Nokia N78 Cell Phone Review - Value & Comparisons

Value (3.0)
The Nokia N78 is available from Nokia USA for $520 unlocked. The price of unlocked phones is a bit misleading as phones you get from a carrier with a contract are often subsidized to hide their true price. The truth is, however, that unlocked devices need to compete with these phones, so we can't just throw out the lower price you'll pay up front for a phone from your carrier. As such the N78 simply can't be considered to be a good value at its current price. The phone has a lot of positives like a capable camera and a flexible operating system, but frankly it falls below other devices like the N82, which is actually $19 less form Nokia's site, or the AT&T Tilt, which costs less than half as much with a contract. The N78 is the mid range of Nokia's smart phone lineup and it just doesn't justify a price north of five benjamins. We recommend waiting for the price to drop or seeing if you can pick it up for a lower price with a contract from an independant dealer.

Comparisons

Apple iPhone 3G - The N78 and iPhone 3G are in many ways an example of contrasts. The N78 has a very capable 3.2 megapixel camera with a lot of controls and options. The iPhone 3G's camera is less impressive and has almost no controls. The iPhone 3G has 8GB of built in storage and a large touch screen while the N78 has little built in storage and uses traditional, if sometimes fiddly, controls. Probably the biggest contrast is price, the iPhone 3G can be had for $300 less with a contract. That's the tie breaker for us, we'd go with the iPhone 3G unless you need a better camera, and if you do go with the N82 over the N78.

Nokia N82 - This one's no contest, the N82 has a better camera, better processor, support for N-Gage video games and costs $19 less. We really have no idea why you would pick the N78 over the N82 except perhaps the N78's support for AT&T's 3G network. That's not worth it to us, go with the N82.

LG Dare - The Dare is an example of a carrier subsidized phone that gives you a lot of the N78's functionality for a lot less. The biggest comparison between the two devices is the camera, both sport 3.2 megapixel auto-focus cameras that are comparable in terms of quality. The N78 is a smart phone that is far more flexible and extensible than the Dare, but if this doesn't matter to you save yourself $300+ and go with the Dare.

LG enV2 - The enV2 is a QWERTY equipped basic phone that is nowhere near as capable as the N78, but makes up for that by costing less than one fourth the price. If you don't need a smart phone we say save the money and go with the enV2. If you do need a smart phone, well there are a lot of other smart phones that don't cost as much as the N78 and are just as good or better.

Samsung Blackjack II - The Blackjack II is a very capable smart phone that runs the Windows Mobile interface. About the only thing the N78 beats the Blackjack II on is the camera. The N78's 3.2 megapixel auto-focus shooter is miles better than the Blackjack II's two megapixel fixed focus camera. That aside we'd go with the Blackjack II, and we're not sure if the almost $400 price differene between the two is worth the improved camera. Seems like you could buy yourself a decent point and shoot for that much.