of the options. The memory distribution is as follows (using the example of the 64 GB version) - for applications - 4.2 GB (about 2 GB occupied out of the box), application data (2.1 GB), user data (57.7 GB).

In the 16 GB version (15.79 GB), the memory is distributed as follows: for applications - 4.2 GB (about 2 GB occupied out of the box), application data (2.1 GB), user data (9.5 GB).

The phone has 1 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, when comparing different operating systems, you cannot approach them in the same way and evaluate the volume random access memory, without taking into account the resource intensity of the operating system. This will be an artificial comparison that will not lead to any practical results.

The Nokia N9 claims the most advanced version of multitasking, which became possible, among other things, due to the use of such a large amount of RAM. You can work with applications, and they do not close, but take up minimal memory space (in theory and for standard applications). I admit honestly that I like the way the device works with standard applications; icons of open pages hang in the memory; there can be several dozen of them (officially they say it supports up to 70 applications or functions). And this is convenient, although after a dozen applications are open it is already difficult to navigate them. But here the first rough edges begin.

At the OS level, automatic memory cleaning is not implemented (it exists, but it works in emergency, problem situations). You can configure the menu to close applications (pull the screen down), but by default applications are simply minimized. And this is a minus. Because when you open, for example, an unconverted video, and then an MS Word document, you will encounter the fact that everything will start to slow down and the device may reboot. The video for this review clearly shows that this is a standard situation that can happen at any time.

Android or iOS provide standard OS tools that do not require user intervention; the OS itself decides when and which application to close in order to free up resources, but this does not happen here, and this is a serious disadvantage. Readers who, after seeing the number of open applications in our video, were outraged that this was not a fair comparison, forgot that other operating systems take care of this themselves. And that's okay. People shouldn't have to keep track of which apps are open and which aren't, and what they can use and what they can't. It is not normal. Devices are created for people, not the other way around.

I think it’s worth adding information about the processor in the phone; it uses a TI OMAP 3630 (ARM Cortex A8, 1 GHz, single-core), plus a graphics coprocessor – PowerVR SGX530. In my opinion, the device is fast, it starts to slow down only on complex tasks, and I would put it on par with Android flagships - for example, Samsung Galaxy S or Sony Ericsson Arc. The device is inferior to models with dual-core processors, this can be seen visually when working in the menu, everything is not so fast, but for most people this operating speed will be more than sufficient.

Communication capabilities – Bluetooth, USB, WiFi, NFC

USB. When connecting, you can select one of the operating modes:

• Data Storage (Mass Storage USB)– the phone’s memory is visible, no drivers are required, the OS itself recognizes the phone.
• Sync&connect. Connect to PC for data synchronization.

The data transfer speed is about 12 Mb/s (highly dependent on the OS and computer). When you connect the USB cable, the phone charges.

Bluetooth. The old standard 2.1 + EDR is used, which does not raise any questions, since the advantage of 3.0 is only in file transfer speed; the Bluetooth version does not affect the work with accessories.

The model supports various profiles, in particular, Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, File Transfer, Object Push, Basic Printing, SIM Access, A2DP. Working with headsets does not raise any questions, everything is ordinary.

WiFi. The 802.11 b/g/n standard is supported; this is not the first device on the market with such a set of protocols. The disadvantages include long search networks, you click on the search menu and then wait up to a minute for the first names of the networks to appear. It's possible that this is a problem with many networks, but this problem is present in most places. Otherwise, Wi-Fi has no complaints.

NFC. One of the first models to support NFC tags and work with them. In the field, it was possible to test the operation of NFC in the USA with Google Wallet installed in stores (the first version of the software, nothing worked - the second version of the software, tags were not received from the Google Wallet device). In Russian conditions, installed commercial systems do not support NFC in phones (they do not yet support NFC in the current implementation). In total, the thing is completely useless, unless you transfer something from one phone to another using this standard.

Camera

Nokia N9 used unique camera and a number of solutions that can be considered unusual for the phone market. In particular, most phone screens have a 16:9 geometry, and not 4:3, as was the case before. In order to adapt the image to widescreen screens, you can either enlarge it (post-processing from a 4:3 image) or crop it, reducing the resolution. The Nokia N9 uses an 8.7 megapixel sensor, which crops the image to a 16:9 format, that is, it gets an honest resolution (the actual resolution is 7 megapixels). At the same time, even in 4:3 format this is an honest picture from the sensor. Look at the illustration, it makes it clear how pictures are taken in two formats on the sensor.

The technical characteristics of the camera are as follows:

• Maximum resolution 3248 x 2448 for 4:3, 3248 x 2160 for 3:2, 3552 x 2000 for 16:9
• Aperture 2.2, focal length 28 mm
• Autofocus, touch focus control, constant focus on the subject when shooting video
• Focusing from 10 centimeters to infinity
• Digital zoom x4 (including in video mode)
• Geotags, with the addition of a place name (option can be disabled)
• Ability to add information about the author
• Video recording 720p (1280x720 pixels, 30 fps)
• Two microphones when recording video, stereo sound

When describing this camera, the developers cite that they were limited in the size of the module, and say that it is 70 percent smaller than that of the Nokia N8. In my opinion, this is not a completely correct comparison, since the Nokia N8 camera was chosen on a different principle, it is a photographic solution, which the N9 is not. However, the camera produces pretty good results on a clear day. By default, the camera is set to 16:9 format, look at the pictures from it in 4:3 format. And depending on what you like best, choose the default setting.

Unfortunately, the phone does not have hardware keys for working with the camera; all control is carried out from the screen. It takes a while to find the camera icon, but it makes up for it by being extremely fast. Nokia proudly claims that this is the fastest camera, but this is not true. A number of devices turn out to be faster, for example, Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray. But it seems to me that from a certain point it is pointless to compare speed, the camera is fast, and this is enough in most situations. Therefore, we’ll leave the claims about the fastest camera to marketers; the fact that it’s fast is enough for us.

You can focus on an object by selecting it on the screen, including when shooting video. There is automatic face detection. When you hold down the shutter key for a long time, the device focuses on the object (blue square). As a rule, when shooting landscapes, people and all objects at a distance of 25 centimeters and further, no pre-focusing is required; the automation works well. Another thing is shooting objects close up, you have to press a button and wait for the camera to focus. While photographing spikelets in the wind, I was faced with the fact that the camera often does not have time to process the movement; it is better to photograph stationary objects.

