Malfunkshun
New member
Ok, so I know that all three of these phones have been out for a while, but I have had all four in the last two weeks, and wanted to give some highlights (and lowlights) that I've seen. Because there are detailed reviews out there for each, I'm not going to go that route, and instead am going to talk about which ones are better in each area as compared to the other three. I'm using a 5 star rating system here, with 0 stars being a worthless piece of ****, to 5 stars being a kickass performer. So, with no further ado, here we go!
Style/Fashion/Form/Design: Clear Winner: N73
*NOTE* Ok, so this category is a wildly subjective one and should thus be taken with a grain of salt. This is entirely my opinion, but here's how it plays out for me:
N93: 4 Stars: The N93 has a GREAT form factor as far as I'm concerned. It's versatile, allows you to switch easily between landscape/portrait modes (for all apps, not just the gallery and camera), and the 'flip' factor is pretty damned cool. However, I'm giving this only 4/5 stars for two reasons: 1.) Bulk! Yes, I know it's got a whole crap load of features, and a phenomonol screen, but that doesn't justify the size in my opinion. There are places where Nokia could have cut down on the size, without (presumably) affecting any of the featureset. This would be welcome (and indeed, looks like that's what the n93i might be doing). 2.) You can't take photos using the outside screen. Every flip phone should be able to do this, and indeed as many steps forward as this phone has come from the n90, it's taken a huge leap back in this regard. The N90 has the great feature where you can simply twist the camera module and use the external screen as a viewfinder. Sorely missed on the n93.
N80: 3.5 Stars: I liked my n80 a lot, don't get me wrong. It's the only slider I've ever owned, and I can see some of the advantages of using one. For one thing, there's the purely visceral satisfaction gained from snapping the slide shut to end a call (particularly one where you are fighting with a spouse ). There's also the great fact of sliding to lock (granted, is a 3rd party add-on, but still is a feature unique to a slider). I also loved how small the form factor is once the slide is closed; and since you don't need the keypad for a lot of functions, you can use it closed very easily. HOWEVER, there is one big drawback for me: this thing is WAY to thick. The N80 actually feels a lot thicker in pocket then even the n93 (though not as large). I wear farily baggy jeans, and still I could feel it there too easily... I can't imagine how someone with tight jeans would feel! The other major gripe I have with the N80? The stupid-as-hell-why-did-they-do-it-that-way macro slider. First off, it totally ruins the back lines from an aesthetic point of view. Secondly, it gathered dust like there was no tommorrow. And thirdly, from what I can tell, it didn't really work any better than the macro functions seen on other phones (that DIDN'T require a stupid hardware slider).
N73: 4.5 Stars: By far my favorite when it comes to form/style/etc, the N73 gets it (nearly) all right. Big, AMAZINGLY beautiful and bright screen? Check. Hardware volume buttons? Check. Easy, well-designed Camera button/slider? Check. Thin, discreen design? Check. Cleverly hidden SD slot? Check. (took me a few minutes to find it lol). So where's that half a star it's missing going? The keypad is just too small, and doesn't have the greatest tactile feedback. The size can maybe be considered subjective... I'm a big guy (6'4"), so maybe smaller fingers wouldn't have an issue. But the tactile feel is just TERRIBLE on it. It just feels 'mushy' for lack of a better word... and I was prone to missing buttons a lot.
E61: 4 Stars: Very close second for favorite on the form/style behind the N73, though they are apples and oranges in a lot of ways. The E61 is WIDE, there's no doubt, but it doesn't suffer from the thickness problems that the N93 or N80 do. It actually feels very comfortable in my jeans. The keys are well laid out, in fact second only to the sk2 in terms of good qwerty, in my opinion. The key travel is a LITTLE bit hard to get used to (since it's non-existant basically), but not enough to seriously effect most people. The joystick is great, one of the best I've used on a mobile (reminding me of my 6620, and actually edging out the n73 slightly). I also love the metal housing, which is as rock solid as they come. But, as usual, there are some drawbacks. The first one is the screen. It's big, and it displays a lot, which is great, but it has a bit of a 'washed-out' feel to it. Perhaps it's because I went from the N73 to the e61, but it just doesn't feel quite as sharp (which it's not). Still looks great, don't get me wrong, but enough to take away some points. The other major gripe I have is that the SD slot is under the battery cover... kind of a pain if you hot swap a lot (which I don't, but I can see this being an issue).
