Nokia N73 Review
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Alfredo Padilla Published on May 04, 2007 Comment on this |
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The Nokia N73 is part of Nokia's consumer oriented N-Series of smart phones running Symbian Series 60. Nokia has not had much success in getting carriers to pick up its N-Series devices in the United States, thus the phone is only available unlocked, which means that the price ($429.99 from Nokia USA) will give some pause. Still, if you can get past the price tag you will find a very well featured handset that provides a wide range of functionality. The feature that will stand out the most is the 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. In our tests we found the camera to be one of the best we had found on a mobile phone, although it still lags behind even low end point and shoots. Symbian Series 60's personal information management and email features are good, albeit not as robust as Windows Mobile. The music player on the Nokia N73 is very good, especially when complemented with a large capacity Mini SD card. Video capabilities are less impressive, but as a smart phone you can improve those with third party software if you choose. The web browser found on Series 60 devices is one of the best out there, although it can tax the limited 48 MB of RAM on board. Overall we found the N73 to be an excellent multimedia device for those who are willing to pay the premium for an unlocked phone.
[page title="Tour & Design"]
Front Closed
Left
Top
Bottom
Right
Back
Battery Out
In the Box (6.5)
Handling (6.0)
Handling the Nokia N73 you cannot help but notice that it is a blocky phone. When you pick it up you notice that it is lighter than expected given its dimensions. It does feel a little slick and we found it slipped out of our hand easier than we would have liked. We were pleased with the sliding cover for the camera lens as is less obstrusive than the sliding cover used on the N73's predecessor the N70. We found the Nokia N73 to be harder to handle than some regular phones like the Krzr K1m, but easier than larger smart phones like the Treo 750. We found the T-Mobile Dash to be easier to handle due to the soft touch paint and slimmer form factor.
Portability (7.0)
At 4.33 x 1.93 x .75 inches the Nokia N73 is a rather largish handset, especially when compared to regular phones like the Krzr K1m or LG Chocolate. As we mentioned it is lighter than expected weighing in at 3.95 ounces. This means that although you will notice the larger size in a pocket it won't weight you down too much. It should fit easily into any purse or hand bag.
Aesthetics (5.0)
Nokia has never been big on making their N-Series lineup of smart phones very attractive. With the N73 they have made a small attempt by offering the Nokia N73 in both silver/plum and white/red configurations. Despite these options for colors the Nokia N73 isn't going to win any rewards as it is blocky with few attempts to add styling. It certainly doesn't compare well to phones like the Krzr K1m or Upstage when it comes to looks. When compared to other smart phones like the T-Mobile Dash or Treo 750 the Nokia N73 does better as it does look professional.
Durability (6.0)
We had some concerns about the Nokia N73's durability. The all plastic construction doesn't inspire confidence and the phone exhibited some creaks in handling. We always have concerns about moving parts, and the sliding lens cover on the back of the N73 has some play that worries us about its long term viability. That being said we'd be even more concerned about the camera lens if the cover wasn't there so we can't knock it too much.
[page title="Audio Quality"]
The N73 is an attractive handset, but that’s no use if the phone makes you sound like Bela Lugosi with a head cold. To examine the audio quality of a cell phone, we test them using a combination of software and hardware: the software is a professional audio analysis package called SoundCheck (from Listen, inc) and the hardware is a Head and Torso Simulator (H.A.T.S) from Brüel & Kjær. Both of these products are used by many of the cell phone manufacturers themselves to test their products. For more on how we test, see here. We test the phones in use as a handset (held to the ear), and we’ll be adding more tests soon to examine the performance of the speakerphone and the headset.
Sound Receive Frequency Response (4.47)
Our tests on the receive sound that the N73 produces (such as someone talking to you on the phone) had some serious issues; the frequency response of the N73 (shown by the blue line) was outside of the limits (indicated by the red line) for pretty much the entire frequency range. WE expect to see some variation here (and the limits account for this), but the N73 has a very odd frequency response: lower frequencies (on the left of the graph had a very poor response, while the higher frequencies on the right had a very strong response. This would make voices sound high and reedy, and could make it harder to understand what people are saying.
Sound Send Frequency Response (6.22)
Handset Side Tone (6.33)
[page title="Imaging"]
Resolution (3.98)
To test resolution we take photos of a resolution chart and then run them through the Imatest software. Imatest measures how many black and white lines the camera can discern before they start blurring together, a measure called line widths per picture height or lw/ph.
The Nokia N73 did a solid job in our resolution test posting scores of 946.4 lw/ph horizontally and 1126 lw/ph vertically. This is slightly better than the Sanyo M1 which scored 859.9 lw/ph horizontally and 773.4 lw/ph vertically. Compared to an entry level digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20 the Nokia N73 lags behind, as do all camera phones we have tested thus far. The Optio M20 scored 1682 lw/ph horizontally and 1620 lw/ph vertically. We score resolution slightly differently than our sister site digitalcamerainfo.com. If we used their scoring system the Nokia N73 would receive a score of 1.19.
Color (5.88)
To test color we take photos of the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart, which displays 24 different colors. We then run the photos through the Imates software, which compares the camera's produced colors to the chart's colors.
Imatest produces the chart above that shows the original colors in the small vertical rectangle, the adjusted colors in the middle rectangle and the original capture colors in the outer square. Imatest also produces the color analysis chart below. This chart indicates captured colors with a circle and ideal colors with squares. The longer the line between those two points the more innacurate the colors are.
As you can see from this chart the Nokia N73 had some trouble reproducing colors, with some yellows almost completely washed out and some minor drift in reds, blues and greens. The Nokia N73 ended up posting a solid score in our color test, however it was beaten out by both the Treo 750 and Treo 700p. It posted a similar score to the Sanyo M1 and T-Mobile Dash.
Noise (1.17)
We test noise by taking a series of photographs with the phone at various light levels. We then run the results through our Imatest software to calculate a noise score. The Nokia N73 did about average in our noise test at all lighting levels. As with most phones it did worse in low light, something you may be able to address by using the flash and/or the night mode.