All settings are made from the screen; you cannot quickly change them during shooting; you have to go to the menu (but this is not difficult). The number of settings is quite large. This is a scene selection - Automatic, Macro, Landscape, Portrait, Night, Sports, flash mode - on, off, red-eye reduction. White balance – automatic, sunny, cloudy, fluorescent, incandescent. Exposure compensation from -2 to +2.

Filters (the option appeared only in the first software update) – black&white, sepia, vivid, negative, solarize.

ISO selection is automatic, 100, 200, 400 and 800.

Picture format – 16:9, 4:3, 3:2. Detecting faces in a photo and focusing on them. Name of the creator of the pictures - here you can enter your name or anything, the tag will be added to all pictures. Geotag (simple geotag), converting a geotag into the name of a country, city, or region (if there is an Internet connection, the geotag will be converted).

When shooting, the device can be rotated as desired, the camera interface automatically unfolds. One of the nice features worth noting is the ability to view a photo for a couple of seconds or continuously, while you can use zoom (a unique opportunity, according to Nokia, although on the Samsung Galaxy S2 viewing is implemented in exactly the same way, there is a zoom option).

The built-in photo editor has a truly unusual feature. It is quite simple, there are no special settings in it. In this case, the picture is usually saved without creating a duplicate (all phones offer to save the edited picture under a different name, which is logical). Nokia N9 saves both the original photo and its edited version. In this case, the second option is shown to the user; it is impossible to find the original image. But in view mode you can reverse all changes (at any point in time) and get the original image. In my opinion, the function is absolutely useless, since those who use the photo editor on their phone also know how to save them under other names.

The LED flash is quite powerful, but it has both pros and cons. Just a couple of pictures using it. I think they are quite revealing.

Dry residue in the chamber. An ordinary mediocre camera, which is very good in its class and quite at the level of other solutions. It doesn’t provide some kind of masterpiece quality, everything is quite good. There are both pros and cons.

Video recording. Maximum resolution 1280x760 pixels (720p) with a frequency of 30 frames per second. When recording, two microphones are used, which provides stereo sound. There are no other features in this mode; you can look at the video quality in the corresponding examples.

In the next part, we will take a closer look at the MeeGo interface, talk about standard programs and draw final conclusions about the viability of this flagship from Nokia. Read tomorrow.

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(1 ratings)

Nokia N9 review

The Nokia N9 smartphone is an interesting device that combines serious characteristics and a promising operating system. The design, unusual for the company, and difficulties with its release attracted a fairly large audience. The smartphone's release date was October 2011.

Specifications

The smartphone for 2011 has good characteristics. The device works quickly. And both in applications and in games. Memory (1GB and 16/64GB) should be enough not only for standard applications, but also for additional ones. More details in the description below.

Options and packaging

Nokia N9 equipment

The smartphone is delivered in a compact bright blue rectangular box. On the front side there is an image of a smartphone. On the other sides are the company name and phone model. Inside the box there is a separate compartment for a smartphone, and components are located under it.

So, the package includes a rubber case, a device for charging the phone, a USB cable, the necessary documentation and instructions.

A pleasant surprise in the package is the presence of a rubber cover. It fits well on the smartphone and does not interfere with operation.
The smartphone is available in four colors: blue, white, pink and black.

Video

Appearance and design

The design of the smartphone is characterized by minimalism and uncompromisingness. It has bright colors and unusual design.
The dimensions of the smartphone case are 116.45×61.2×7.6 mm, and it weighs little – 135 grams. The monolithic body is made of polycarbonate. This material has good scratch resistance. There are no cracks or moving parts on the case.

The front part of the smartphone with an unusual location of the front camera in the lower right corner

The front side is covered with protective Gorilla Glass with a slight overlap on the edges. The included case fits flush with the glass.

There are no control buttons on the smartphone. The power button is located on the right side of the case, and the volume rocker is also located there. At the top end there is a headphone jack, a retractable slot for a micro SIM card and a connector for a USB cable (both connectors are covered with plugs). It should be noted that in 2011, this card format was unique to the iPhone. At the bottom end there is a speaker grille. On the back panel there is a camera and flash.

On the top edge there are connectors for headphones and charging, as well as a slot for a SIM card.

The peculiarity of the appearance of the smartphone is the rounded side edges, and the edges at the top and bottom are narrowed. The smartphone is comfortable to hold in your hand and fits into your pocket without any problems.

Display

The smartphone is equipped with an AMOLED display with a resolution of 800×480 pixels and anti-glare coating. The diagonal screen size is 3.9 inches.

Screen brightness is provided by ClearBlack technology. There is no air gap between the screens, which gives the image greater clarity and contrast. Thus, the information on the display is perfectly displayed even on a bright sunny day.

The smartphone is equipped with an AMOLED display with a resolution of 800×480 pixels and anti-glare coating

Due to the fact that the screen rises slightly above the body, the impression of a convex image is created. It is worth noting that the picture is bright and clear. Color rendition is natural.

The screen sensor has good sensitivity and responds quickly to touches. There is an automatic display rotation function. Viewing angles are average, when tilted the image loses quality, colors change a little, but overall not bad.

Software

The smartphone runs on the MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan operating system. The system was made specifically for Nokia N9. Shell icons are square and round. Swype interface - all movements to move from application to application are carried out using “swipes” (can be performed from anywhere).

The interface works with three screens: applications, open applications and notifications.

The smartphone runs on the MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan operating system

Interestingly, in the Nokia N9, manufacturers announced a high level of multitasking, which is facilitated by the amount of RAM. Thus, a smartphone allows you to work with others without closing applications, and they will not take up much memory. The developers promised up to 70 simultaneously running applications and functions. Application icons are saved in memory; to exit the application the user must return to the main menu, but in this case the application will work. To completely close a program, you need to hold your finger on its icon, then a close cross will appear. There is an option to close all applications using “Close All”. Unfortunately, the presented smartphone is not equipped with a function for automatically closing programs, which can cause the system to overload and the phone will begin to restart on its own.

The pre-installed applications are not original - they are a store, a camera, a calculator, a browser, mail, an alarm clock, a calendar, contacts, etc. Among before installed applications we will even find games, which is unexpected - Need for Speed: Shift, Galaxy on Fire 2, Andgry Birds.

