Nokia N76 - Thin and Smart

Nokia introduced their first Symbian S60 folder phone more than a year ago, and since then they have been trying to trim its size. The result is the new N76 that they put forward this year. Thanks to Nokia Hong Kong, we had the chance to check out the final production model of the N76 before it's widely available.


Physical Aspects

The N76 is probably not the most attractive phone out there, but you've got to say that it is sleek. Design wise it seems to have everything that the market likes today: an external display that hides behind a mirrored finish, a row of backlighted music buttons on the front, and a metallic finish around the buttons and camera on the back. The thing is, they just don't look right when put together.

The N76 measures 106.5mm x 53mm x 13.7mm (4.2" x 2.1" x .5") in size, which makes it thin for a folder by both smartphone and non-smartphone standards. Because of its thinness, the N76 is very pocket friendly. At 53mm in width, though, it might be a bit wide for smaller hands.

The N76's antenna is located in the bulge below the keypad, which is not visually appealing to all. On the bottom of the phone you can find a strap hole for charms or a lanyard, as well as the speaker. Don't get fooled by the fact that the speaker grille is divided down the middle - the fact is that there is only one speaker, so there is no stereo. There are benefits to having the speaker located on the bottom of the phone, as opposed to the back, since it will be easier to hear when it rings in a pants pocket.

On the left side you will find a microSD slot behind a fairly sturdy flap. Above it is the unprotected mini Nokia charging port. I find that a bit worrying as dust will surely get in. The camera shutter, multimedia shortcut key, and the volume buttons are found on the right side.

The 3.5mm earphone jack and the miniUSB port are put right next to the power button on the top. The piece of black rubber that covers the miniUSB port does not fit in with the rest of the design at all, especially since our review model is made of red plastic. We expect it would look less awkward on the black version. Putting design aside, there is still one glaring mistake that Nokia made here. It is surely a great idea to put the earphone jack on the top so that it'll be easier to manage in the pocket. But the big problem is that the N76 cannot be opened fully when the headphones are in, since the line will simply jam the flip, preventing it from fully opening. The good thing is that there are music keys on the phone's exterior, and the external screen user interface is capable of much, something we will go into more details about later.