The Nokia N76 was first introduced in January 2007 at the Las Vagas CES 2007 exhibition and then launched on 5th May 2007. It’s a 3G Smartphone and is the latest addition to Nokia’s Nseries. The Nokia Nseries is primarily aimed at leading edge technology users - so I’m not quite sure what Nokia is up to with the N76. I’m not sure if there is an area which it could claim to be latest leading edge. Looking at the specification and its design, I would say it’s nearer the specification of a 4th quarter 2006 handset.

Yes it brings the complete Nokia Nseries experience to a sleeker body, with little compromise but in many ways the N76 reminds me of another Series 60 handset – the Nokia 6290. However, Nokia has created a very eye-catching device which reminds me of a Cadillac car. I mean its low, wide and in red with its chrome styling lines. It sure does remind me of a Cadillac with its top down. Nokia has recently got "Arty" with the N76 - see photo 6 for picture and story.

On a more serious note, this clamshell is a thin 3G smart phone at only 13.7mm deep. It's a dual-mode , quad band GSM smartphone ( 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz ) with support for 3G UMTS ( 2100MHz ). The operating system is Symbian S60 3rd edition / Symbian OS version 9.2.

So, to me, it looks like Nokia is aiming the N76 at main stream  mobile phone users. This is enforced by the fact that it has many desirable features such as : trendy body colour scheme, flat keypad, large main screen and all the right applications. Currently, it  comes in Jet Black or Metallic Red. My preference is the Metallic Red version.

This is a highly powerful 3G smartphone with a FreeScale 32-bit CPU based on ARM-11 series, 369 MHz processor. You may be surprised to see the Freescale platform on-board instead of the OMAP 2420 but the only real difference is the lack of a graphics accelerator in the Freescale version.

My first impression whilst holding the N76 is that it’s a man’s phone. I felt this way because of the width of the phone needing large hands to clasp it and by the chunky firm clam action – which requires both hands to prise it open.

Looking at the layout of the N76, one item of particular note is the Sim card socket. This is located alongside the battery ( rear cover and battery have to be removed ) with a flimsy flap ( in the review handset this was missing ? ) providing access for the Sim card. My head is beginning to hurt.   Also of note is that the camera button and gallery shortcut key is on the right hand side. Topside is the mini USB slot, power on/off and the 3.5mm audio jacket.

Hang on. If I put  some headphones in the 3.5mm jack socket and open the clam I see the two crash into each other ? You can open the clam to approx. 135 degrees but not the full 180. So it’s a good job that we have music short keys on the clam front so we can still use our bins with the clam closed. Nokia had no choice but to put a 3.5mm jack somewhere as there is no A2DP Bluetooth profile on the handset. More on this below. Looking at the left side of the phone you will find the microSD card slot  accessed via a chrome pullout metal flap. This I like.

Open the clam to reveal the keypad. As mentioned, you will need to use two hands to prise the clam open. The easiest way to open the handset is to put your fingernail under the chrome edge on the clam front and lift.
The keypad is made of shiny chrome finish with keypad button surrounds matching the handset colour. This is a flatbed keypad design which looks great and works rather well. As the keys are so flat and smooth the only complication could be that some people find the keys a bit slippery perhaps.

The N76 comes with two  cameras. The small VGA one above the screen is for video calling and the main 2 megapixel camera is for photo taking etc. The camera on the N76 seems somewhat average when compared to the Nokia N95 at 5 megapixels. Of course, Nokia has slimmed the N76 down but at what cost ? Another 3 megapixels extra would give the N76 a big edge.

Using the dedicated quick cover keys, you can snap away without having to open up the device. Use the 2.0 megapixel (1600 x 1200 pixels) camera to capture, zoom and review pictures on the large 2.4" display, then edit either on the go or transfer them to PC. A plus is that the N76 offers photo snapping in landscape mode with the phone closed. The camera works AOK in good lighting conditions but does become a little noisy and blurry in poor lighting conditions. A quick summary of camera settings :

• Still Image resolutions: up to 2 megapixel: 1600x1200 pixels
• Still image file format: JPEG/EXIF
• Fixed focus
• Exposure compensation
• White Balance: Automatic, Tungsten, Daylight, Fluorescent
• Scene: Auto, user defined, portrait, landscape, sports, night portrait, night mode
• Color tone: Normal, Sepia, B&W, Negative
• Flash: Auto, Off, On, Red-eye reduction
• Digital zoom: Up to 20

