Nokia N9 16GB 3G Wifi GPS NFC GSM Unlocked MeeGo Touchscreen (Black)

by Nokia

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B005HA4W7K
• Item model number: N9-00
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,604 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

The Nokia N9 is the first MeeGo-powered smartphone from the Finns, and we certainly hope it won't be the last because it's actually a rather decent piece of kit. The unibody polycarbonate chassis might feel a little plasticky to the touch, but it seamlessly integrates into the glass 3.9-inch OLED panel, which offers ClearBlack display technology to make the dark bits darker and the colours more vivid than ever before.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 94 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An elegant powerhorse October 24, 2011

By Toni

I have to admit, I was an avid iPhone 4 user before the Nokia N9. I enjoyed the simplicity of the iOS UI and the vast collection of applications available.

Then after a year of use, I decided to jump the N9 ship.

I was afraid that Nokia couldn't pull a consistent user experience around the phone. To be frank, I was glad that wasn't the case here.

Unboxing went on very smoothly, quick guide was informative enough, obviously they've taken few pointers from a certain fruit company. The device is gorgeous, you really have to see it for yourself to determinate why all the fuzz.

The only minus was the fliphatch holding the USB port is a bit stiff to open, since you have to press a tiny bump with your fingernails. Also bear in mind that N9 uses the Micro-SIM card, so consult your carrier before starting to ruin your current normal sized SIM card with scissors.

A quick start application launches up the first time you start your phone and it guides you through the different swiping actions.

And when talking about swipe, it's hardwired to the user interface everywhere (although, applications can override this). Swipe to the left or right and you'll be taken to one of the three main views. Notifications, where all your FB, Twitter, RSS Feeds, weather data or missed call notifications are seen. Application view, this is probably the most Nokiasque view of them all, is a grid of apps. Unfortunately creating folders in this view isn't allowed yet but this's coming in next OS update. And the last but least is the multitasking view. All the programs open are displayed here and it's showing live applications, no screenshots here. I've opened more than 15 apps at the time at it doesn't seem to impact performance level that much....

Unfortunately there aren't many apps available yet in Nokia Store but Nokia covers the essential bases here, twitter, facebook, foursquare and skype. Also the device comes with few preloaded games, Need for Speed, Angry Birds, Galaxy on Fire 2 and RealGolf 2011.

Other great features include NFC, SIP, Office document viewer, fairly good MfE integration (more fixes coming to this in the next OS update) and HTML5 capable web browser.

Screen saver shows clock and icons for notifications (new email, sms or missed call etc.), since N9 uses AMOLED screen technology - it really doesn't draw power at all. If you like to unlock the device, just double tap the screen to unlock it and swipe to menus.

After a week of use, I fired up my iPhone 4 for comparison and the UX interaction model in iOS felt clunky. I tried to swipe and double tap the screen constantly, so going back to button centered model felt a bit frustrating.

So, N9 might be the last of its breed, but it's going to a spectacular experience of its own. If you appreciate the combination of form and function without any fanboyism attached to it, I'd highly recommend this device to you. Read more ›

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Simple MeeGo Device...and the Last October 29, 2011

By Talvi TOP 500 REVIEWER

Length: 0:39 Mins

Nokia announced earlier this year that Symbian would become a "franchise platform" and MeeGo would become an open source project. The world didn't cry any tears...after all, there is a reason Nokia's smartphone marketshare has taken such a huge dive. But this...wow! The N9 is a gorgeous device, with a handsome unibody design and a curved glass AMOLED 3.9-inch touchscreen display.

I used a SIM cutter to make a micro-SIM out of my AT&T SIM and inserted it. The out of the box experience is a vast improvement - you charge it, power it up, and you get a mini tutorial including using swipe. And from there, you really don't need a tutorial or instruction guide. Within 10 minutes I had loggied into Facebook, Skype, Twitter, set up my RSS feeds, my work and home email, changed a couple of settings like the ring tone, loaded my contacts (Ovi), gave the browser a spin (zippy and great user experience design), checked the weather (nasty snowstorm in October!), downloaded a free game from Nokia store, synched my music from iTunes, checked out Maps and Drive, and did one level of Angry Birds. All with a click on one of the icons on the main screen.

