Nokia N75
Phone Scoop Review
May 24, 2007 by Eric Zeman
Read our close-up look at Nokia's N75, a 3G phone for AT&T. Does it stand out in the high-end feature phone crowd? Plus Video Tour. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
N75 is Great!
I can't imagine returning a phone after 30 minutes usage as one reviewer stated. You simply cannot go through the features of this phone in that short of time. Frankly, I don't know why some people even bother buying anything but the most basic cell phone. Nor can I imagine giving a phone of this quality only 2 stars. I see too many of the more advanced models get poor reviews here from people that simply don't need or understand the feature sets on the more advanced units such as this one.
There are some nitpick items about this phone, such as UTMS instead of HSDPA and I believe the BT stereo headset profile. However, both of these will be address in an upcoming software update. The battery life is good on the unit unless you are beaing the heck out of the data using the CV, MobiRadio, etc. You can deplete the unit quickly doing those things. But here's the thing... ALL 3G PHONES ARE THE SAME! 3G simply uses more battery than non 3G devices. Accept it. Plan for it (car charger, extra battery) if you plan to use the broadband media functions of this phone all day. I can tell you that with moderate useage of the data, this phone lasts me two or more days.
Lot's of great programs for this device as well. My favorite is MobiPocket Reader for my ebooks. It's great to have my favorite novel at my finger tips any time I have a moment to read. The web browser is better than on most PDA type devices. Check out the software that is available for this device versus, oh, that Razor V3xx or, CU500 and so forth. Those are great devices and I'm not knocking them. However, the N75 is for those who may want a little more out of their cell phone than is provided out of the box.
At $200, this phone is really a steal. You can nitpick the phone if it makes you feel good to do so, but this is a solid device and a real performer with an amazing feature set for a cell phone. Future software updates will make it even better.
not so much
-there is no way to lock the outer mp3 buttons so you end up playing your favorite songs at rather inopportune times.
-The talk time life on the battery is pretty low.
-The camera is just plain terrible.
-Bulky proprietary head phone jack renders this phone difficult to use as a pocket mp3 player.
-I can't even count the times I have had a "connection error"
-The OS is decent, but a little scattered with out a centralized navigation.
So basically this unit is not an ok phone, decent computer, crappy camera and a pretty crappy mp3 player.
Don't waste your money.
N75 Just "OK" for Me
I've review a lot of phones on here (see my profile) but I definately own and use the phones prior to reviewing them. I eagerly awaited the arrival of the N75 for nearly 6 months. Upon arrival, I would have been much more pleased with the overall product had it come out 6 months ago when it was first announced. But I'll go ahead and get into my Pros and Cons on the N75
Pros
+Symbian UI. Better than Windows Mobile or Palm.
+Display is beautiful 16.7 Million Colors
+2MP camera takes very good photos. Not as good as the w810i, but blows away the SYNC and 8525.
+External buttons are awesome. You can actually read text messages without opening the phone. Also you can lock the keys from the outside as well.
+Stereo speakers are phenomenal. Loud, Crisp, and Clear.
+Buttons. The buttons are huge and finger friendly.
+UMTS is fast, and EDGE aint so bad either.
Cons
-Face print magnet. As soon as you think about picking up the phone, it's covered crap from your face.
-Media Player is confusing, and it's really hard to organize a playlist from your phone.
-Size, the phone is enormous. One of the biggest 3G flip phones out there. But it is pretty light.
-Hinge sucks. When you are holding the phone to your face, the phone opens extremely wide and feel like you might break it.
-NO HSDPA. Not sure how this got left out, but it did and it's unfortunate.
-No Stereo Bluetooth. I don't know how the 6085 if going to have Stereo bluetooth, but the first Nokia 3G entry does not. What a joke.
Overall, the entire experience with my N75 was lukewarm. It was like a girl you meet a club and you really want to like her because she's really, really hot. But you end up dumping her because her inability to cook, clean, or not annoy you force you to dump her with little to no warning. I dumped my N75 for a much hotter and slimmer v3xx Platinum, and I feel like a better man for it.
N Series at it's Best
I love this phone thus far and I have had it for about three weeks now. Switched out with my BlackJack and I am yet to regret my choice yet.