Live Preview (7.5)
The live preview on the Nokia N73 does a good job of reproducing the image you are taking a photo of without jaggedness or artifacts. Where it does struggle a little bit is in terms of color, with colors on the screen being slightly washed out compared to what you get on the final photo. Compared to cameras on phones like the Krzr K1m or Razr V3m the live preview is very good. Compared to the Sanyo M1, whose live preview is very good, the detail is similar with the M1 having a slight edge reproducing colors accurately. Unlocked Standby to First Shot (3.77)
Unlocked standby to first shot is a measure of how long it takes to go from the home screen on the phone to taking a photo. The Nokia N73 took 5.3 seconds to take a photo from the home screen. This is a very slow time for a camera phone and is affected by the time it took for the auto focus lens to get the scene into focus and the fact that the camera interface took quite awhile to launch. The Nokia N73 did slightly worse on this test than the Sanyo M1, another phone with an auto focus lens, which took 4.9 seconds. It did however do better than the Treo 750, which lacks an auto focus lens and took 5.77 seconds to take a shot from standby. A good score for a regular compact camera is around 2 seconds, significantly better than the N73. Chances are you won't be able to catch a shot with the N73 that requires you to whip out your camera quickly.
Shot to Shot Time (1.56)
Shot to shot time is a measure of how quickly a camera can take a series of photos. To test shot to shot time we placed the Nokia N73 in burst mode and took a series of 5 shots, timing how long it took to complete this series. The Nokia N73 took 11.44 seconds to take a series of 6 photos. This works out to .52 frames per second. Although this is not as good as the Sanyo M1's 2 frames per second on burst mode, it must be noted that the N73 takes full resolution images in burst mode while the M1 took only low resolution images with its burst mode. The Pentax Optio M20 point and shoot camera took .7 frames per second in burst mode, signficantly better than the Nokia N73.
Shutter to Shot Time (0.65)
Shutter to shot time is a measure of how long it takes the phone to take a photo from the time you depress the capture button until it stops processing the image. Because the Nokia N73 is an auto focus camera we ran this test twice, once allowing the auto focus to get our shot into focus and once hitting the capture button as quickly as possible regardless of focus. When taking a quick shot like this we found that the Nokia N73's shutter to shot time was .6 seconds, however the shots were severely out of focus, making them useless. If you wait for the auto focus to capture focus the Nokia N73's shutter to shot time sky rockets to 3.1 seconds. This is a terrible shutter to shot time for a phone or a stand alone camera. The Sanyo M1, which also had to focus before taking the shot, took only .8 seconds, while stand alone digital cameras when using auto focus generally don't take more than .5 seconds to complete this test. The result is that you will have a very hard time taking action shots with the Nokia N73.
Interface (9.0)
Nokia has done a solid job with the camera interface on its N-Series devices and the Nokia N73 is no exception. The interface is very clean with the majority of the screen used as a veiwfinder. At the top left there is an icon that indicates whether you are in stills or video mode. At the bottom left are indicators for how many photos you can take before you run out of memory and what your current resolution is. Along the left are a series of icons that can be navigated with the joystick and provide access to most camera functions. These include exposure, white balance, color and ISO settings. To help those who don't recognize the icons pop up text will appear momentarily next to the icon when it is selected showing you what function it controls.
Photo Album Software Internal (7.0)
The Nokia N73's album software is called the gallery and is the same found on any of the more modern N-Series devices. It can be launched by using the dedicated key found on the right side of the phone. This software displays both videos and images in a carousel format in landscape orientation. The currently selected photo is displayed in the center of the screen and the five photos before and after it displayed as thumbnails along the left and right sides of the screen. Left and right on the joystick moves you between photos, while up and down jumps several photos at a time. There are also icons in the gallery that take you to Nokia pages where you can download videos or photos. Selecting a photo by pushing in on the joystick will display it in full screen. Here you have access to some basic functions form icons on the left side of the screen much as you do on the camera interface. These icons allow you to send a photo via MMS, bluetooth, infrared or upload it to the web. There are also several icons that allow you to print your photos directly to a bluetooth printer, start a slide show or delete the photo. As with all landscape oriented applications the soft keys are found on the right side of the screen. The top soft key takes you back to the carousel view while the lower when opens the options menu. This menu provides some more advanced functions such as editing the photo, assigning it to a contact, setting it as your wallpaper or moving it to another location on the phone.
We found that the gallery software was slow to load and once loaded could be very slow to create thumbnails, especially if you are dealing with a large number of photographs. Once thumbnails were loaded however it seemed to function well and provided a good range of functionality compared to the more limited photo album software found on most phones.
Manual Control (2.0)
As with most cameras that you find on cell phones manual controls on the N73 are limited. We were pleased to see scene modes that included items like sport or night mode, as well as the ability to create your own user defined mode. We were somewhat dissapointed that there was no manual control for white balance as many phones such as the Razr V3m or Krzr K1m include this feature. More advanced manual controls such as aperture priority mode and shutter priority mode where not present.
Zoom (1.0)
The Nokia N73 includes a digital zoom up to 20x. Although digital zoom can sometimes be helpful in most situations it is useless as all it does is enlarge a portion of the shot, leading to lost detail. You can get the same effect by zooming into a photo using desktop software. The Nokia N73 does not include the more useful optical zoom that is found on the N93 or N93i.
Focus (5.0)
Flash (4.0)
Metering (2.0)
White Balance (2.0)
Image Handling (8.0)
Video
Overall Video Score (7.5)
Video on the Nokia N73 is captured at a maximum of 352 x 288 pixels. Despite the fact that this is the same quality as video taken by the Treo 750 we found that the Nokia N73's video is significantly better, with fewer artifacts, bettery color and more detail. This may be due to the software side encoding of video as the Nokia N73 created MP4 video files while the Treo 750 used 3GP. Regardless we were very pleased with the video quality, it looked decent on our computer screen, althought it still looks pretty bad on a tv screen.
Video Resolution (6.13)
To test video resolution we shoot the standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and run stills from the video through the Imatest software. The Nokia N73 posted a solid score of 272.4 lw/ph horizontal and 224.8 lw/ph vertical. Of phones we have reviewed to date only the Sanyo M1 did better with a score of 247.5 lw/ph horizontal and 297.7 lw/ph vertical. Although it won't replace your camcorder any time soon the Nokia N73 will take better resolution video than most other phones.