I put it down and came back, and went to my notifications screen. SMS, email, calls, Facebook updates from my friends...everything in a few scrolls. I swiped over to the open applications listing, touched and held for a few seconds, and closed everything. Then, I finally made my first call. I then realized I had been in love with this device from the first minute....

Cool specs:
- Wide-screen (16:9) HD display, curved smoky glass
- 16GB of internal storage
- GPS
- 3G
- Wifi
- NFC technology
- 8MP camera with a wide-angle lens
- Supports Dolby headphones and Dolby Plus technology
- Drive, which is optimized for in-car use with free turn by turn navigation and the ability to DL maps beforehand (to use offline)
- Polycarbonate unibody, which means scratches show up less (matte appearance)
- When locked, always displays the time and notification icons faintly

Comes with a silicone case, headphones, micro USB, and a European plug. This phone isn't getting released by Nokia in the US.

The vivid display, aesthetics, and form factor are awesome. This draws a lot of admiration when I have it out. I like having a phone that nobody else has, though the Nokia Lumia Windows Phone will look similar (hardware, not software!). My husband, a die-hard Apple fan, got his iPhone 4S over the weekend and said, "I don't think this is better. That phone kicks $!@#!" I have never been happier with a device. His 4S is clunky and unattractive next to this.

UPDATE: got this comment from jb8967:

"You can run "Alien Dalvik" on the N9. This software allows you to run ANDROID apps on the N9. So even if the current list of Nokia Store apps for this Meego device is short, A.D. makes up for it by adding the Android ecosystem too." However, other posters have commented that it isn't ready yet.

Here is what Engaget said: "Love at first sight -- this is possibly the most beautiful phone ever made."

If Nokia had been making phones this simple and elegant earlier, then this wouldn't be the last MeeGo device Nokia will release. It's sad.

UPDATE:
The recent software update added the following:
- updated music controls to make them easier to access while listening
- expanded notifications on the standby screen, including battery
- new filters for the camera: black & white, sepia, vivid, negative and solarize
- Swype keyboard typing
- Improved Mail for Exchange synchronisation (does only active folders to improve speed)
- In call noise cancellation Read more ›

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All it takes is a Swipe! November 5, 2011

By rwb

Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, let me be clear by saying that I extensively use Apple Products. I bought the first iPhone, the first iPad and have been a Mac user for many years. I also use a Nexus One from Google(runs Gingerbread), which as of today isn't that an old phone, so I can safely assume that I use the two major mobile operating systems daily. I have never used a Nokia device since early 2000s. I've little experience with Symbian from my dads phone.

Why did I buy this phone?
I never buy my phones without testing them in person(in a store/friends mobile). The only phone I have bought without testing is the original iPhone, which was an exceptional device. I saw a demo of Nokia N9 back in June 2011 and I was really excited about how the 'swipe' worked. If you don't know, 'Swipes' are a great way to do many things on the N9, like switch between apps, close apps,task switcher etc., I suggest you watch a video demo on youtube, since its difficult to write it down. They are a bit like multi-touch gestures on the iPhone, but totally next-gen and much more functional. I thought 'cool phone' but didn't bother to know more about it. But when the phone is released I was kinda interested to test it out, but to my disappointment the phone is nowhere sold in the United States. So, I took a risk and purchased this phone on Amazon, a bit reluctant and skeptical since this is imported from Europe. Another reason, the phone is Pentaband & Unlocked so it works on both AT&T /T-Mobile (including 3G and HSDPA), so I don't have to worry about carrier lock-ins.

Package Opening/First Impressions:
When the package arrived, I eagerly opened the box and the Phone is just *GORGEOUS*. I didn't expect it to be that beautiful and well designed.... I haven't seen any other phone in recent years with such a great design. Well, I love the design of Apple's iPhone, but the Nokia N9 is truly stunning. I've switched on the phone and the display is very nice. Very bright and clear. The phone's charging port is on the top instead of the bottom, with a push open slot. It supports Micro-USB port which is awesome. (I wish Apple supported Micro-USB). There is a Quick Intro on the whole Swipe Gestures, which is really nice. And It'll take you straight to the Apps screen. To unlock the phone, you can double tap the home screen or swipe up the home screen, which you get so used to. After using the N9 for a while, whenever I use my Nexus One/iPhone I automatically try to swipe the applications and home screen. Thats how much you get used to the whole Swiping gestures.