RF Performance: Clear Winner: E61
*NOTE* So my RF test for phones is the same every time. In general, everywhere I go gets good RF (the benefits of being in T-Mobile's home market lol). But there are always those spots that RF goes down the *******, and those are what I focused on. Keep in mind, I didn't do actual DB level testing, just some 'can this thing hold a signal in x place' type of tests, so YMMV.
N93: 0 Stars: I'm sorry, but for being such a great phone otherwise, this thing is the clear loser in this department. First, in the 'deadspot' test (a place near my house where nearly every phone loses reception/drops calls), it dropped a call earlier than any other phone I've tested there, even a t68i!!!!! As I approached the deadspot, it dropped it a good 100 feet sooner as a matter of fact. Worse yet, it took FOREVER to regain the signal once I was through that spot, almost a quarter of a mile before it did (seriously bad). It did even worse in the 'parking garage' test. In this test, I see how long a phone can hold a signal as I go down floors in an elevator to my parking garage. This phone didn't even make it to P1 (from the first floor) before dropping (in comparison, most phones don't drop until P2).
N80: 3 Stars: The N80 is a mixed bag of RF performance. On the one hand, it definitely is not the greatest when it comes to holding a signal, performing only slightly better than the N93 did above. But on the flip side, it regained a signal faster than almost *any* other phone I've used over the years. I'll leave it at that for the test, but YMMV.
N73: 4 Stars: Kickass RF performer for sure. It actually held the signal during the deadspot test, though I had to wait until I was through it until the other person could understand me again. But no dropped calls, which is a beautiful thing. In the parking garage test it made it to P3 (three floors underground), still had a signal, but just 1-bar... enough to recieve texts, but not enough to be understandable on the phone really (still managed a rather disjointed conversation though). Definitely one to choose in this arena.
E61: 5 Stars: The Supreme Mondo Daddy of RF. What can I say about this phone: *simply*the*best* RF performer I've ever used. Bar none. This thing went to P4 (four floors underground in parking garage), and I made a call... crystal clear, still had two bars, and the person on the other end had no clue I was in a 'bad' reception area. Even better, this is the only phone I've used that can grab a good EDGE connection when that far underground... I streamed a 32k Shoutcast stream without any issues at all. I'm seriously impressed,in case you can't tell!!!
Data Applications: Narrow Winner: E61 (N93 gets honorable mention)
*NOTE* These all get fairly high marks because ALL S60 phones are good for data in the end.
N93: 4.5 Stars: The N93 is a data powerhouse. It's got a ton of internal memory, and a big beautiful screen to use that memory to it's fullest. I had Opera, IM+, and Shoutcast going no problem. I was checking my email on the T-Mobile APN, while surfing HoFo wap on Opera in landscape mode. The combination of big screen, good memory, and landscape make this thing a good bet for the data hungry. The only real drawback is that it's hard to input anything into the web browser while in landscape mode, due to the orientation of the keypad at that point.
N80: 4 Stars: The N80 is a good phone for data, but so are most series 60 phones. So did it stand out at all? Well, sort of. It's got decent internal memory, though not the greatest. It's got a very clear screen, though not the largest. It's just sort of middle of the road, and I would have given it 3 Stars except for one thing: the N80 has the best WiFi strength out of the three WiFi phones here. I never had an issue with a dropped WiFi connection, which I'd occasionally have with the N93 and the E61. It was simply rock solid. That alone is enough to bump it up to the 4 Star category for me!
N73: 4 Stars: The review on this is basically the same as the N80. They performed identically, from what I could see, on program management (in other words memory management). While this loses out to the N80 for it's lack of WiFi, it gains on it's wonderful screen, which makes browsing a treat.
E61: 4.6 Stars: Ok, so 4.6 Stars is a bit odd, but I wanted to show that it was just *slightly* better than the N93 in this department. Between the two phones (N93 and E61), the E61 wins out slightly because of it's killer keypad and slightly stronger WiFi signal. Other than that, they are neck and neck by my comparison.