Video Compression (2.0)
The Nokia N73 takes video in Mpeg-4 encoded .MP4 files. There is no option to change this encoding. We would have liked to see support for 3GP video, which is becoming a standard for mobile video.
Interface (8.0)
The interface for video capture on the Nokia N73 is very similar to stills capture only without as many options available. Video is still captured in landscape orientation with a line of icons along the left. In video capture mode there are only 4 icons available that can switch the camera back to stills mode and control scene modes, white balance and color. The top soft key is still assigned to exit while the bottom one opens the options menu. This menu gives you access to advanced settings such as turning audio on/off and video stabilization. At the bottom left is an indicator that shows how much video you can capture. While you are actually taking video it shows a timer that indicats how long you have been taking video. As with the stills camera we found the interface clean and easy to use.
Manual Control (0.0)
The Nokia N73 provides no manual controls for video capture.
Zoom (1.0)
As with stills capture a digital zoom is available for video capture on the Nokia N73. Digital zoom is of limited utility for video capture; the quality of the video drops quickly.
Editing (6.0)
The editing options available on the Nokia N73 are significantly better than those found on other phones. Not only can you cut sections of your video out, but you can also change the audio track for the video by adding a sound clip. These are options that we have not seen on any other phone and we were very happy to see them on the Nokia N73.
Modes (4.0)
The Nokia N73 a setting for MMS video, which you can access under video quality in the settings. We wish it was more accessible, but it is useful for those who like to send MMS video. You also have a single scene mode available, night mode, which can be accessed from the appropriate icon on the right of the screen.
[page title="Making/Receiving Calls"]
Dialing Speed (6.13)
To test how easy it is to dial on the Nokia N73 we make five test calls to five different numbers, timing how long it takes to go from the standby screen until we hit the send button. We take the average of these times for our score. The Nokia N73 completed our tests in an average of 3.26 seconds, a solid score for a candybar phone that pleasantly surprised us given the Nokia N73's small keypad. Flip phones like the Sanyo M1 and Krzr K1m generally post higher times because of the time it takes to open the phone up. It should be noted that like all candy bar phones if you consistently lock the keypad your dialing speed will be slower.
Talk and End Buttons (4.0)
The talk and end buttons on the Nokia N73 flank the joystick just above the keypad. The buttons are silver plastic, elongated and raised above the keypad below them. There is very little differentiation between them and the soft keys that lie above them however, which can lead to mistaken presses. We also found tactile feedback when the buttons were pressed to be very slight. We much preferred the call and end buttons on the Sprint Upstage or Krzr K1m.
Call Management (6.0)
Startup to Call (2.72)
To test how long it takes for the phone to start up and make a call we time this process using the same five number we used for dialing speed. We take the average of the five times for our score. The Nokia N73 took an average of 36.7 seconds to complete this test. This is a reasonable startup to call time for a smart phone, faster than the Treo 750's 42.26 seconds. It was however much slower than the Blackbery 8703e, which took only 10.8 seconds to go from startup to call.
Ring Volume (8.53)
To test ring volume we set the phone to maximum volume and choose the loudest ringer we can find on the phone. We then measure the volume from four inches away using a sound pressure meter. The Nokia N73 measured 85.3 decibels on our sound pressure meter in this test. This is about average for a phone, lower than the 88.7 decibels the LG Chocolate posted, but higher than the Sprint Upstage's 80.9 decibels.
Ringtone Customizability (6.0)
The Nokia N73 does allow you to use music files as ringtones, recognizing the MP3, AAC and WMA files we placed in the sounds folder on the memory card as ringtones. We are pleased to see this option as it is not available on many phones. We were not however able to create our own ringtones on the phone or edit existing ones.
Non Audio Alerts (10.0)
The vibrate alert on the Nokia N73 is a little soft for our liking; it would be easy to miss in a pocket or bag. But it is not as bad as that on the Krzr K1m or Sprint Upstage. You will be able to notice it in your pocket the majority of the time.
[page title="Messaging"]
Supported Email Services (6.0)
The Nokia N73's email client supports both POP3 and IMAP4 email servers, which means it will work with most email services. It does not have built in support for popular email services like Gmail, AOL and Yahoo, although you may be able to access these services via POP3 or IMAP4 if the service supports it. Push Email (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not support any push email services like Blackberry or Exchange server. You may be able to add this functionality in with software that is provided for Nokia's E-Series of phones, however we did not test this as we only review phones as they arrive out of the box.
Multiple Email Accounts (10.0)
The Nokia N73 does support multiple email accounts. We were able to create 5 different accounts on the phone.
HTML and Attachements (4.0)
The Nokia N73 does not support html email, displaying email in text only. It does support viewing of office documents using the view only version of Quickoffice for Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents and an Adobe viewer for PDF documents. It does not include a manager for zip files. Because the Nokia N73 is a Series 60 smart phone you can extend these capabilities with third party software if you choose.
Email Customizations (2.0)
The Nokia N73 has few options for customizing your email interface. You cannot change the font, size or color of the text displayed. You can add signatures to outgoing emails. We were not impressed with the options given that this is a smart phone.
Time to a New Message (3.85)
Email Usability (6.0)
Email on the Nokia N73 is integrated into the messaging application, with a separate mailbox for each email account. These mailboxes are listed at the beginning of the messaging application in addition to folders like drafts, sent and outbox. Selecting one of the email folders will take you to a list of your messages. You can move to other folders by moving left or right on the joystick. This is very similar to how Windows Mobile does things and we appreciate that you don't have to go back to the previous menu in order to get to another folder. In this view the right soft key takes you back to the main messaging interface while the left soft key opens a menu where you can access commands like retrieving email for the account or sorting your messages by date, sender or subject.
Once in a message the dialogue is fairly standard with the cursor starting in the To: field with the Cc: and Subject fields below this. Underneath the fields is the area where you enter the text. You can add a Bcc field via the menu. As with many Series 60 applications the right soft key is assigned to close the application while the left soft key opens an options menu. Using the menu you can add recipients, attachments and access other advanced options. Overall we found the email client on the Nokia N73 to be very usable. We found the email clients on the Blackberry 8703e and Treo 750 to be slightly better organized and easier to use. The Nokia N73 is comparable to the T-Mobile Dash in terms of usability.
