Nokia N93i

When you think of the amount of money that was once being asked for the older Nokia N93, the ex-flagship N-series model from Nokia, you can’t help but writhe at its look. I mean, Rs. 38,000 for that big black piece of a brick? Come on.

The way it looked wasn’t the end. There were various problems with general ergonomics, side joystick and also some issues with the OS and the camera. Here today, we have the swanky new N93i, the latest, greatest and also the most expensive Nseries phone. Did Nokia consider the users' feedback in the N93i? Let’s find out.

Design
The first thing you can see is that the N93i is totally shiny and swanky, something the original N93 could never win with. The front of the phone is a complete mirror-finish surface, quite like the Sony Ericsson Z610i. However, it isn't 100% mirror-like, in that it still has a bit of warping, so if you look at yourself in it, your face will appear contorted. Below this display, hidden away, is another 65k color sub-display that almost looks like an OLED display found on some other clamshell phones.

The original N93 was huge and heavy. With the new N93i, Nokia has addressed these issues a bit. The result is a phone that's 5mm slimmer and also around 20gms lighter. But even after this trim, the N93i is still a bulky and heavy phone by conventional standards.

The display is one of the biggest improvements as well as the biggest problems in this phone. The new display is still QVGA and the same size, but it's been upgraded to show 16 million colors and believe me when I say that you need to see it to believe it. The display is glossy, but that's the problem right there. It's so reflective, you'll keep turning the phone from side to side to be able to see it. And in sunlight, well, forget it. You can't see anything. This is a huge problem if you're shooting in camcorder mode during the afternoon - like we did for the little short film we made - the display is useless !!!

The keypad is a big problem in the N93i. The older N93 had a very nice, large keypad with big buttons that were very, very easy to use, even for those with large fingers. To shave off a few mm, the N93i has a RAZR-style flat, metallic keypad that's simply uncomfortable. It's not difficult to find the keys, but the tactile feedback it gives is not enough for a phone of this size. The keypad also has visibility issues in sunlight - the letters are just not viewable.

The joypad on the side of the phone that's used in the N93 was very uncomfortable to use. Thankfully, that has been changed to a simple joystick, which is one of the best changes in the phone. This is very, very easy to use with one hand when in camcorder mode.

The phone still opens up in the same manner as the older one: normal clamshell manner, laptop-style and camcorder style for taking video.

The battery compartment on the rear was a pain to open and shut in the N93. This has been replaced with a more normal cover thats easier to deal with.

This is about all the important stuff that's changed in the design and construction of the N93i.