Sound

The sound of the smartphone was not pleasing. Due to the use of polycarbonate, the sound coming from the speaker is quiet. The volume reserve is limited; you can miss a call if the phone is in your pocket or bag. Compared to other Nokia models, the sound is much quieter. But the sound itself is clear and accurate. Low and high frequencies are heard well. With headphones, the sound is just as deep and without distortion.

The speaker is located on the bottom edge of the smartphone, but its sound quality is not encouraging

The application for playing audio files has standard functions. However, there is no equalizer. It is worth noting that the presence of switching is only in the application.

Performance

The smartphone has a single-core TI OMAP 3630 processor and a PowerVR SGX530 graphics accelerator. The filling is pretty good. The smartphone works quickly, but is inferior to dual-core processors. In terms of performance, it is at the level of Samsung Galaxy S smartphones.

The phone is powered by a TI OMAP 3630 processor from Texas Instruments

There are two variants of the smartphone with built-in memory of 16 GB and 64 GB. Memory cards are not supported - minus the use of polycarbonate. RAM is 1 GB.

The transition from one application to another is smooth, without jamming or slowdown. Pre-installed games run well and graphics are smooth during gameplay.

Camera

The camera in the Nokia N9 smartphone has unusual solutions. When creating the smartphone, an 8.7 megapixel sensor was used, adjusting the image to the 16:9 format. Now you don't need to enlarge the image for widescreen screens. The default format is 16:9, but can be changed to 4:3. The quality of the images is good, especially in sunny weather. The camera works quickly.

The main camera of the smartphone is located in the center of the back panel

The maximum camera resolution is 3248×2448. There is automatic focus and manual focus control. Focusing occurs from 10 cm. There is a digital zoom function, even when shooting video. There is an automatic face recognition function. The LED flash is powerful, illuminates objects well, but sometimes overexposes.

Video is recorded at 1280x760 resolution at 30 frames per second. When recording video, two microphones are used to create stereo sound.

Front-camera 0.3 megapixels, the pictures are inconspicuous, so it doesn’t need a description, but it’s good for Skype calls.

The camera is controlled from the screen, because All hardware buttons are missing. There is no way to quickly change settings; they are all located in the menu. But various modes and filters are present in large quantities.

The camera application allows you to place information about the author of the photo or video, as well as other inscriptions that will be displayed with further photos

While shooting, the camera can be rotated and the interface will automatically adjust. It is possible to view the received frame.

Interestingly, the camera has a photo editor installed. The editor is simple; when editing, both the modified image and the original are saved. True, it is worth noting that the original image is difficult to find, but you can always “roll back” the changes.

An example of a photo taken with the main camera of a Nokia N9 smartphone

Battery

The battery is installed non-removable lithium-ion with a capacity of 1450 mAh. Manufacturers stated 380 hours of operation without recharging in standby mode, 11 hours in talk mode. With average and minimal workload (an hour of negotiations, an hour for other functions and half an hour in camera shooting mode) it will last more than a day and a half.

Charging time to 100% is 2 hours 30 minutes. In the menu you can get the necessary information about the battery and charge.

The smartphone supports a power saving mode that turns on automatically when a certain value is reached.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Nokia N9 smartphone is an example of an excellent design solution with good technical characteristics. I'm pleased with the features in the interface and the sound.

So, the advantages of a smartphone.

Today we are testing a new product from Nokia - the top-end smartphone Nokia N9. You could already read the impressions from our first acquaintance with it (it took place at the Russian presentation of the N9), but now it’s time to closely study the new product - first of all, in terms of software.

Nokia N9 was one of the most anticipated, but at the same time, the most unlucky new products from the Finnish company. Rumors about this model have been circulating since last year, but due to the constant uncertainty with Nokia's future course, the fate of the N9 hung in the balance. And yet, in October of this year, the smartphone still went on sale - including on Russian market. And today it is already clear that this device will be, to some extent, unique. It’s just a plus or a minus, that’s the big question.

The uniqueness of the N9 smartphone lies in its operating system. This is the first and almost certainly the last Nokia device powered by MeeGo. To understand how this could happen, we need to remember the history of Nokia’s “relationship” with this OS (and at the same time the history of the N9 itself).

Nokia and MeeGo

For a long time, Nokia's main and only OS was Symbian. However, at some point, the company's developers and managers realized that Symbian was no longer promising and relevant. It is difficult to say how justified this opinion is, since even today (when it is already known for certain that the system will not be actively developed) there are many Symbian fans who use it and do not experience much suffering. Nevertheless, Nokia began to look for an alternative to Symbian.

As such an alternative, Maemo was developed - a Linux-based OS (you can read the history of the system's evolution). The first full-fledged Maemo smartphone was the Nokia N900, around which a small but devoted fan community has developed, mainly consisting of Linux developers.

The smartphone had many complaints from “ordinary” users, and even N900 fans admitted that this product was hardly suitable for ordinary users who were not used to doing magic on the command line and did not know the principles of the functioning of Linux systems. Nevertheless, this experience looked promising, and Nokia promised to continue development in the direction of Maemo. But history judged differently: Nokia N900 became the last Maemo device, and operating system it soon merged with Intel's Moblin, another mobile Linux distribution. The symbiosis of Moblin and Maemo is called MeeGo.

The union of Intel and Nokia aroused great enthusiasm among the Linux community, and although the first version of the new OS was intended for netbooks and, moreover, suffered from a number of shortcomings (you can read more about the netbook version), many Nokia fans began to hope that in the future MeeGo will help the Finnish company strengthen its position in the smartphone segment, which was shaken after the appearance of the Apple iPhone.

However, Nokia was still slow to announce specific plans for the release of devices based on MeeGo, and constant changes in the company's management clearly indicated that not everything was going well for Nokia, and the strategic course could still change.

And so it happened: in February of this year it became known that Nokia was abandoning the development of its own OS, and instead was opting for Windows Phone 7 is a relatively young (and with very vague prospects) Microsoft operating system. It was stated that Symbian would soon end its existence, but, formally speaking, Nokia did not abandon MeeGo. And yet, the company's enthusiasm for its joint brainchild with Intel has diminished considerably. This is probably just the case when it’s hard to drag and it’s a shame to throw it away. The question of whether (and if so, when) a MeeGo device will be released has become especially intriguing. Conflicting reports on this matter appeared one after another. In particular, there was information that Nokia plans to release a MeeGo tablet instead of a smartphone. Then it turned out that the smartphone would still appear, but it would be intended for developers and would be called N950 (thus continuity with the N900 would be emphasized).