Supported IM Services (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not support any instant messaging services out of the box. You can add this support in using third part software such as Agile Messenger.
MMS Support (7.0)
Multimedia messages are integrated into the Nokia N73's messaging client. All MMS messages come into the same inbox that is used for SMS and beamed files. We liked this integration and as such were all the more dissappointed by the fact that you could not turn an SMS message into an MMS message like on the Treo 750 or Treo 700p. We were pleased to see that you can easily send a photo or video via MMS from the camera or gallery applications.
The actual MMS interface looks identical to the SMS interface with To, Subject and text fields. You can add multimedia content to the message by using the left soft key and choosing insert object from the menu. The menu also gives you access to commands like adding a recipient from your contacts and creating a presentation for your MMS message. Overall we found MMS support on the Nokia N73 to be solid, with the inability to turn an SMS into an MMS the only fly in the ointment.
SMS Smiley Face Interpretation (0.0)
To test how well the Nokia N73 interprets smiley faces we sent a test SMS to the phone with four standard smileys. We were dissappointed to find that the Nokia N73 did not properly interpret our smileys as graphical representations but rather left them in text format. This is another place where the N73 lags behind other smart phones like the Treo 750 or Treo 700p.
SMS/MMS Ease of Use (6.0)
Time to a New SMS Message (2.34)
[page title="Organizer"]
Synchronization Ease of Use (6.67)
Synchronization on the Nokia N73 is handled by the included PC Suite. Setting up a partnership is as easy as installing the software, connecting the device and initiating a sync. We ran into no serious problems when using PC Suite. You can also synchronize the N73 with a Mac using iSync. It is easy to create a partnership from within iSync (make sure to set Bluetooth on the N73 to visible). You can then easily initiate a sync from within iSync.
PC Suite, which the Nokia N73 ships with, allows you to synchronize with PC via USB or Bluetooth. You can synchronize your calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with Outlook. Contact photos are also synchronized. On a Mac only Bluetooth synchronization is supported via iSync. Nokia's PC Suite allows you to synchronize your PIM information with a PC. You can synchronize with Outlook on a PC, however not with Eudora or the built in PIM applications. You can also synchronize with a Mac using iSync, although only Bluetooth syncing is supported on the Mac.
Alerts (5.0)
The Nokia N73 allows you to create alerts for both calendar appointments and tasks. We were pleased to see that you can enter any date or time you wish for when the alert will go off. You cannot choose the sound that will go off when the alert sounds, instead it uses the assigned task from the profile in use. When an alert goes off you will see an indicator on the screen with the item name and time and the screen will flash. You can choose to dismiss the item or snooze it for five minutes. If you miss the alert (it stops after 1 minute) there is no indication that you have done so, however it will sound again in five minutes just as if you had snoozed it.
Over the Air PIM Sync (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not support synchronization of your PIM information over the network. You may be able to add this functionality in with software that Nokia provides for its E-Series phones, however we did not test this as we only review handsets as they arrive out of the box.
Address Book
Adding Contacts (4.33)
Looking/Sorting/Search (3.5)
Fields (10.6)
Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (3.67)
The Nokia N73 supports speed dial, as you would expect from any phone today. You can assign speed dials through the speed dial application found in the tools menu or by opening the contact and choosing the appropriate option from the left soft key menu. Unfortunately only 8 speed dials are available unlike many phones that can support up to 99 different numbers. There was no support for voice tags, which is a shame as the voice command software on the Nokia N73 did not impress us.
We test voice command by trying to make a call to each of our five sample contacts with diverse names. The Nokia N73's voice command only recognized two of the five contacts. This means that many people will find the voice command software of limited use. In addition to dialing contacts voice command on the Nokia N73 also allows you to do things like change profiles and turn on Bluetooth. You can also add any application from the phone to this list and record your own voice tag if the voice command software doesn't do a good job. Too bad this option isn't available for contacts as well.
Calendar
Adding Calendar Items (5.27)
Calendar Views (4.22)
Overall we found the calendar views on the Nokia N73 very useful. The presence of tool tips in the monthly and weekly view makes them much more useful, while the daily view is well organized and provides the most information of all the views. We were dissapointed by the fact that you are not able to filter appointments in any of the views.
Fields (6.0)
The Nokia N73 offers the basic range of fields for creating appointments, including title, start and end, location and recurrence. We were also pleased to see that alarms can be set to go off at any time that you choose. We were not as impressed with the recurrence options as it limits you to one of five different recurrence patters and these do not include basics such as weekdays and weekends. We were also dissapointed to find more advanced options like categories, importance, notes and invitations were not available on the Nokia N73. We found the fields available to be better than regular phones but lagging behind other smart phones like the Treo 750.
ToDo/Tasks
Adding ToDo/Task (7.6)
ToDo/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (3.5)
Fields (5.0)
When creating a new task on the Nokia N73 your options are fairly limited. You can include a subject, due date, reminder and set priority for the task. More advanced fields like recurrence, categories and notes are not included. This is dissappointing as other smart phones such as the Treo 750 does include these more advanced fields, although it should be noted that phones running Windows Mobile Standard (formerly smartphone edition) like the T-Mobile Dash do not include even the basics found on the N73. We were happy to note that the reminder you set for a task is similar to calendar reminders in that it can be set for any time and date that you choose.
Notes
Adding Notes (3.31)
To test how easy it is to add a text note to the Nokia N73 we timed how long it took to add a simple note reminding us about a lunch appointment the next day. We start the timer at the home screen and repeat the test five times and take the average for our score. The Nokia N73 took an average of 15.12 seconds to add our sample note. This is slightly slower than the Treo 750, which took 11.65 seconds but also has the benefit of a QWERTY keyboard. It is however much faster than the Sprint Upstage, which took 29.72 seconds to add our sample note.
Note Interface (2.0)
Note Formatting (0.0)
There are no options to format your notes by changing font type, size or color. You also cannot bold, underline or italicize text.
Voice Memo (3.0)
[page title="Multimedia"]
Accessing Music Software (4.61)
Dedicated Music Controls (0.0)
The Nokia N73 has no dedicated controls for music, instead a plugin is placed on your home screen when music is playing that allows you to change the volume from the home screen and quickly switch to the music player. Unless this plugin is selected however not even the volume keys will work to change music volume.