Micro Sim:
Like the iPhone, N9 sports a Micro-Sim instead of a regular SIM. You can just cut it out from an existing sim with an xacto, but I recommend getting this cutter which worked flawlessly for me. Micro SIM Cutter, Converter with 2 SIM adapters You can also go to your carrier and get a new micro-sim for like 10 bucks.

Accounts/Contacts:
Then I went to the accounts app, which is a centralized location to store all your accounts information (like Keychain on the Mac). I entered my Google Accounts and it automatically setup a Gmail Inbox and imported all my contacts and calendars. But, it did have trouble pulling up all the contact numbers from my contacts. Luckily, the N9 has the ability to import contacts from a different phone via bluetooth, so I paired it up with my Nexus one and it automagically imported all the contacts with all the phone numbers and emails. Then I entered my Skype account and voila, I can use Skype to make all outgoing calls from my contacts which is a delight. No app or anything, its just built right in. Next, Twitter and Facebook and it pulled all my streams from the interwebs, no issues. You can also sync all the email/contacts/calendar with your Google/Exchange account. Now, all of this is now trivial in every smartphone. But the way N9 handles all of your accounts and personalized news feed from Facebook/Twitter/RSS feeds is a beauty. Just swipe across your screen and it takes you to you there. (Again, none of the swiping makes sense unless you watch a demo video).

Phone/SMS/MMS/Battery:
The call quality is really good, although the reception isn't Nokia level. I remember the old Nokia phones always have the strongest reception, no matter where you are. The Nexus One has the best reception in my apartment, whereas the iPhone has the least reception. I'm on T-Mobile which is pretty good in my area. I use the iPhone with AT&T, which at times is flaky. But once I get out of my apartment, all the phones have the strongest signal. So, its safe to say that the N9 reception is same as every other smartphone. The Texting app is really nice and I don't really use the MMS features, so I dont have much to say. I like the Swipe up to receive a call feature. The batter life is a bit better than other smartphones, but not Symbian level long battery life. Its still better than iPhone/Nexus One.

Facebook/Twitter/RSS Feeds
The Facebook & Twitter apps are basic but they are deeply integrated through out the OS. I tweet a lot, so I kinda find the Twitter app a bit underwhelming, but it should suffice the needs of a lot of users. The RSS Feeds app is awesome and very polished, although I strongly feel that Google Reader Integration would have been a huge plus. The browser has the ability to detect the RSS feeds from any page and you can automatically subscribe to them right from the phone's browser, which is really nice. But still, Google Reader integration would have made it much more functional. They have a Google Reader app in the store, but it's just alright.

Email:
Email app is also very polished with very good UI. They have partial threading support and you can have bookmarks/favorites to various folders, which is nice. It has a great range of syncing options like "Frequency of Email Checking", "Active Syncing during the day and turn off syncing after 5pm" and all sort of stuff. One feature I really wish they had was to have custom sounds for each Inbox/Folder, like the Gmail app on Android. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the Email client, although my Android phone has the best Gmail experience.

GPS and Navigation:
The N9 comes with two apps, Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive. They both at the very best are OK. Google Maps on the Android has the best navigation features and I really wish the N9 had Google Maps/Navigation. But there are some advantages with Nokia's navigation systems. *OFFLINE MAPS*. Yes, you can download Maps offline and use them without an active Internet connection. This is a huge benefit if you are travelling abroad or on data roaming and will save you a lot of money. The Maps application is very basic and the Drive application is sometimes glitchy. It has trouble finding my exact location when I turn it on while I am driving. But once it found your location, it works very well. Also, the Turn-by-Turn instructions are kinda , hmm.. weird since it doesn't tell you the street names/road numbers. It only gives instructions like "Make Left here, Make Right here, Drive for a mile on this road". Which won't be such a problem on regular roads, but sometimes on the freeways it might be a little more helpful if it spells out the names. Another cool thing is, it has various accents & languages. I have the European English accent and it feels like Mrs. Doubtfire is giving me instructions ;)

Browser:
The Web Browser on the N9 is WebKit based and it has many HTML5 & CSS features. It can also share the Geolocation. Although when I try to open Google, it gives me the dumbphone version instead of the smartphone version. But on other sites, the Web browser worked pretty good and like I said, you can subscribe directly to the RSS feeds in the page, right from the browser. The browser plays H264 videos from Youtube without any issues, but I had some hiccups on other sites like Engadget,The Verge etc., Nokia is aware of these issues and promised to fix them in the next software update. It doesn't have Flash, which isn't an issue for me at all. I wish the browser is bit better, like Mobile Safari. Still, Android has the worst browsing experience and the N9 browser feels much better than that. (Weird, Google has the best Desktop Browser, but the worst mobile browser).