Finally, in June, the intrigue began to be resolved. Preliminary information about the Nokia N950 turned out to be correct, but incomplete. A developer device with this name will indeed be released, but it will not go to stores. But the top model Nokia N9, running on MeeGo 1.2, will go on sale. The official announcement of N9 took place on June 21. As for the N950, this model is needed precisely so that developers can write applications for the N9.

Let's take a closer look at the new Nokia flagship and talk about the prospects for MeeGo.

Equipment

The smartphone comes in a box that is quite compact in width, but high, which, in addition to the device itself, contains a case, Charger, a micro-USB-to-USB cable, two booklets with basic information about the Nokia N9, as well as a completely useless sheet with information about product certification.

The equipment pleased me, first of all, with the presence of a rubber cover. It sits quite well on the phone and does not interfere with its use. The only caveat is that it covers the slot for the MicroSIM card, so if you need to frequently remove and insert the SIM card, you will have to remove the cover. But I think there are few people who like to change SIM cards frequently, so we don’t even consider this nuance a disadvantage. But what really deserves criticism is the quality of the headphones. It is not clear why even such self-respecting companies as Nokia do not hesitate to equip their flagship smartphones for 24-27 thousand rubles with headphones that are completely unusable.

Design

The design of Nokia N9 is one of the main features of the device. In a sense, he is even unique. Nokia engineers and designers decided to go further than Apple and release a smartphone without any control buttons. Almost the entire front panel of the device is occupied by glass, under which the screen is located. True, it is not entirely correct to say that here the screen occupies the entire surface, since about a centimeter of glass above and below the screen is non-working. However, when the smartphone screen is turned off, this is not visible, so it seems that the entire front surface is actually a screen. Looks very cool.

The only auxiliary buttons present on the Nokia N9 are located on the right side. This is an on/off button, as well as a volume rocker.

The top edge is occupied by a Micro-USB connector and a slot for a MicroSIM card. Both are covered with lids.

An important design feature is the rounded side edges and narrowed top and bottom edges. This gives the smartphone a special charm. However, as a price for beauty, you will have to sacrifice capabilities: there is neither a memory card slot nor an HDMI connector here. All this is present, for example, in the Nokia N8, which now costs 14,990 rubles. But in the flagship N9 it is missing.

In general, the design of the N9 has a certain continuity with the N8 and, in part, with the E7: the body is made of a single piece of polycarbonate, similar shapes... But the N9 is even more minimalistic and uncompromising than the N8 and E7.

When sales start, Nokia N9 is available in three colors: black, turquoise and purple. The last two are obviously aimed at women and youth audiences. But the black version (this is what we tested) is also suitable for a man. In my opinion, the black N9 is especially attractive for its versatility: it will suit both a formal suit and some party attire. The N9 can be used in a business environment, but it doesn't look as heavy or cluttered as most business communicators.

By the way, just the other day there was news that the Nokia N9 will also be released in a white version.

Nokia is clearly following in the footsteps of Apple, which at one time released a white iPhone 4 to follow the original black version. Nevertheless, this news is encouraging. White color- almost as universal as black, but less strict and gloomy.

Screen

The Nokia N9 screen deserves special attention. For two reasons. The first reason is prosaic: of all Nokia smartphones, the N9 has the highest screen resolution. Previous top Nokia models, not without reason, were criticized for the insufficient number of dots per inch for the selected diagonal. While the iPhone 4 had 960x640, and other manufacturers had 800x480 as the norm, owners of the N8 and E7 had to be content with a resolution of 640x360 pixels. Now this shortcoming has been corrected. The N9 display resolution is 854x480 (with a diagonal of 3.9 inches). Matrix type - AMOLED. The screen, of course, is a capacitive touch screen. So, decent (though not outstanding, by the standards of the second half of 2011) resolution is the first feature.

The second feature is even more interesting. The screen is placed on the body in such a way that it rises slightly, its edges rise above the sides. Therefore, it seems that the image is closer to you - as if it were printed directly on the surface itself. There is probably nothing special here technologically, but from a design point of view the solution is very interesting and original.

Overall, the Nokia N9 screen leaves a very good impression. Perhaps, from the point of view of technical parameters, this is not a record holder - Samsung, for example, has smartphones with such display characteristics that belong to the middle price segment (15-17 thousand rubles). However, in the end, what is important to us is not the numbers on paper, but the direct perception. And here everything is very cool about the N9 screen: the picture is bright, quite clear (if you don’t look for pixels with a magnifying glass), and most importantly, it looks very impressive thanks to the “trick” with a convex screen.

Hardware configuration

The SoC based on ARM Cortex-A8 with a frequency of 1 GHz and the PowerVR SGX530 GPU does not break performance records (dual-core processors are already relevant today), but it copes with all the tasks that an N9 user can set. The OS interface works quickly and smoothly, no slowdowns were noticed. Even with multiple apps running in the background, the system ran smoothly. All the games we tried on the N9 (including the pre-installed Need for Speed: Shift) ran without problems, as did standard definition videos. But the N9 refused to play high-definition video. Moreover, it’s not a matter of codecs, but rather the resolution itself, which is what the smartphone reported when trying to play HD video. In fact, the solution is quite reasonable, because the Nokia N9 does not have an HDMI output, therefore, it will not be possible to display an HD image on an external screen. And the screen of the smartphone itself simply will not display a number of pixels greater than 854x480.

Thus, the performance of the Nokia N9 is absolutely sufficient for the tasks that this smartphone is supposed to perform. We also note a decent amount of RAM - 1 GB. This is likely why the N9 multitasks so well. As for flash memory, the situation here is quite interesting: models with 16 GB and 64 GB are available. There is no intermediate option (32 GB) available. I think this is a cunning marketing decision: the price difference between models with 16 and 64 GB of memory is only three thousand rubles. For comparison, for the iPhone 4S in America this difference is $200. From which we can conclude that the price for the 16 GB version of the N9 is somewhat overpriced. This was done so that a person for whom, in principle, 16 GB is enough, would estimate that for an extra three thousand he would get 48 GB of flash memory and ultimately choose a 64 GB model.

MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan operating system interface

Now we come to the most interesting part - the Nokia N9 operating system. As already mentioned, this is MeeGo 1.2. Its smartphone version, called Harmattan, was created specifically for the N9. And its interface is significantly different from the preliminary smartphone version of MeeGo, which developers and enthusiasts were invited to try on the Nokia N900. In terms of appearance, the OS on N9 is closer to Symbian Anna. It was from “Anna” that Harmattan borrowed the square-rounded icons. In the illustration below you see a screenshot of Nokia N9 (on the left) and a photo of Nokia 500 (on Symbian Anna). Find ten differences!

However, the similarity is really only external. Because in terms of functionality and user experience, these two operating systems differ radically. The main feature of the N9 is the so-called Swype interface. Its essence is that the user performs all transitions from one screen to another using swipe gestures. You need to see a list of running applications - quickly swipe your finger across the screen from right to left. To return to the main menu, swipe from left to right. We saw something similar in BlackBerry PlayBook OS, but there you had to swipe from the edge of the screen, but here you can swipe from anywhere.

All applications that you open remain hanging in the background (as in Android 3.x; although the Nokia N900 also had multitasking, so it’s fairer to compare the N9 with the N900). To exit an application, you must either return to the main menu, or open the list of running applications and select another one. But in this case, the application that you launched before will not stop working. If you still want to close the application completely, then on the screen with thumbnails of running applications you need to hold your finger for a couple of seconds, after which crosses will appear on the thumbnails, by clicking on which we will get the expected result. You can also close all applications at once by clicking “Close All”.

In addition to the Home Menu and Open Apps screens, there is also a notification screen (it displays unanswered calls, new SMS messages, e-mail and network accounts, which you can set up through “Accounts”) and the lock screen (you can put different wallpapers on it; not on the main menu, alas).

The description of the N9 interface looks a little scary, but in fact it is intuitive, and after a while you don’t even think about what you need to do to close some applications, go to the main menu, etc. The Nokia N9 interface is very addictive! After several days of using the Nokia N9, you still strive to do something with a swipe gesture in other smartphones.

Applications for MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan

Like users of other OSes, the owner of MeeGo 1.2 receives a certain set of pre-installed applications, as well as the ability to install applications from the Store (in this case, the Ovi Store). In addition, you can install applications from third-party sources on the Nokia N9. The package format is .deb (and not .rpm, like the netbook MeeGo). However, it is clear that not any application with the .deb extension will do, but only one written for the Nokia N9.

Nowadays, many applications written by enthusiasts have appeared on the Internet. Although it is not a fact that you will need them. It is possible that all your needs will be satisfied by the pre-installed programs and assortment of the Store.

You will almost certainly have to look into the Store, since, for example, Nokia N9 does not have a file manager. File Manager Beta helps you manage your files on your N9. However, the number of applications in the Store is still very modest. At the time of testing, there was not even such an obvious thing as an office suite that allows you to edit text files, tables and presentations. But now there are such fun things as the PhoneTorch application, which turns the N9 into a flashlight.

We click on the image of a light bulb on the screen and the smartphone’s flash turns on, which can easily replace a medium-brightness flashlight.

However, this is all self-indulgence. And for serious people, N9 has ample opportunities for developing and managing software and OS. As befits a real Linux device, Nokia N9 provides the user with the ability to work in the Terminal. But by default this feature (as well as the USB debugging function) is disabled. To enable it, you need to do the following: in Settings, go to the Protection menu. There we click on Developer Mode.

Once in the Developer Mode menu, move the lever to the On position and accept all warnings. After which the smartphone will download and install some additional tools, reboot - and the Terminal and SDK Connection icons will appear in the menu among other applications.

The terminal “understands” standard Linux commands, through it it is quite possible to obtain superuser rights, install third-party applications, etc. Of course, you will have to type commands on a virtual keyboard, which is very unusual. If I'm not mistaken, the N9 is actually the first touchphone without a physical keyboard on which the Terminal works (the N900 and N950 have a sliding QWERTY keyboard).

You can work with the Terminal in both landscape and portrait orientation.

Applications for Nokia must be written using the Qt SDK (it is available). Thanks to the use of Qt libraries, it is quite easy to port applications written for Maemo and Symbian to the N9. The only question is how large an audience will be able to appreciate these efforts. But, one way or another, there is a convenient development environment, and it’s up to each programmer to decide whether to use these features or not.

Among the pre-installed applications on the Nokia N9 there is everything you need: a browser, an e-mail client, a calendar, contacts, audio and video players, Ovi navigation services (maps for Russia can be downloaded for free from Nokia servers directly to a smartphone via Wi-Fi), stores Ovi programs and music, Facebook, Twitter and Skype clients. Some of the applications pleasantly surprise you with their original interface. For example, Alarm clock. The email client is no less attractive (and most importantly, functional).

The music player has a very nice and “fresh” design.

The browser works quite smoothly, but does not support Flash.

Among the pre-installed games are “Need for Speed: Shift”, “Galaxy on Fire 2” and even an exclusive version of Andgry Birds with birch trees :)

True, only five levels are available in Angry Birds; the rest must be purchased in the Store.

There were also more serious “flies in the ointment”. For example, the N9 lacks the ability to sync with Outlook. And when we try to import contacts from a Gmail account (this can be done through the Accounts application), we get this picture (see screenshot on the right):

But in general, the set of pre-installed software, in our opinion, will be able to satisfy the basic needs of the owner of a smartphone. Although we still strongly recommend installing the file manager from the Store. And, of course, you need to be prepared for the fact that there are incomparably fewer applications for MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan than for iOS, Android and even BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone 7.

Camera

Top Nokia smartphones are traditionally equipped with good cameras. Nokia N8 was one of the leaders in this regard last year. Therefore, we decided to compare the shooting quality of the N9 with the N8. We also advise you to read the article about iPhone 4S, where the Nokia N9 camera is compared with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. Let us remind you that the comparison showed that the Nokia N9 camera is close in photo quality to the iPhone 4S camera and significantly better than the iPhone 4. But how beneficial will the new product be compared with the Nokia N8? Even though the N8 is last year's flagship and the N9 is this year's, the N8's camera shoots at a higher resolution. Widescreen photos of the N8 are produced with a resolution of 4000x2248 pixels, while the N9 has a resolution of 3552x2000. However, as is known, higher resolution in itself does not mean best quality. We decided to check it out.