Music Software Functionality and Organization (8.0)
Online Song Downloading (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not support any direct music download services.
Streaming (0.0)
The Nokia N73 was unable to play streaming music from our test website. This includes streaming MP3, WMA and Real audio. We were rather dissappointed to see this in a smart phone as other phones such as the Treo 750 or T-Mobile Dash were able to play streaming WMA music.
Podcast Support (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not ship with any software for downloading and organizing podcasts. Nokia does however offer a free download of podcast software that provides excellent functionality.
Music Sync with PC (7.0)
You can synchronize music to your Nokia N73 by connecting the device by to your PC with the included USB cable and choosing Data Transfer mode. Windows Media Player on the PC will then recognize your device as a storage device, allowing you to easily move music over.
Music Formats and DRM (3.5)
The Nokia N73 supports most major music formats, including AAC, Mp3 and WMA. Nokia's manual states that it "..can access content protected with OMA DRM 2.0 and OMA DRM 1.0." You should check with your content retailer to find out if their content is comptible with this type of DRM. We know for a fact that iTunes protected content is not, however some online music stores that use Microsoft's Plays For Sure content may be compatible.
Music Interruption (10.0)
The Nokia N73 handled interruption of music playback by a phone call admirably; pausing the music while the call was taken and then restarting playback from the same point when the call ended.
Video
Video Software Access (2.05)
Video Controls (4.0)
When playing back a video on the Nokia N73 you can use the joystick up/down to fast forward or rewind. Pressing in on the joystick pauses the video and pressing in again will allow you to restart it. The left soft key also pauses the clip and when paused will give you access to the options menu. The volume rocker keys on the right side of the phone control playback volume. We were not particularly impressed with the video controls on the N73 as we found them unintuitive. We preferred the controls found on Windows Media Player on the Treo 750 or T-Mobile Dash which provide more controls and allow you to reconfigure the controls for your own needs. Video Software & Organization (1.0)
The Nokia N73 uses Realplayer for video playback. We were not impressed with this software as there are no library management features and most functions are unintuitive. For example when you press in on the joystick to pause video playback you would expect that pressing in again would restart it, and it does, but first it makes you choose continue from a menu that pops up. Similarly the only way to switch to full screen while a clip is playing back is to first pause the video and then choose "continue in full screen" from the menu. Video software like Windows Media Player on Windows Mobile devices is much more polished and easy to use.
Realplayer on the Nokia N73 does not include any video management features failing to include a library or support for playlists. If you want to organize your videos you will need to do so in the gallery or at the file folder level. This is dissapointing for a device that Nokia markets as a multimedia computer.
Video Sync with PC (7.0)
As with music you can synchronize videos to your Nokia N73 by conneting the device by to your PC with the included USB cable and choosing Data Transfer mode. Windows Media Player on the PC will then recognize your device as a storage device, allowing you to easily move videos in your library over.
Video Formats (3.0)
The Nokia N73 manual states that it supports .3gp, .mp4 and.rm encoded files, however it also states that it is unable to open files that are not compliant with 3GPP standards. We saw this first hand as our sample .mp4 files encoded in H264 caused the phone to crash. We were able to play two of our three test .3gp files, those encoded with H263, and we were also able to play our test .rm files, although it did not create a thumbnail in gallery. Other file formats such as windows media, flash and quicktime were not supported. We wish that Nokia had invested in better codecs for the Series 60 platform as it is just confusing for users to tell them that it will play some files in some formats. Not to mention that having one of those possible suppported file types lead to a total freeze of the phone is simply unacceptable.
Video DRM (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not support DRM protected video.
Video Playback Smoothness (10.0)
To test video playback smoothness we play back five different 3GP files of increasing bit rates to see at what point the phone starts to struggle with video playback. We were happy to see that all five of our test 3GP files ranging from 48kbps to 768kbps played back without problem.
Online Video Downloading (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does allow you to download videos via the built in link in the gallery, however this video download service is extremely limited with only five small videos available, as such we did not award any points for it. True video download services that give you access to premium content are not supported by the N73.
Video Streaming unscored
Because there is no standardization of streaming video we do not score this section. We do however test a couple of sites to see if the phone is able to handle streaming video. The Nokia N73 was able to handle streaming 3GP video from zoovision.com, but was unable to handle streaming windows media video from windowsmedia.com. This is what we would expect given that the N73 does not support windows media video.
[page title="Software"]
OS (8.0)
Home Screen Score (7.0)
Series 60 on the Nokia N73 provides users with a home screen that is called the Active Standby screen. From here you can get basic information like time & date, signal strength and battery status at the top of the screen. Below these indicators is a user customizable line of six icons that can launch six different programs. Below this are plugins, much like you find on Windows Mobile devices. These plugins provide information about your calendar, tasks or music (when playing) at a quick glance. Selecting and launching a plugin will take you to the associated program. Unlike Windows Mobile, there is no central location to turn plugins on or off, and third party developers have not embraced these plugins the way Windows Mobile developers have.
At the bottom of the home screen are the two indicators for the soft keys. By default these are assigned to Messaging for the left soft key and Clock for the right soft key. These can also be changed by users. Overall we found the home screen on the Nokia N73 to be well organized with very good functionality.
Extensibility (8.0)
As a smart phone operating system Series 60 allows you to install a wide range of native third party applications. There are literally hundreds of applications available, both free and retail. Applications can be installed from your desktop using the included PC Suite software, or you can install applications directly on your phone. Series 60 also supports most java applications, with support built into the operating system natively, obviating the need for a separate java midlet manager as found on many Windows Mobile devices. We were very pleased with the extensibility available on the Nokia N73.
Customizability (7.0)
Series 60 on the Nokia N73 provides a good range of customization options. In addition to the ability to change the soft keys and program shortcuts on your home screen, you can also re-arrange the icons in the applications menu, including creating new folders. You can also change the background of the home screen with any picture or graphic, as well as change the look of the entire interface using themes. We were dissapointed that there was no way to change your text font or size, an important accessibility option for some. Overall we were pleased with the customization option on the Nokia N73.