Camera Quality: Narrow Winner: N73
*NOTE* The E61 is quite obviously excluded here.
N93: 4 Stars: This is Nokia's flagship camera phone, and it doesn't disappoint. Besides being good for both still and video, it's got a great zoom and fairly good autofocus. There are lots of sample photos online, so check them out, but I will say that where this phone disappointed me was in a.) the contrast of colors and b.) low-light. Now, I've used enough digital camera equipment to know that most digicam's just don't do well in the dark. However, there are some that are better than others, and this just isn't one of them. I found low light photos to be grainy and streaky with it, worse than I'd expect from a 700 dollar Zeiss phone. Colors also appeared a little washed out in may photos, though that might be a firmware issue, not sure (this was using the 19. something or otherr firmware if I remember correctly). However, this phone is *the best* video phone I've used. That title was previously held by the Sony Ericsson w900i, but the n93 knocks it down no problem.
N80: 3 Stars: Is it a 3mp? Yes. Does it make decent shots in the day time under certain lighting conditions? Yes. Can it be beat out by any number of 2mp camera phones? Yes. The N80 isn't really the greatest example of Camphone performance. I found the photos to be just average quality, and the video a bit below average. In fact, I'd say that it's nothing compared to the k750i, which has a megapixel less. Just goes to show that the # of megapixels doesn't always mean anything. This was Nokia's first (I think) 3mp cam, and that 'first blood' factor really shows. Still, it's not terrible, and it's better than your average 1.3MP out there, so I'll still give it 3 Stars.
N73: 4.5 Stars: Simply my favorite out of the three. It does low light shots, night time shots, motion shots, everything better than the N93. The only reason I even took a half star off of it was that the video recording isn't the greatest on it. But still, one of the best Camphone's I've used (though still edged out by the Sony k800i in the wider world).
Overall:
So, after all of this, I'll make some recommendations based on strength.
If you are looking for a good camphone, get the N73.
If you are looking for a good videophone, get the N93.
If you are looking for a good WiFi phone, get the N80.
If you are looking for a good RF/Data phone, get the E61.
I personally think that all are good phones, but I'll make the statement that if a Newbie asked me, gun to my head, which is the best S60 phone I've used i'd give them a two way tie between e61 and n73. If you can live without a camera, go for the e61. If you can't, go for the N73.
Thank you, this has been a bored-at-work production from ollywompus.
-olly
Style/Fashion/Form/Design: Clear Winner: N73
*NOTE* Ok, so this category is a wildly subjective one and should thus be taken with a grain of salt. This is entirely my opinion, but here's how it plays out for me:
N93: 4 Stars: The N93 has a GREAT form factor as far as I'm concerned. It's versatile, allows you to switch easily between landscape/portrait modes (for all apps, not just the gallery and camera), and the 'flip' factor is pretty damned cool. However, I'm giving this only 4/5 stars for two reasons: 1.) Bulk! Yes, I know it's got a whole crap load of features, and a phenomonol screen, but that doesn't justify the size in my opinion. There are places where Nokia could have cut down on the size, without (presumably) affecting any of the featureset. This would be welcome (and indeed, looks like that's what the n93i might be doing). 2.) You can't take photos using the outside screen. Every flip phone should be able to do this, and indeed as many steps forward as this phone has come from the n90, it's taken a huge leap back in this regard. The N90 has the great feature where you can simply twist the camera module and use the external screen as a viewfinder. Sorely missed on the n93.
N80: 3.5 Stars: I liked my n80 a lot, don't get me wrong. It's the only slider I've ever owned, and I can see some of the advantages of using one. For one thing, there's the purely visceral satisfaction gained from snapping the slide shut to end a call (particularly one where you are fighting with a spouse ). There's also the great fact of sliding to lock (granted, is a 3rd party add-on, but still is a feature unique to a slider). I also loved how small the form factor is once the slide is closed; and since you don't need the keypad for a lot of functions, you can use it closed very easily. HOWEVER, there is one big drawback for me: this thing is WAY to thick. The N80 actually feels a lot thicker in pocket then even the n93 (though not as large). I wear farily baggy jeans, and still I could feel it there too easily... I can't imagine how someone with tight jeans would feel! The other major gripe I have with the N80? The stupid-as-hell-why-did-they-do-it-that-way macro slider. First off, it totally ruins the back lines from an aesthetic point of view. Secondly, it gathered dust like there was no tommorrow. And thirdly, from what I can tell, it didn't really work any better than the macro functions seen on other phones (that DIDN'T require a stupid hardware slider).