We took two pictures (on automatic settings): one was a general plan of the parking lot (top view), the other was foliage of trees. First, let's look at a fragment of the photo of the parking lot (the full version is available by clicking).

Nokia N8

Nokia N9

Thanks to the higher resolution of the N8 camera, the cars in the photo taken with last year's smartphone can be seen closer, and even the license plate of one of the cars is quite clearly visible. In addition, the N8 has more saturated colors (although it’s not worth comparing color reproduction from these frames, since the slightest change in sunlight changes the colors in the photo).

In the second image, the difficulty lies in adequately displaying small objects (leaves) in a mass of similar objects. From the photographs presented below, it is difficult to definitely choose a better one: the leaves in the fragment of the N9 frame are clearer, but in the N8 they turned out to be larger. Therefore, the N8 frame looks like a digital zoom of the N9 frame.

Nokia N8

Nokia N9

In addition, to be fair, we note that we did three takes for each smartphone; of the N8 takes, only one turned out successful (this one), and on the rest the foliage looked blurry. Whereas with Nokia N9 all takes were normal. And this is also an important result.

The last step in comparing the N8 and N9 cameras is shooting video. Both smartphones support 720p resolution (1280x720). This is less than the iPhone 4S, but on the same level as the iPhone 4. So, the resulting videos can be downloaded (Nokia N8, volume 46.4 MB) and (Nokia N9, volume 30.9 MB), but we note that they quality is approximately the same. At the same time, N9 has a higher number of frames per second (30 versus 25), and N8 has a higher bitrate.

In general, I would put an equal sign between the two cameras, perhaps with a slight “plus” to last year’s smartphone. In some ways the N8 is superior to the N9 (photo resolution), in others it is inferior (the shooting speed of the N9 is higher, and the percentage of low-quality frames is lower, although it is not a fact that with a small number of pictures one can draw such conclusions). But if such a result is quite good for N8, then N9 can hardly be proud of it, since there is no step forward here. And with such strong competitors as the iPhone 4S (which shoots video much better than both Nokia smartphones), this is an unaffordable luxury.

However, it’s also impossible to say that the N9 as a camera phone is seriously outdated. There are plenty of settings (including choosing between full-screen and widescreen shooting modes), flash, autofocus, and the ability to manually focus (by touching the screen, like on the iPhone). Plus - the increased shooting speed is a big plus. But it’s a pity that the N9 does not have a hardware key, like the N8, to turn on the camera. So if you are looking for a camera phone, but not an iPhone 4S, I would still recommend the N8, not the N9. But we can’t write down the N9 camera as a disadvantage of this device.

Battery

Nokia smartphones running on Symbian showed very good times battery life. Nokia N9 was also pleased with this. It can work quietly for a couple of days in normal use, in economy mode - and even more (while Android smartphones still suffer from the fact that they have to be charged every day). As for some resource-intensive operations - for example, video playback, our test series of the series discharged the smartphone by only 5 percent. By the way, during testing we noticed that the battery charge indicator does not want to admit that the battery is 100% charged. So, even when everything indicated that the smartphone was fully charged, the indicator “claimed” that only 98% were available to it.

N9 positioning and MeeGo prospects

After the N9 goes on sale, the main question that arises for a potential buyer is the prospects for a particular smartphone and the operating system as a whole. Considering the fact that Nokia has already changed its chosen course several times, we cannot say anything for sure. But if the movement continues in the given direction, then most likely the N9 will be the last Nokia device to use MeeGo. Nokia's next flagship will be a Windows Phone 7 smartphone - Nokia Lumia 800. Moreover, in hardware it will be very similar to the N9.

If this is confirmed, it will become more clear why Nokia would release the N9. Probably, the company had some obligations to Intel related to the release of devices on MeeGo. Therefore, Nokia decided to kill two birds with one stone: both release the promised MeeGo smartphone and create the hardware basis for the subsequent WP7 device. Less clear is the release of the Nokia N950, which is simply distributed free of charge to developers. This attraction of unprecedented generosity would be more understandable if Nokia were really serious about MeeGo and planned to release several more devices. Then it would really be necessary to provide developers with the tools to develop applications for these smartphones. But to release a special model, whose characteristics are quite related to the top segment, and give it away for free so that developers write applications for the only Nokia N9 is, to say the least, strange.

“Well, maybe they’re not going to give up MeeGo after all?” - you ask. And this question will be very natural. But then the positioning of N9 looks strange. When presenting a device whose main feature is the new operating system, it would be logical to focus on this. While Nokia representatives, on the contrary, try to avoid this issue. They talk about design, about the Swype interface, in general - about anything, but not about the OS.

The most interesting thing is that at the end of September (that is, three months after the announcement of the N9 and N950), Intel abandoned MeeGo, or rather, integrated it into the new development of The Linux Foundation - Tizen. It is assumed that Tizen will remain partially compatible with the netbook MeeGo, but will not be compatible with the smartphone MeeGo.

But the surprises don't end there either. Almost simultaneously with the news about Tizen, another news arrived: Nokia is developing its own Meltemi operating system based on Linux. But, unlike MeeGo, it is initially positioned in the segment of cheaper devices. Thus, Nokia decided to apply the concept of Samsung, which, recall, has Android/WP7 for smartphones in the upper price category and bada OS for more affordable models.

If we believe that Meltemi will actually be seriously developed, and this strategy will come to fruition, then the positioning of the N9 becomes more clear. You have to understand that for the N9 Nokia, in fact, developed the interface from scratch, taking something from Symbian, something from Maemo, but almost nothing from the preliminary test build that was available for installation on Nokia at the end of last year N900. The new interface, as we have already found out, turned out to be very successful. So why not transfer it to the new OS? Thus, I do not exclude that in a year and a half we will see the N9 Swype interface on cheaper models, and it will be called Meltemi, not MeeGo. The N9 itself will move to the mid-price segment, and the top-end devices will be Windows Phone 7 devices.

