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Review: Nokia N72 all-round phoneBy Jørgen Sundgot, Monday 3 July 2006
GALLERY
Nokia N72
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Nokia N72
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Nokia N72
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Nokia N72
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Nokia N72
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The N72 tries to look as good as Nokia's popular N70 while cutting back on the expensive bits - a strategy which lands it straight into the uppermost end of the mid-range.

Review summary of the Nokia N72:
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Nokia N72 For those not in need of 3G and that sultry stainless look of the N70, the N72 is well worth considering even though it doesn't belong to the the same league as Nokia's other N series phones. In fact, its specifications are more suitable of a mid-range phone, which means its imaging and music capabilities are quite appealing (including the stereo FM radio), while calling and messaging shine with their usual Nokia polish. Also, the browser does a decent job at reformatting full web pages and handles; this is a well-rounded package, although a bit of a clunker. Price: $400.
Pros: Above-par camera and music player; excellent for making calls and texting; stereo FM radio
Cons: Could stand to shed a few pounds around the waist; RS-MMC poor choice for memory expansion
Poor
Mediocre
Good
Very good
91%
EXCELLENT
Full review of the Nokia N72:
Trading stainless steel for glossy black plastic and 3G for EDGE, the N72 is a close relative to the popular N70 and the black sheep of Nokia's N Series family with its modest specifications; think of it as a nice faux leather couch, if you will.

Calling - Excellent

As is typical of Nokia, voice quality as delivered by the N72 is impeccable and, in this case, also noticeably louder than most competitors. Lacking 3G, video calling is not an option, but Bluetooth headset support and a loudspeaker remains.

Camera - Very good

With its 2 Megapixel camera, the N72 shoots above-par stills for a mid-range phone and offers a raft of options for managing, printing and sharing photos including Bluetooth and PictBridge for the latter two. Memory, you ask? A bit short.

Music - Good

Although the music player itself is quite alright, audio quality is distinctly average, while the reliance on RS-MMC memory cards - plus an inability to accept these in size larger than 128 MB - puts quite a dent in the MP3 department.

Messaging - Excellent

The combination of a no-frills, high-quality keypad and a very decent navipad joins in with sms, mms and e-mail - the latter of which supports attachment viewing of common office formats. Bonus points: Bluetooth keyboard compatibility.

Browsing - Very good

Although it deals reasonably well with reformatting full web pages, neither the EDGE connectivity nor the medium resolution of the otherwise good screen does the browser of the N72 any favours; still, it's better than most.

Battery life - Good

In the range of 2.5 hours of talk time and 8 days of standby isn't all that much to write home about for a mid-range phone, but the N72 doesn't fare worse than much of its competition.


Price and availability

Best Phones
Name Score Price Carrier
C
Nokia N95 8GB NAM 85% $650Unlocked
Apple iPhone 3G 82% $200AT&T
Nokia N95 80% $530Unlocked
AT&T Tilt 77% $400AT&T
Nokia N78 76% $500Unlocked
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (Sprint) 74% $280Sprint
HTC Mogul 73% $400Sprint
RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 (Verizon Wireless) 73% $170Verizon Wireless
Nokia E71 73% $500Unlocked
Helio Ocean 72% $200Helio
Click here to see full and advanced chart »
 
 
 
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