Pros:
- Excellent Reception and Sound Quality
- Love the size
- Perfer Symbian OS over Windows Mobile
- Web Browser allow me to access alot more than other PDA/Smartphones
- Nice Camera
- Great UI and Customization
- Very Large Screen
Cons:
- IM Service only runs one at a time [Not Major]
- Cingular Branded version does not allow me to set up the email I want for Push Services.
Overall a really great phone. Answers alot of my needs and I really love the look of the phone. Still perfer SOny Ericsson over Nokia but this one is a keeper for me until I get my P1i; then it will become my Secondary Phone.
PHONE IS NICE
I've had the phone for a few days, pretty good so far...here goes my pros and cons...
PROS:
size , its not too big not too small
screen is beautiful
sound is very good
battery life seems good so far
the keyboard is excellent nice and big
the signal is very good
CONS:
cingular branding
i hear a buzzing sound when calling or on a call.
only 2 themes
i hope they come out with a att one so i can switch...also if the hissing continues im going to have to call customer service,other than that i recommend the phone...
WORTH THE WAIT
upgraded from 6230, and i am very well impressed. good signal, picture quality a lot better, little bulky compared to 6230 but i am ok with that. will recommend to wait about a month, and see if cingular drops the price. if starting a new service go to wirefly.com. price is 149.00 but you get a 50.00 dollars rebate.
great phone
Love Nokia
I've had samsungs (crap imo), sanyo, even motorola and by far Nokia has been my favorite phone manufacturer to date.
All the pro's are what people already said. the only con is the AT&T branding. Does anybody know how to get rid of it and make it more of a unlocked phone? that possible?
Great Phone
I have had this phone for a little more than a week now and I must say it is a great pleasure.
Reviews in other publications don't do it justice and most of them are unfounded and uneducated.
Pros:
1. Screen-- VERY LARGE for a flip phone and with 16.7 million colors and 240x320 the display is gorgeous.
2. Reception-- Just as good as my V3xx--which means, as gooas as its gonna get.
3. Build Quality-- Bulletproof.
4. Sound Quality-- Both the stereo speakers and the earpiece have excellent sound quality.
5. Form Factor-- A bit larger than the V3xx, but feels more substantial.
Cons:
1. Have to make sure you EXIT out of applications instead of just hitting back or closing the flip. (If not you will have low memory problems.)
Good if you have no reference
Pros: A very very SMART phone, S60 is great as fas as features expandablility internet browsing goes.
Ultimate in menu customization
3G
Cons:
Hard to use.
Hand offs. In a roaming handoff (where my ericsson works fine) the Nokia will give a Network error dropped call. Will not dail out while roaming (the phone will say you have 5 bars but it can use them)
Delayed messages doen't recieve calls.
Good Phone/Bad Design
I got the N75 upon recommendation by the Disability Dept. at AT&T due to low vision. Overall I actually like the phone. As others have said though it does take some getting used to with the menu's and such. However, once you have it its simple.
Pro's
* Huge bright display both inside and out
* Large buttons that are easy to find and use
* Totally customizable navigation
* Speech capabilities for almost everything
* Liked the camera and how it felt like a real camera
* Awesome sound for my music
* AT&T theme is good
Con's
* The outer casing is awful, the back falls off if dropped less then 1 foot onto a carpet, this caused the battery and Sim to fall out as well.
* Not durable at all, the casing will come off for any reason.
* Nokia theme is one of the worst I've ever seen. White text on a white transparent background.
* All the speak features are not put together you have to search for them when you don't have the speak feature going. Useless then if your totally blind and can't see the screen.
* Address book is hard to move around
* To send a message have to go to the address book to get the number
* Cannot organize the images that are in My Stuff into folders. All images on the phone are viewable even if they're private.
* Poor battery life. I do not use the data feature but do talk a lot on the phone and the charge won't even last me for 3 hours.
If you are a sighted person this phone is good for you. It does have lots are features that are really a step up from the competition. However, if you are blind I do not recommend this phone. The software to make it totally accessible and will read everything on the screen is an average of $250.00 extra on top of the price of the phone. Also, if you accidentally knock it off you will guaranteed break the case. It will come off and you will have to put it back.
I'm getting a Razor 3xx next lets see you that goes.
Bye bye N75 see ya, don't wanna be ya.