We emphasize that all this is nothing more than our speculation, based on the contradictory information that is currently available. And in the case of Nokia, it is quite difficult to predict anything at all. But I don’t see any other logical way out of this situation.

conclusions

Nokia N9 can be viewed from two perspectives: as a device for geeks, fans of Linux and the command line, or as just good smartphone for ordinary users. If we take the second option, then we should note the bright, memorable design, spectacular screen, good camera and a pleasant OS interface (which can even be called intuitive if you get used to Swype gestures). The disadvantages include a small number of applications in the store, the inability to synchronize with Outlook, and the lack of an HDMI output. I repeat: from the point of view of the average user, this is a good smartphone. But its reasonable price is 17, well, maximum 18 thousand rubles (we are talking about the version with 16 GB of flash memory). Because the same Nokia N8, sold today for 15 thousand rubles, is no worse, or even better, than the N9 in a number of parameters (camera, number of applications, availability of HDMI). And I have almost no doubt that in six months (or even earlier) the junior model Nokia N9 will cost exactly 17-18 thousand. But will it be relevant for ordinary users if the Nokia Lumia 800 appears by then? An interesting question... But who should definitely wait a little, but in the end get an N9 - it's geeks and Linux lovers. And then they will get an ideal platform for experiments at a reasonable price. Here you have the Terminal, USB debugging using the SDK, and a loyal community that pays great attention to the N9 and is ready to announce any small program for it. For those who love their Nokia N900 with tender love, but want to replace it with something more modern, it makes sense to take a closer look at the Nokia N9. True, when the N900 came out, everyone was sure that this was the beginning of a long journey. Now N9 is perceived, on the contrary, as the end of the road. But if our assumptions turn out to be correct, Nokia will find some use in the future for the developments and really interesting innovations that appeared in the N9. Therefore, for developers this device may not be so hopeless. Although the status of the first and last smartphone on MeeGo even adds a certain charm to the N9. It’s nice to know that what you have in your hand (or pocket) is not a stamped, pass-through model, but a unique device - even if this uniqueness limits functionality and promises unnecessary difficulties.

Nokia N9 - new smartphone company running the MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan operating system. It has an elegant appearance, and is packaged in a thin, elegant body with a protected Gorilla glass AMOLED display, the diagonal of which is 3.9 inches. The new product promises to become one of the most notable devices of 2011 and embodies Nokia's many years of experience and developments in the field of interfaces, materials and smartphone production. In addition to a magnificent display (from edge to edge), the Nokia N9 is equipped with a gigahertz processor, a gigabyte of RAM and, in the tradition of flagship models, a built-in storage capacity of 16 gigabytes.

Technical characteristics of Nokia N9

• Dimensions: 116x61x12 mm.
• Weight: 135 g.
• Operating system: MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan.
• Processor: TI OMAP 3630, 1 GHz; video accelerator PowerVR SGX530.
• Display: 3.9 inches, AMOLED, 854x480 pixels, capacitive, Gorilla protective glass
• Camera: 8 MP (3248x2448), f 2.2, autofocus, video recording (1280x720, 30 fps).
• Memory: 1 GB RAM, 16 GB storage, 512 MB ROM.
• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, NFC.
• Interface connector: microUSB, 3.5 mm headphone output.
• Battery: 1450 mAh.

Nokia N9 equipment

The Nokia N9 comes with a USB cable, which is used to charge the battery and transfer data; wired stereo headset Nokia WH-901; power plug with an original design, a short manual in Russian and Ukrainian and a booklet with a warranty card and information about the rules of operation of the device; as well as a modern cover.

The case looks simply great and is instantly recognizable - this phone cannot be confused with anything else. For the first time, there are no keys on the front panel at all. All control is performed using finger gestures on the screen. The front camera is placed in an original way - it is located not above, but below the display.

Back panel The non-separable body, like the Nokia N8, is designed in a laconic style, enhancing the impression of a high-end device. The 8-megapixel camera is equipped with dual LED backlight.

The thickness of the case is only 12 millimeters. This is one of the thinnest smartphones in the world. At the same time, it does not look fragile at all, and the polycarbonate from which the case is made, on the contrary, has a high ability to withstand any tests that may await the phone. It is difficult to leave a scratch on it, it does not wipe off and the paint cannot peel off over time, because there is simply none.

The thin body provides another solution for locking the screen - instead of a sliding lever, a regular button has appeared. Next to it is a double volume key. At the top end there is a jack for connecting a headset or standard headphones. There, behind a cunning mechanism, there is a microUSB socket and a retractable table for a SIM card. At the bottom end there is an external speaker used for playing music and speakerphone.

When opened, the top end looks like this. And this is the only manipulation that the creators of Nokia N9 will provide to the user. The user does not need to worry about anything.

Another innovation (and there are many of them in the Nokia N9) is the use of a microSIM card. It differs from a regular SIM in its smaller size. Such SIM cards are already provided by Kyivstar and MTS operators in our country.

The protective case does not detract at all, as is usually the case, from the appearance of the Nokia N9. But it only emphasizes its excellent design.

There is space left on the back panel for the camera and LED lighting.

There is open space for keys on the side surface. And the external speaker is completely open. But at the top end only the headphone hole and microUSB socket are open. Which is logical - the SIM card is rarely removed from the phone.

Compared to the Nokia N8, the new product looks like a significant step forward. Both in design and size.

Nokia company, once the leader in the smartphone market, was gradually losing its position in the developed countries of the world. Her Symbian platform wasn't able to compete with modern operating systems like Android and iOS, so tough decisions were made. The MeeGo platform was supposed to pave the way for a completely new OS for smartphones, but a change in management changed the plans. The operating system was sacrificed for Windows Phone. Nevertheless, the Finnish company managed to release the Nokia N9 phone in a very limited list of countries, which will forever be remembered for its unique operating system.

While the manufacturer has always been an underdog in the smartphone market, design and build are areas where the company rarely disappoints. All models, from 3310 to N93 and N8, left their competitors far behind. And "Nokia N9" is 3310, N8 and N93, assembled together and fused into one piece of plastic. The result is the most stunning design ever created. Nothing like this has ever happened before and is unlikely to ever happen again.

Design

The body of the phone is made of polycarbonate, which has been subjected to mechanical processing, which gives it a special look. The finish is matte and is available in cyan, magenta, black and white, all of which look equally sophisticated. The back panel is slightly convex, which allows the phone to fit much more comfortably in your hand. Nokia and Carl Zeiss logos are etched into the chrome trim surrounding the lens. To the left of the camera is a dual-LED flash. The top panel houses two flimsy flaps that hide the Micro-SIM and Micro-USB card slots. On the side there is a volume rocker and a power switch. Apart from the valves, there are no other ways to get inside. The battery is hidden and non-replaceable, but there is a choice of 16 or 64 GB options.