N73: 4.5 Stars: By far my favorite when it comes to form/style/etc, the N73 gets it (nearly) all right. Big, AMAZINGLY beautiful and bright screen? Check. Hardware volume buttons? Check. Easy, well-designed Camera button/slider? Check. Thin, discreen design? Check. Cleverly hidden SD slot? Check. (took me a few minutes to find it lol). So where's that half a star it's missing going? The keypad is just too small, and doesn't have the greatest tactile feedback. The size can maybe be considered subjective... I'm a big guy (6'4"), so maybe smaller fingers wouldn't have an issue. But the tactile feel is just TERRIBLE on it. It just feels 'mushy' for lack of a better word... and I was prone to missing buttons a lot.
E61: 4 Stars: Very close second for favorite on the form/style behind the N73, though they are apples and oranges in a lot of ways. The E61 is WIDE, there's no doubt, but it doesn't suffer from the thickness problems that the N93 or N80 do. It actually feels very comfortable in my jeans. The keys are well laid out, in fact second only to the sk2 in terms of good qwerty, in my opinion. The key travel is a LITTLE bit hard to get used to (since it's non-existant basically), but not enough to seriously effect most people. The joystick is great, one of the best I've used on a mobile (reminding me of my 6620, and actually edging out the n73 slightly). I also love the metal housing, which is as rock solid as they come. But, as usual, there are some drawbacks. The first one is the screen. It's big, and it displays a lot, which is great, but it has a bit of a 'washed-out' feel to it. Perhaps it's because I went from the N73 to the e61, but it just doesn't feel quite as sharp (which it's not). Still looks great, don't get me wrong, but enough to take away some points. The other major gripe I have is that the SD slot is under the battery cover... kind of a pain if you hot swap a lot (which I don't, but I can see this being an issue).
RF Performance: Clear Winner: E61
*NOTE* So my RF test for phones is the same every time. In general, everywhere I go gets good RF (the benefits of being in T-Mobile's home market lol). But there are always those spots that RF goes down the *******, and those are what I focused on. Keep in mind, I didn't do actual DB level testing, just some 'can this thing hold a signal in x place' type of tests, so YMMV.
N93: 0 Stars: I'm sorry, but for being such a great phone otherwise, this thing is the clear loser in this department. First, in the 'deadspot' test (a place near my house where nearly every phone loses reception/drops calls), it dropped a call earlier than any other phone I've tested there, even a t68i!!!!! As I approached the deadspot, it dropped it a good 100 feet sooner as a matter of fact. Worse yet, it took FOREVER to regain the signal once I was through that spot, almost a quarter of a mile before it did (seriously bad). It did even worse in the 'parking garage' test. In this test, I see how long a phone can hold a signal as I go down floors in an elevator to my parking garage. This phone didn't even make it to P1 (from the first floor) before dropping (in comparison, most phones don't drop until P2).
N80: 3 Stars: The N80 is a mixed bag of RF performance. On the one hand, it definitely is not the greatest when it comes to holding a signal, performing only slightly better than the N93 did above. But on the flip side, it regained a signal faster than almost *any* other phone I've used over the years. I'll leave it at that for the test, but YMMV.
N73: 4 Stars: Kickass RF performer for sure. It actually held the signal during the deadspot test, though I had to wait until I was through it until the other person could understand me again. But no dropped calls, which is a beautiful thing. In the parking garage test it made it to P3 (three floors underground), still had a signal, but just 1-bar... enough to recieve texts, but not enough to be understandable on the phone really (still managed a rather disjointed conversation though). Definitely one to choose in this arena.
E61: 5 Stars: The Supreme Mondo Daddy of RF. What can I say about this phone: *simply*the*best* RF performer I've ever used. Bar none. This thing went to P4 (four floors underground in parking garage), and I made a call... crystal clear, still had two bars, and the person on the other end had no clue I was in a 'bad' reception area. Even better, this is the only phone I've used that can grab a good EDGE connection when that far underground... I streamed a 32k Shoutcast stream without any issues at all. I'm seriously impressed,in case you can't tell!!!
