Nokia N70 (Symbian Smartphone Review)

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Solidity, power, elegance – all this is about Nokia N70. For the first time, I saw it in person when I already owned 6630. At that moment, I sincerely admired Nokia. What great smartphones they made!

After all, it is one thing to make a couple or three successful models and quite another thing to reach a level where each new product is a priori considered a contender for primacy in its class.

I do not mean only flagships. After all, Nokia N70 was released simultaneously with N90 and N91, which were considered the series’s senior models. However, our hero became a significant smartphone even without flagship status. At least for its versatility.

The fact is that 2005 had marked by a quick and quite controversial decision in the OS Symbian. A new 9th version of the operating system came out, which was utterly incompatible with its predecessors. That, for a second, is more than half a decade of painstaking work.

That is, Nokia deprived owners of the next generation of Simba-based smartphones of hundreds of applications. Among them were many exciting programs, as well as games (including N-Gage releases).

Fortunately, the Nokia N70 remained a representative of the old guard. The bonus of powerful hardware made it a true flagship of the “veterans.” Yes, the most expensive was the N90, but it was not always so convenient to use.

Design
Technical Specifications
Gaming Opportunities
Multimedia
Means of Communications
Battery Life
Conclusion

Design

As for the look, after Nokia 6630, it seems to be grayish and a little boring. But I am sure that this design will have its admirers. In essence, it is an ordinary monoblock of classic forms.

However, it is necessary to mention the stylish-looking front camera. It gives a unique sophistication to the device.

The only weak point of the phone is the keyboard’s convenience, which leaves much to be desired. The keys are too close to each other, and it’s not always comfortable to use them.

Technical Specifications

The device runs on Symbian 8.1a and has an ARM9 processor with 220 MHz as a heart. Onboard there is 53 MB of RAM and 22 MB of internal memory. It also supports RS-MMC memory cards up to 2GB.

The device’s primary camera is a two-megapixel matrix with flash and autofocus covered with a remarkable shutter on the back. The front camera takes pictures at a resolution of 0.3 megapixels.

Gaming Opportunities

As you may already know from my previous smartphone reviews, players could not emulate N-Gage games for a long time – enthusiasts could run their complete list only on the same-name devices. However, various solutions are beginning to develop, making it possible to run many retro games on modern smartphones. It makes me genuinely happy.

However, agree that playing on a physical keyboard is much more comfortable than the imaginary, which had located on the touch screen. So the sweet highlight of the “veterans” is that they can partially run games for Nokia N-Gage. But the most fortunate in terms of compatibility is the N70.

Most of the N-Gage games ran on it. Sometimes they were flying faster on it thanks to the more powerful processor and larger RAM.

Also, I heard a rumor on the net that Music Edition isn’t adapted to N-Gage games well, and not all of them run on it. I will not confirm or deny this assumption because I have not personally tested it. Perhaps some of you, friends, are aware of it. I will be grateful for the answer in the comments section.

Multimedia

This Nokia phone has a classic version and Music Edition one. The difference is in the casing color (the ME is darker) and slightly updated software.

However, there are no significant differences, and both devices are pretty powerful in using them in the role of multimedia computers. The multimedia button in the Music Edition has turned into a button to start the player, which is identical to the same application in Nokia 6630 Music Edition.

The external speaker provides clear sound, but I would like more volume here. The headphones’ sound is a priori on the level, as in the other representatives of the N-series. After all, this line had been positioning by the Finns as multimedia smartphones.And, by the way, it became famous deservedly.

As for our hero, many people liked the presence of the radio among the programs. The fact is that mobile brands released many smartphones at the time without its support, which sometimes upset users. For example, in Nokia 6630, it was absent. However funny it may sound, I noticed such a nuance only when working on this material.

Means of Communications

The smartphone boasts the presence of 3G, Bluetooth and Edge. There is also a USB port through which you can connect to a desktop. To say about the availability of SMS, MMS and GPRS are somehow embarrassing. And it is possible to receive calls in both GSM and WCDMA networks.

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Battery Life

The device works for a few days in medium workload mode. If you play four or more hours in games or surf the Internet, this value drops to one day. In general, it’s the standard picture for Symbian OS smartphones.

Conclusion

Nokia N70 can be considered the crowning glory of the golden era of Symbian – the second generation of the 60 series. After all, N90 is more about image than about everyday usage. In the following years, Simba started to fade away little by little.

I recommend Nokia N70 to everyone who wants to find a single device to get acquainted with N-Gage and Symbian games. And that’s all for today, friends. See you in future articles!