The model does not break any records with its size. The Nokia H9 phone is quite thick (12 mm), and its 135 g allows you to feel the presence of the device in your pocket. Compared to the impeccable design, these parameters are rather weak. But the N9 is very pleasant to hold. This alone is enough to recommend a smartphone to all users without knowing its functionality. Nokia even offers a protective case. It's the culmination of a decade of experience and proves that while the company may not be great at software, the hardware is always on point.

Screen

The front is dominated by a curved 3.9" AMOLED display. Nokia H9 has neither capacitive nor physical buttons on the front panel. Gorilla Glass smoothly flows into the body. At the top is the manufacturer's logo along with a pair of proximity and light sensors.

According to user reviews, the display is excellent. Colors are almost as eye-catching as SAMOLED, but are much more controllable. The Nokia H9 screen is placed close to the protective glass, and the text appears to float on top of it. The 854 x 480 matrix looks much better than in Samsung smartphones. The pixels can be seen with the naked eye (their density is 251 dpi), but the display performs well in all respects, both indoors and in direct sunlight.

Shortly before the official release of the smartphone, a fake Nokia H9 appeared. The Chinese version differed in screen size, which was 3 inches.

MeeGo

Nokia H9 is the first smartphone in the world running the MeeGo Harmattan 1.2 operating system. Given the dominance of Android and iOS, Nokia needed something truly special, something that could leave its mark.

The core of MeeGo OS is swipe gestures. Double-tapping the screen or the power button unlocks the lock. Here you can get the most basic data, such as time, notifications, current music track, etc. Swiping to the edge of the display launches one of three desktops. Here it is appropriate to mention the design of the glass cover. Its edges seem to flow into the body, so it's natural to move away from the edges.

Swipes do everything. In any OS screen or open program, to return to one of the main pages, just swipe from the edge of the display. You can close the application by simply sliding across the display from top to bottom.

Working screens

The first main page is a list of channels and user notifications. It will include updates to Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds. Any unread text message, email or missed call is also displayed here. You can turn off Twitter or Facebook notifications if you wish.

The second screen contains a list of all installed applications. There is no support for folders, so the list is quite long if you have a lot of programs. With a long press, the icon can be moved or deleted, reminiscent of iOS.

The third screen is the multitasking area. All open applications are displayed here as cards. With 1GB of RAM, you can run up to 30 programs in the background without any noticeable performance hit. Unlike competing platforms, the N9 implements multitasking slightly differently. iOS pauses apps when they're not open, and Android doesn't allow you to control what's running in the background. But the N9 provides "true" multitasking, just like the N900. Running programs can even be seen on the screen. To close any of them, just swipe down from the top of the app or tap and hold its icon and then select the cross.

Status line

At the top of the home screens is a notification bar that looks like a stripped-down version of what Android has. Signal strength, message icons, and current time are displayed here. Clicking on it opens additional options such as ringtones, adjusting media volume and displaying instant messages.

Nokia H9: software characteristics

The phone has built-in support for Google, Facebook, Mail for Exchange, Flickr, Twitter, Skype, CalDAV, SIP, Picasa and YouTube. Logging into Twitter or Facebook will automatically activate notifications. You can also link contacts to these social networks. Built-in Facebook, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired. Luckily, Twitter works much better. There are no push notifications for them. The N9 has built-in support for Google, Facebook and Skype chats. The front camera does not support Skype, but you can make calls using it. Like Windows Phone 7, the N9 uses a single messaging app for chat and SMS. But unlike Windows Phone, they are displayed in different windows.

The keyboard is one of the best and certainly superior to the Android input device. Tactile Feedback along with the clicking sound makes typing enjoyable. A Swype keyboard is also available.

The built-in music player is relatively easy to use, partly because it doesn't offer a ton of settings. According to user reviews, the sound quality through the speakers is mediocre, but good headphones the sound is loud and clear.

Nokia H9 has a browser that is very simple in functionality. It supports HTML5, but not Flash. There are no settings. There is no history, cache or cookie settings. There is nothing. There are also a lot of questions from a performance point of view. Web pages open slowly. This is enough for mobile sites, but for full-fledged Internet pages it is better to use a computer.

First and last

From point of view software Nokia has done a great job. MeeGo is a great OS that, unlike Android and Symbian, follows a consistent design. The clean font with oval icons is nice. Small animations bring the operating system to life somewhat. It runs on primitive hardware, which sometimes results in occasional lag, but overall the OS is polished and very well designed. It's hard to believe that it was made by the same developers who created Symbian for the touch screen.

Meego is truly different from anything else available on the market, and this becomes obvious immediately after unlocking the phone. The platform is original right down to the core, which is why it's such a shame that it's the last of its kind. And although the operating system was relatively open to modification, there weren't many applications available. Nokia has done Good work to create basic software, but there is an acute shortage of it. Some useful programs for Nokia H9 could be found in the Ovi store, but they cannot be compared with Android or even Windows Phone 7.

Cameras and battery

The smartphone is equipped with an 8 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. Unfortunately, despite the popular name, the Nokia H9 takes mediocre photos and videos. Image quality is incomparable to the N8 and lags behind the Galaxy S2. The user has access to a sufficient number of settings for the scene, white balance, ISO, exposure and color. Video recording is limited to 720p resolution.

According to owner reviews, the 1450 mAh battery can last 2 days with moderate use, which is simply unheard of for a smartphone, especially one running Android.

Conclusion

The launch of the N9 was a breath of fresh air in a smartphone market crowded with Android-based models. The phone offered an original platform, visually and functionally fine-tuned no worse than competitors' offerings. However, the manufacturer's abandonment of MeeGo and the transition to Windows made supporting the N9 much more difficult. Externally, the phone is completely irresistible, but inside it offers only the essentials. It's possible that some apps will still appear thanks to the relatively strong developer community, but don't get your hopes up.

While the Nokia H9 is a monument to the manufacturer's design expertise, MeeGo proves the company's ability to make top-tier software when it wants to. The phone cannot be recommended, but if you want to try something truly original in terms of design and software, then there is nothing better than the N9.