I’m still not quite sure which area Nokia feel the N76 is a trialblazer, but I know its not in the imaging department - no autofocus either. Video is recorded and saved in 3GP format. Video capture is at 15 frames per second. The quality is acceptable but by no means excellent. A quick summary of video settings :

• Video capture: up to QVGA at 15 fps
• Video playback: up to QVGA at 15 fps
• Audio recording: AAC
• Video clip length: limited by available memory
• Video file format: .mp4 (high) , .3gp (normal, MMS)
• White balance: Automatic, Tungsten, Daylight, Fluorescent
• Scene: Auto, night
• Digital zoom: Up to 4x

The external secondary screen is a good plus. It gives : date, time, battery condition and signal strength. In addition, you have access to control your music and camera settings. The secondary display is mounted on the clam front and has a mirrored finish. This does reduce the display visibility outdoors.

The N76 screen is 2.4 inches across diagonally and is bright and crisp with vivid colours. There are no issues with the screen which also works well in normal sunlight. There is a light sensor for automatic adjustment to display brightness. This is located above the main screen which is obviously the best location for it. A summary of the Displays & User Interface :

• Main display: large bright 2.4 inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT with up to 16 million colors
• Cover display: 1.36 inch color display (160 x 128 pixels) TFT with up to 262,144 colors
• Operating system: S60 software on Symbian OS
• User Interface: S60 3rd Edition

On-board internal memory is limited to 26MB so thank goodness we have a microSD socket included. This will currently take up to a 2GB card. A memory summary follows :

• Up to 26 MB internal memory
• microSD memory card support (hot swappable)
• Approx. memory capacity indication with 1GB microSD card:
• Video (QVGA @ 15fps ): up to 250 min
• Photos ( 2 megapixel ) : up to 2200 photos
• Music ( AAC ): up to 750 tracks

Bluetooth 2.0 is supported but it should be noted that A2DP ( Advance Audio Distribution Profile ) is omitted. This means no music streaming to your headphones via Bluetooth.

Music fans will appreciate the dedicated quick cover keys on the Nokia N76, which let you quickly and easily control the device's music features from the outside of the folded device.. 

Holding up to 750 tracks the Nokia N76 works with industry standard 3.5 mm headphones and supports the popular Windows Media  DRM for optimal use. We like the built-in FM radio with the ability to control the music player when the clam is closed via external music keys. The FM Radio has the ability to have 50 preset stations and can be accessed via the external display. Nothing wrong with the sound quality on the N76.

If you are familiar with S60 applications etc. you will notice that the Active Standby Screen and Main Menu is pretty familiar. The keypad input is very quick and the phone itself is reliable. A summary of the music hot points follow :

• Control music and FM radio without opening the product with dedicated music and volume controls
• Listen with compatible 3.5 mm headphones
• Take up to 1500 songs* with you on optional 2GB micro-SD card
• Download and play WMDRM protected music**
• Digital music player: supports MP3/AAC/eAAC/eAAC+/WMA with playlists and equalizer
• Dedicated music keys
• WMDRM support for music, OMA DRM 2.0 support for music and video
• Stereo FM radio (87.5-108MHz)
• Integrated handsfree speaker
• Nokia Stereo Headset HS-43, inbox

The battery keeps your N76 alive. Under normal useage we gauge that the N76 will last 1.5 days before the battery is ready for its second breath. Confirmed battery times are :

• Talk time: up to 120 minutes (WCDMA) / up to 165 minutes (GSM)
• Standby: up to 8.5 days (WCDMA) / up to 8.5 days (GSM)
• Video call time: up to 75 minutes
• Music playback time: up to 8 hours

3G's verdict on the Nokia N76

We like the N76 but do wonder why its part of the N Series as opposed to being called say “Nokia 76XX” where the XXs complete a new model number.

We must not forget that this is a powerful 3G smartphone with a good music player. The camera seems shy of megapixels at only 2 megapixels. The 3.5mm jack problem we can live with but can imagine the type of posts this will feed on our 3G Forum.

My final comment would be that if you are looking for a sleek, powerful 3G smartphone then you must check out the N76.