Data Applications: Narrow Winner: E61 (N93 gets honorable mention)
*NOTE* These all get fairly high marks because ALL S60 phones are good for data in the end.
N93: 4.5 Stars: The N93 is a data powerhouse. It's got a ton of internal memory, and a big beautiful screen to use that memory to it's fullest. I had Opera, IM+, and Shoutcast going no problem. I was checking my email on the T-Mobile APN, while surfing HoFo wap on Opera in landscape mode. The combination of big screen, good memory, and landscape make this thing a good bet for the data hungry. The only real drawback is that it's hard to input anything into the web browser while in landscape mode, due to the orientation of the keypad at that point.
N80: 4 Stars: The N80 is a good phone for data, but so are most series 60 phones. So did it stand out at all? Well, sort of. It's got decent internal memory, though not the greatest. It's got a very clear screen, though not the largest. It's just sort of middle of the road, and I would have given it 3 Stars except for one thing: the N80 has the best WiFi strength out of the three WiFi phones here. I never had an issue with a dropped WiFi connection, which I'd occasionally have with the N93 and the E61. It was simply rock solid. That alone is enough to bump it up to the 4 Star category for me!
N73: 4 Stars: The review on this is basically the same as the N80. They performed identically, from what I could see, on program management (in other words memory management). While this loses out to the N80 for it's lack of WiFi, it gains on it's wonderful screen, which makes browsing a treat.
E61: 4.6 Stars: Ok, so 4.6 Stars is a bit odd, but I wanted to show that it was just *slightly* better than the N93 in this department. Between the two phones (N93 and E61), the E61 wins out slightly because of it's killer keypad and slightly stronger WiFi signal. Other than that, they are neck and neck by my comparison.
Camera Quality: Narrow Winner: N73
*NOTE* The E61 is quite obviously excluded here.
N93: 4 Stars: This is Nokia's flagship camera phone, and it doesn't disappoint. Besides being good for both still and video, it's got a great zoom and fairly good autofocus. There are lots of sample photos online, so check them out, but I will say that where this phone disappointed me was in a.) the contrast of colors and b.) low-light. Now, I've used enough digital camera equipment to know that most digicam's just don't do well in the dark. However, there are some that are better than others, and this just isn't one of them. I found low light photos to be grainy and streaky with it, worse than I'd expect from a 700 dollar Zeiss phone. Colors also appeared a little washed out in may photos, though that might be a firmware issue, not sure (this was using the 19. something or otherr firmware if I remember correctly). However, this phone is *the best* video phone I've used. That title was previously held by the Sony Ericsson w900i, but the n93 knocks it down no problem.
N80: 3 Stars: Is it a 3mp? Yes. Does it make decent shots in the day time under certain lighting conditions? Yes. Can it be beat out by any number of 2mp camera phones? Yes. The N80 isn't really the greatest example of Camphone performance. I found the photos to be just average quality, and the video a bit below average. In fact, I'd say that it's nothing compared to the k750i, which has a megapixel less. Just goes to show that the # of megapixels doesn't always mean anything. This was Nokia's first (I think) 3mp cam, and that 'first blood' factor really shows. Still, it's not terrible, and it's better than your average 1.3MP out there, so I'll still give it 3 Stars.
N73: 4.5 Stars: Simply my favorite out of the three. It does low light shots, night time shots, motion shots, everything better than the N93. The only reason I even took a half star off of it was that the video recording isn't the greatest on it. But still, one of the best Camphone's I've used (though still edged out by the Sony k800i in the wider world).
Overall:
So, after all of this, I'll make some recommendations based on strength.
If you are looking for a good camphone, get the N73.
If you are looking for a good videophone, get the N93.
If you are looking for a good WiFi phone, get the N80.
If you are looking for a good RF/Data phone, get the E61.
I personally think that all are good phones, but I'll make the statement that if a Newbie asked me, gun to my head, which is the best S60 phone I've used i'd give them a two way tie between e61 and n73. If you can live without a camera, go for the e61. If you can't, go for the N73.
Thank you, this has been a bored-at-work production from ollywompus.
-olly