Other Features:
It has a lot of other useful utilities like Google Talk support, AIM, Wi-Fi sharing, NFC capabilities, Bluetooth etc., For the Geekier ones, it supports SIP protocol right out of the box, so there are many VoIP possibilites, not to mention Skype support which serves most of my needs. But, I still feel like it would be better if Google Voice is supported. Google Voice is one of the best feature of my Android phone. But then again, this is from Europe and they don't have Google Voice there. There is a QGV Dialer from the store which is fairly minimal and basic in functionality.

Camera/Video/Music:
It has a great 8MP Camera with Carl-Zeiss lens. It takes beautiful pictures although the N8 has much better camera. Most importantly, the camera in N9 is really fast. Much faster than any other smartphone I've seen so far. The Music app is beautiful and it plays all the popular music formats. There is also a Spotify app in the Nokia Store, which is always great for music. There is an Ovi Music Store, which doesn't work in the states, due to licensing issues, but I always get my music from Amazon anyways. Transferring files is real easy, just drag and drop in the computer.

OS/Platform/Apps:
Now, this is where the sad news begins. N9 runs Meego 1.2 Harmattan, which is not MeeGo, but its actually Maemo Harmattan 1.2 with MeeGo API's on top of it. But, unfortunately Nokia has abandoned this platform or in their words relegated to an experimental status instead of mainstream focus infavor of Windows Phone 7.5. Now, I won't get into the speculation if its a bad/good idea, but as a result of that decision, it is unlikely that Nokia will make future phones with this Operating System. That means little interest among Developers to create apps for the platform. *BUT*, there are some really good apps in the Nokia Store. They have Spotify, Sports Tracker and many other Utility apps which are enough for my needs. They also have Angry Birds out of the box. But I mostly use my phone for Web/Email/VoIP/SMS and a few games, so it's not necessarily a big issue for me. But the apps are gradually increasing in the store, which is good.

*THE GOOD NEWS*
Nokia has promised to support N9 for atleast 2015 with various Software updates. Even my HTC Nexus One, just 1 1/2 years is no longer supported by Google (I mean new os versions). They have already announced an update scheduled to roll out before end of 2011, which gives many performance boosts and new features, along with system wide copy/paste and Swype (not 'Swipe') keyboard.

Final Thoughts:
Nokia N9 is one of those devices, that are brilliant but unfortunately they don't ever go mainstream. Its more like a limited edition sports car with great power and capabilities. The performance is pretty good, although not as smooth as an iPhone. Now, thats a deal breaker for me, since I hate sluggish UIs (Android has the most sluggish UI and the ugliest one). But this phone overthrows all of that with its very intuitive and useful Swipe features. (Especially, Swipe down to close an app) and it has a clean and beautiful UI. The phone feels right in my hand and the overall experience is very new and refreshing. I'm glad I bought this phone. This might not be for everyone, but its really one of its own kind. Its not perfect, not even close, but somehow it stands out on its own. Its a shame that Nokia doesn't want to make it their flagship product.

Nokia Windows Phones:
Nokia recently announced the Lumia 800 which looks exactly like the N9 but has different specs and runs Win Phone OS. I actually considered buying that and return this phone since it will be supported widely and will have a better ecosystem. So quickly went down to a phone shop and tested out a Windows phone. Although the Nokia experience might better than some Samsung phone they had, but it still gives me a good idea. Overall, I liked the Windows Phone 7.5 and its very smooth. *BUT*, it was missing one feature. One *GREAT* feature. That is, the Swipe. I found myself constantly trying to Swipe down, up & left to close and switch apps. Although Win Phone 7 has swiping gestures, I still like N9's swipe.

Conclusion:
If you like to have a remarkably great product and not worry about things like app ecosystem, etc., I highly recommend this phone. But if you are worried that it doesn't have enough apps/games wait for the next wave of Nokia Windows phones (The Lumia 800 isn't released in the US) in early 2012 with a similar or better form factors. But, you definitely won't have the same Swiping experience. N9 is all about the Swipe. Read more ›