Nokia N93i mobile phone - FIRST LOOK review

Nokia slims down its camcorder phone offering, but is it enough?

17 January 2007 14:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Nokia has updated its camcorder-focused mobile phone with a new N93i version. Pocket-lint was given the chance to have a play with the new mobile phone at CES 2007.

The good news is, from the offset that the N93i is considerably smaller than its predecessor the Nokia N93. That's not to say it isn't still on the large side, but at least it now has some chance of fitting in your jeans pocket rather than you having to rely on carrying it in a separate bag.

For all intents and purposes the design and form factor are the same as before. The phone is structured around a hinge at the top of the device, which also stores the 3.2 megapixel digital camera and swivelling the phone from this point gives you access to the phones features.

On the one swivel is the 2.4in screen and on the other is the keypad. Additionally there is a joystick on the outside of the phone (in a very similar position to the Sayno Xacti range) and this offers video control and zoom features. There is also dedicated camera key to capture images, switch shooting mode and operate the flash quickly and easily.

That digital camera allows you to shoot DVD quality footage in MPEG4 VGA video capture at up to 30 frames per second. The phone also supports stereo audio recording and offers digital stabilisation so you're films won't be shaky.

With the 1GB miniSD card included in the box, Nokia seems keen to emphasise this as more than a phone, and the card will allow you to capture up to 45 minutes of DVD-like quality video or up to 1250 high-quality photos.

New to the mix, the phone now features Wi-Fi connectivity and a shiny front, which like the Z610 from Sony Ericsson can get rather smudged - in our play we had to wipe the screen a couple of times to clearly see what was going on (see pictures).

Inside and the interface is the same as the N93 and the phone still allows you to upload videos directly to the Internet to share your experiences straight away and Nokia has teamed up with video and photo blogging service called Vox to allow you to upload on the fly.

It's a simple case of selecting your video or photos in the gallery of your Nokia N93i and upload them directly from your device to Vox in their original size. Users can do this via 3G or the included Wi-Fi connection and our test video using a Wi-Fi connection was up on the Vox site within seconds.

First Impressions

While some praised the Nokia N93 we weren't so keen: it was bulky, unslightly and something that we wouldn't want to be seen with.

Fast forward a year from our First Look experience all that seems to have changed. The new N93i version, although by no means small, the size has come down noticeably, while the feature set including the Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and the 3 megapixel camera mean that if you are looking to capture your life on the go, this might just be the camera phone to do it with.

Review Recap

Made by: Nokia
Price as reviewed: £Price dependent on contract
Latest price: Compare prices
The good: 3 megapixel camera, design means you hold it like a camcorder, Wi-Fi, 3G
The bad: Still large, casing is easily smugged
First Impressions: If you are looking to capture your life on the go, this might just be the camera phone to do it with