OS Responsivness (5.0)
We found Series 60 on the Nokia N73 to be a little slower than we would have liked, with large programs like the web browser and gallery opening very slowly. That being said, once a program has been launched it responds well and switching between programs is quick. As with many other Series 60 devices from Nokia we also have concerns about the fact that only 48MB of RAM are included in the device. This is 16MB less than Windows Mobile devices and can lead to programs shutting down in the background, or even all programs shutting down when running things like the web browser.
Gaming (5.3)
Browser Features (8.0)
The Nokia N73 ships with two web browsers. The first is the modern browser that Nokia is shipping with all Series 60 devices. This browser does an excellent job of handling web pages, with support for javascript, images, frames, encryption and cookies. It also supports RSS feeds, saving them in a separate web feeds folder in your favorites. We were dissapointed however by the fact that the browser does not support WAP pages. To view such pages correctly you will need to use the older Services browser included on the phone. Despite this oversight we found the features available on the main web browser to be very impressive, one of the best we have seen on a mobile device.
Browsing Interface (9.0)
Browser Access (8.0)
To test how easy it is to access the web browser we count the number of steps necessary to launch the browser and navigate to our web site. We choose to count steps instead of doing a timing test to take network performance out of the test. Entering the web address is counted as a single step. The Nokia N73 took five steps to launch the web browser and navigate to our page. This is an excellent score, the same as the Treo 750 and one step faster than the T-Mobile Dash by one step. The Nokia N73 is helped in this test by the fact that a shortcut to the web browser in included on the home screen by default.
Calculator (5.0)
Alarm (1.0)
Document Software (4.0)
Other Software (2.0)
[page title="Battery Life"]
Call Time (9.36)
The Nokia N73 ships with an 1100 mAh battery. To test call time we make a call to the phone using Skype and play an audio book to simulate someone calling the phone and talking at length. We then time how long it takes for the battery to run out. The Nokia N73 lasted 7 hours and 48 minutes in our call time test. This is an excellent time for a phone, beat out only by the T-Mobile Dash, which lasted 8 hours and 20 minutes. Th eN73 is sold unlocked and can work with any GSM network; our test was done using Cingular's GSM network.
Music Playback (7.09)
To test music playback we set an album to loop continuously at maximum volume. We then time how long it takes for the battery to run out. The Nokia N73 lasted an impressive 9 hours and 51 minutes in our test. This is about the same as the Blackberry 8800, and although it was worse than the Treo 750 and Sprint Upstage it is significantly better than most phones we have tested.
Web Browsing (4.92)
To test battery life when web browsing we point the phone's browser at a website that is programmed to reload every thirty seconds. We then ensure that the phone's screen stays on and time how long it takes for the battery to run out. The Nokia N73 lasted 4 hours and 6 minutes in our browsing test. This time is not as good as the Nokia N73's talk and music playback times, falling short of the Sanyo M1's 4 hours and 35 minutes and T-Mobile Dash's 5 hours and 25 minutes. It did however beat out the Treo 750, which lasted only 3 hours and 3 minutes. We were a little dissapointed by the Nokia N73's web browsing time given it's solid performance in our other battery tests. We tested web browsing on Cingular's network.
Idle Time unscored
In order to ensure that we deliver our reviews in a timely fashion we do not test battery performance on standby for phones. Nokia's stated standby time for the Nokia N73 is 14.5 days.
[page title="Connectivity"]
Cellular Bands (8.0)
The Nokia N73 is a quad band GSM phone that supports the 850/900/1800/1900 bands. This means that the N73 will function on any GSM network worldwide. Being a world phone is a nice feature for travellers that want to take their phone with them as they can simply purchase a SIM card for the phone and pop it in wherever they are.
Data Support Score (4.0)
The Nokia N73 supports GPRS and EDGE data on all four of its GSM bands. EDGE tops out at about 230 kbps. The Nokia N73 also supports 3G data via UMTS on the 2100 Mhz band. This band is used in Europe and Asia, but unfortunatley will not be compatible with any North American networks. The Nokia N73 is a high end data device and in an age where other such devices like the Treo 750 support global 3G bands we are extremely dissapointed that the N73 does not do so as well. The Nokia N73 does not support the faster HSDPA standard for 3G.
Bluetooth (6.5)
Wi-Fi (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not support Wi-Fi.
Infrared (7.0)
The Nokia does support infrared for short range connectivity with other infrared devices. Although an older technology it is still widespread and we were happy to see support for it.
[page title="Hardware"]
Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (6.98)
To test how easy it is to enter text on the Nokia N73 we timed how long it took to enter a sample piece of text using predictive text and two hands. We repeated this test five times and took the average for our score. The Nokia N73 took an average of 27.5 seconds to enter our sample text. This works out to 34.9 words per minute (WPM). This is a good score for a phone with a regular keypad, slightly slower than the Sprint Upstage's 37.5 WPM and the Sanyo M1's 36.4 WPM, but significantly faster than the Razr V3m's 29.4 WPM and the LG Chocolate's 25 WPM. The Nokia N73's keypad is very small, and the keys are somewhat squishy when pressed, however we found it fairly easy to type on, especially considering its size. T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
The Nokia N73 supports T9 predictive text entry, but not word completion. You can turn T9 on and off, as well as access clip board functions using the pencil key found to the bottom left of the keypad. The T9 predictive text entry is not always available, for example you cannot access it when entering website addresses.
One Hand Usability (6.57)
For the sake of completeness we also run our words per minute test using a single hand. The Nokia N73 was only slightly slower using a single hand when compared to two handed text entry, completing our sample text in an average of 29.22 seconds. This works out to 32.85 words per minute, which is about the same as the Sanyo M1 and Sprint Upstage. We did find the phone got a little hard to hold after awhile because of the low position of the keypad, which makes it top heavy.
Keypad Backlighting (6.0)
The keypad backlight on the Nokia N73 is controlled by a light sensor, which turns it on in low light situations. The duration of the backlight is controlled by the same setting that controls screen backlighting. We found the blue backlighting to be only average, with light bleeding out along the edges of the keys and the symbols on the keys not very clear or bright.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (5.0)
The Nokia N73 uses a joystick rather than the more common directional pad found on phones. The joystick sits in the middle of the control keys above the keypad. It is silver plastic and a little slick, but we found it easy to use in general. Still, we would have preferred a larger and more comfortable directional pad as found on the T-Mobile Dash.
Touch Screen (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not have a touch screen.
Jog Dial (0.0)
The Nokia N73 does not have a jog dial.
Soft Buttons (4.0)
The soft buttons on the Nokia N73 flank the joystick above the send and end keys. The keys are long and like the send and end keys are slick silver plastic. They are not well differentiated from the send and end keys below them, which can lead to some mistaken presses. When pressed there is not much play or tactile feedback.
Volume Control (4.0)
The volume controls on the Nokia N73 are located on the right side of the phone near the top. The key is a rocker with the top and bottom slightly raised to provide tactile feedback for up/down. The volume keys double as the zoom in/out keys for the camera. When pressed there is very little play and almost no tactile feedback. We were dissapointed that the volume keys only control volume while in a call or in an application that is playing back sound. This means you cannot turn your ringer volume all the way down from the home screen for instance, instead you need to use profiles to control sounds.
Power and Standby (7.0)
The power key on the Nokia N73 is located on the top of the phone in the middle of one of the speakers. It is a round black key that is recessed to keep mistaken presses from happening. When pressed once it allows you to access the profile list, as well as options like shutting the phone off or ejecting the memory card. When you press and hold the key it will turn the phone off. Another press and hold will turn the phone back on. We found the power key on the N73 to be very functional and like that it is well placed to avoid mistaken presses.
Other Buttons (6.0)
In addition to the buttons we discussed above the Nokia N73 has several other buttons. Around the keypad are four buttons that control operating system features. On the left is a menu key, which allows you to quickly access the application menu from anywhere on the phone. A long press on this key will open a list of running programs. Below this key is a pencil key that allows you to turn predictive text on/off and access the symbols menu. You can also press this key and use the joystick to highlight text and then press it again to access clip board features like cut, copy and paste. This is a very nice feature that is not found on most phones.
To the right of the keypad is a multimedia key that launches a menu where you can access four different user customizable shortcuts. This key in combination with the shortcuts on the home screen mean that you most used programs are always within easy reach. Below the multimedia key is a "C" key that acts as a backspace when entering text. It will also shut down a program when in the running programs list. On the right side of the phone near the bottom you will also find the shutter key for the camera and a dedicated key for accessing the gallery next to it. We found these additional keys to be very helpful and were glad to have them.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.0)
The Nokia N73 has a QVGA 240 x 320 pixel resolution display. QVGA has become a standard for mid to high end phones in the market today, although it is lower than the 352 x 288 resolution screen found on some other Series 60 phones like the N80. Still, the display provides good detail when viewing pictures, videos, browsing the web or being used as a viewfinder. Our score for screen resolution is standardized based on the total number of pixels.
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (8.42)
Pixels per inch (PPI) is a measure of how dense pixels are packed into a screen. Higher pixel density leads to richer colors and sharper details on the screen, while lower pixel density can leave a screen looking washed out. The Nokia N73 has a pixel density of 168.4 pixels per inch. This is an average pixel density, similar to the T-Mobile Dash and Treo 700p. It is not as good as the Sanyo M1 or LG Chocolate which both have pixel densities around 200 PPI.
Screen Physical Size (6.0)
The Nokia N73 sports a display 2.4 inches diagonal. This is larger than the standard for mobile phones which is usually around 2 inches diagonal. We appreciated the additional screen real estate as it is helpful for watching videos, looking at photos and surfing the web. You do give up something in terms of pixel density however, as you saw above.
Screen Brightness (6.0)
To test screen brightness we point a phone's browser at a blank white web page and turn the screen brightness up to maximum. We then use a lux meter to measure how bright the screen is from two inches away. The Nokia N73 had an impressive brightness of 95 lux. This is significantly brighter than any other screen we have tested to date. The Nokia N73's screen does not adjust automatically to lighting conditions, however you do have 5 brightness options to choose from in the settings.
Screen Bright Light Performance (7.0)
To test a screen's bright light performance we shine 3000 lux of light onto the screen and judge how legible it is. 3000 lux is comparable to a bright sunny day. We found the Nokia N73's screen to be very legible in bright light. We were able to see icons and move about the interface easily, although the text was a little hard to read because it is so small.
Color Depth (8.0)
Color depth is a measure of how many colors a screen can display. The more colors it can display the more true images on the screen will be. The Nokia N73 is able to display 262,144 colors. This is similar to the Sanyo M1, and is significantly more than Windows Mobile devices, which are limited to 65,000 colors. Our score for color depth is standardized based on how many colors can be displayed.
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (2.0)
The Nokia N73 uses proprietary ports for both charging and data. The charging port is a new slim version of the traditional Nokia charging port. There is an adaptor for use with older chargers included with the device. The data port is Nokia's Pop-Port connector. Although the Pop-Port has become somewhat standardized due to the popularity of Nokia phones, we would have much preferred to see a Mini USB port. Headphone & Jack Compatibility (0.0)
The Nokia N73 uses the proprietary Pop-Port for headphones. We were happy that the phone shipped with a pair of stereo headphones because you won't be able to use your standard 2.5mm or 3.5mm headphones unless you get an adaptor. We were dissapointed that the N73 does not support bluetooth profiles for wireless stereo headphones. We do not award any points to phones that use proprietary ports for headphones.
Internal Storage (1.0)
The Nokia N73 has 42MB of internal storage. This is sufficient for PIM information like contacts and calendars, but won't store many photos, music or video. The N73 also ships with a 128MB Mini SD card, which helps a little, but we recommend you invest in a higher capacity card if you want to use all of the phone's multimedia features.
Expansion Slot & Format (6.0)
The Nokia N73 support Mini SD cards, which are currently available up to a maximum of 4GB. Nokia states however that the N73 is only capable of handling cards up to 2GB. The Mini SD card slot is located on the bottom of the phone and is protected by a hard plastic cover that is attached to the phone. It is spring assisted, however we found that the cover when open sits right over the slot, making it a little awkward to get cards in or out.
[page title="Other Features"]
Tethered Modem (6.5)
The Nokia N73 can act as a tethered modem for your PC via Bluetooth or USB cable. You can also use it as a Bluetooth modem with a Mac. Setup on a PC is simple using Nokia's PC Suite, although you may need to get the appropriate settings from your service provider. Bluetooth setup on a PC is a little more involved, and may require that you open up the appropriate ports. Setup on a Mac is simple and straightforward, although again you will need to get the settings from your service provider.
Radio (5.0)
The Nokia N73 also includes an FM radio, a feature that is becoming more common in cell phones. In order to use the radio you will need to have the headset attached, as it uses the headset as an antenna. We found the radio did well, although signal strength was a little spotty. You can easily search through stations and set favorite stations. It is nice to see this feature on a multimedia device, and we hope to see it become a standard feature on phones.
[page title="Value & Comparisons"]
Value (5.0)
The Nokia N73 is not available from any U.S. carrier. You can buy the phone unlocked for use on T-Mobile or Cingular directly from Nokia USA for $429.99. This is a hefty price for a phone considering that American consumers are used to paying subsidized prices for phones. Still, considering the functionality that is packed into the N73, including a very good camera for a phone and all of the flexibility that comes with a smart phone the price isn't totally unreasonable. It is comparable to what you might pay for a high end smartphone like Treo's from some carriers. It is however significantly more than what a T-Mobile Dash or Motorola Q will cost you. You may be able to purchase the phone for less from a third party retailer.
Comparisons
T-Mobile Dash - The T-Mobile Dash is a consumer oriented Windows Mobile smart phone that provides solid functionality as both a PIM and multimedia device. The Nokia N73 compares well with the Dash and adds a much better camera into the mix. The major difference between the two is price, if you are willing to pick up T-Mobile service the Dash can be had for $200 without a contract, significantly less than the N73. However if you purchase the Dash outright, or buy the HTC S620 (the unlocked version of the Dash) prices become much more comparable. 
Sanyo M1 - The Sanyo M1 is not a smart phone, however it does sport a capable 2 megapixel camera and good multimedia functionality with 1GB of built in storage. As a smart phone the Nokia N73 is going to provide much better functionality for personal information management as well as the ability to extend the device's capabilities with native third party programs. The N73's camera is also slightly better, although the difference is not as great as you would expect. As an unlocked phone the N73 is also significantly more expensive than the Sanyo M1, which can be had for $99.99 with a two year contract from Sprint. Still, if you are looking for smart phone functionality and the best camera that we've reviewed to date on a phone you will want to go with the N73. 
Treo 750 - Targeted more at the prosumer and business market the Treo 750 is a full featured Windows Mobile smart phone that provides slightly better PIM functionality than the Nokia N73. What you give up with the 750 however is size, as packing in a full QWERTY keyboard adds considerable bulk, and camera performance. Although the 750 has a respectable 1.3 megapixel camera, and actually did better in our color test than the Nokia N73, when you take the whole package into account the N73's camera is significantly better than the 750's. The trade off here is really better camera vs. QWERTY keyboard, with most other things cancelling out or coming in even. [page title="Conclusion"]
Who's It For Business User
The Nokia N73 may be a good choice for a business user who wants solid functionality and battery life from a smart phone coupled with a good camera and multimedia features. However business users that need to carry a phone without a camera will need to look elsewhere, perhaps at Nokia's E-Series of phones.
Budget Callers
Budget callers should definitely not consider the Nokia N73 due to its high price tag. If you are looking for a smart phone on a budget The Cingular 3125 may be a good choice. If you are just looking for a basic handset several can be had for under $50 with a two-year contract from most carriers.
Chatty Teenager
The Nokia N73 may be a good choice for a chatty teenager that wants good multimedia functionality to go with an excellent camera and talk time. However the N73 is not exactly a sexy handset, and this may be a turn off for those looking for a fashion phone. The price tag may also be a turn off for the parent(s).
Media Maven
The Nokia N73 is a very good choice for media mavens that are looking for an all in one solution. The N73 couples a very good camera with an excellent music interface and expandable storage. The one place where it falls down is in the area of video, where Real Player is sub par compared to other offerings. Still, there are third party programs available like SmartMovie, that improve on Realplayer's functionality, and other than this glitch you will be hard pressed to find a more complete media centric phone.
Conclusion
The Nokia N73 is an excellent example of the modern converged device. Although it falls short in a few places, we found that it did enough things well enough to meet most users needs. Symbian Series 60 is a mature smart phone operating system. We like the ability to add native third party software, especially as this allows users to address some of the N73's drawbacks like Real Player. We did find some stability issues however, especially when running RAM intensive programs like the web browser or camera. This is likely related to the 48MB of RAM built into the N73. At a time when Windows Mobile devices come with 64MB standard we wish that Nokia would stop penny pinching with their smart phone lineup.
On the multimedia side the N73 does a very good job with camer and music, but falls short in video. The 3.2 megapixel camera on board is one of the best we have seen on a cell phone, however it does still fall short of what you will see from an entry level point and shoot. The N73 sports a very good music player that combined with a large capacity Mini SD card makes for a very good music device. We were less impressed with the N73's video playback functionality, with Real Player falling short of competitors like Windows Media Player Mobile.
Personal infomration management on the Nokia N73 is solid, however power users will find that advanced functionality found on Windows Mobile devices like category support is missing from the N73. The N73's hardware feels a little plasticky, however we liked the large 2.4" QVGA screen and found the small keypad and control keys more usable than we had expected. The N73 is not as well connected as some of its other N-Series brethren, missing out on Wi-Fi. We were also dissapointed with the lack of stereo bluetooth support and must castigate Nokia for again failing to include support for North America 3G bands into their advanced N-Series lineup. Battery life on the Nokia N73 was generally solid, especially for talk time and music playback. Web browsing fell a little short of our expectations.
Overall we found a lot to like with the Nokia N73, and those willing to overlook its high price tag in North America could do a lot worse when looking for a converged multimedia phone.
[page title="Ratings & Specs"]
| Dimension | |
| Height | 4.33 |
| Carrier | Unlocked |
| Type | Candy Bar |
| Low Price | 429.99 |
| Width | 1.93 |
| Depth | 0.75 |
| Weight (including battery) | 3.95 |
| Physical | |
| Number of Screens | 1 |
| Main Sc | |