Nokia n91 Grey Cell Phone

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User rating   Not rated - Add review The Nokia N91 in gray is part of their Multimedia NSeries.  This device is a music smartphone that comes equipped with a 4 GB hard drive, music player, 3.5mm headset jack, stereo FM radio, and dedicated music keys.  Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB 2.0 with mass storage mode.  Other features include a 2 megapixel camera, speakerphone, Flash player, and EDGE data. View full phone specs View image gallery View reviews Compare against other phones Compatible accessories

Nokia's N91 is something of a breakthrough product in that its one of the first mobile phones to pack an onboard hard drive for media storage that measures in the Gigabytes, not Megabytes.  With 4GB of onboard storage (an 8GB special edition model is also available), the N91 has the same capacity as an iPod nano, making it a true contender to the "Holy Grail of Convergence" sought by manufacturers looking to replace your phone and music player with one device.

Problem is, as good as the N91 looks on paper, it doesn't quite deliver in hand.  The handset isn't lacking in features, what with WiFi connectivity, a 2MP camera, and Symbian Series 60 smartphone capabilities.  But it just doesn't have the look and feel of a true contender to the music phone throne.  Combined with its hefty pricetag, the growing capacity of flash memory cards — and yes, the flash and dazzle of the iPhone — Nokia's N91 feels like a great idea in need of some serious updating.

In a previous review, I called the Nokia N80 "a little brick of a cell phone."  If the N80 was a little brick, then the N91 is something approaching a cinder block.  To be fair, portable electronics have become so small and light that my frame of reference is no doubt skewed.  But compared to today's other state-of-the-art mobiles, the N91 is downright clunky. Measuring 113.1 x 55.2 x 22 mm
and weighing 164g, this slider phone is long, wide, thick, and heavy (though not quite as thick as the aforementioned N80).  Add to that a housing that flares out even wider at the top and a control panel that slides down even longer at the bottom, and you've got a phone that won't get lost in your pocket or purse, anyway.
 
The front of the N91 shows a 1.3 x 1.6" display flaned by a small speaker grille to the top and a row of controls - four buttons and a joystick - below.  Beneath the controls is a sliding panel with a five-key music control pad on its surface.  Sliding the panel down reveals a fourteen button dialing keypad beneath.  Despite the handset's ample size, the dialing keys are rather small and may pose some inconvenience for people with large fingers. 

On the back of the phone, the 2MP camera sensor is the sole visible feature.  The bottom portion of the back panel slides off to reveal the battery and SIM card slots. 

A single button on the top panel of the N91 controls power and profiles and sits adjacent to a lock switch, and a dual headphone/remote control jack.  The headphone jack is sized at 3.5mm, so it's compatible with standard stereo headsets.  The included in-line remote plugs into both jacks and replicates the front panel music controls as well as the 3.5mm headphone port.  The bottom of the handset has a single port for use with the included AC adapter.

Side panel features include a volume rocker switch and mini-USB port on the left and a battery release button on the right.  While I was pleased to see the inclusion of a standard USB port for connectivity, I was somewhat surprised by the lack of a dedicated camera button.

The N91's housing is made largely of steel parts, which gives it a solid feel that would be luxurious on a more sleekly designed handset.  Same with the silver chrome and grey color scheme.  As it is, the phone has an undoubtedly well constructed air to it, but its overall bulk and oddly-flared shape render it more gangly than sexy overall. 

Of course, much of the bulk can be attributed to the onboard hard drive which at the original time of the N91's conception was the only way to get 4GB of storage into a mobile handset.  With flash memory formats such as Sony's Memory Stick Pro series now available in 4 and 8GB models, however, that storage can easily be matched in a much smaller and lighter device.  Sony Ericsson's w950i Walkman phone features 4GB of onboard storage in a 15mm thick, 112g package, and the forthcoming iPhone promises up to 8GB in an 11.6mm thin package.  Nokia certainly could - and, I think, would do well to - release a flash memory based update to the N91 if they're serious about competing in the high end music phone space.

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Nokia n91 Grey in-depth review - Introduction & Design

Any handset make with a music phone on the market will now have to face the inevitable comparison to a certain computer company's newly unveiled entry into the mobile marketplace.  However as flashy as the iPhone looks to be, companies like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and LG have been equipping cell phones with digital music players for quite awhile now.  Nokia's N91 is something of a breakthrough product in that its one of the first...

Jan 24, 07, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: Nokia,  Nokia n91 Grey

Nokia n91 Grey in-depth review - Features

All of Nokia's N-Series handsets are multimedia monsters.  The N91 is the most music-centric of the phones, but still retains the smartphone functionality of all Series 60 Symbian devices.  The N91's music player does basically everything you'd want a digital music player to do - with the exception of displaying album art and certain flavors of copy-protected tracks.  The N91 can handle mp3, AAC/eAAC+, WMA and FM stereo audio,...

Jan 24, 07, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: Nokia,  Nokia n91 Grey

Nokia n91 Grey in-depth review - Display & Audio

The display on the N91 is good, but pales in comparison to screens found on other handsets in its price range, including those in Nokia's own N-Series.  I'm not quite sure why Nokia built the N91 with a 176 x 208 display when they'd already released the N80 with an ultra-high resolution of 352 x 416.  Reading text and viewing icons, images, and videos on the N91 is fine, but not on par with the experience yielded by the N80 or even...

Jan 24, 07, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: Nokia,  Nokia n91 Grey

Nokia n91 Grey in-depth review - Messaging, Internet & Connectivity

Like other Series 60 devices, the N91 has support for SMS, MMS, and IM messaging.  Messaging is available through cellular service as well as WiFi WLAN networks.  Use of the pre-installed IM client requires a bit more configuration than what's necessary on your standard T-Mobile or Cingular branded phone, but the third-party Agile Messenger client for S60 provides "off the shelf" support for AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, and ICQ instant messaging....

Jan 24, 07, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: Nokia,  Nokia n91 Grey

Nokia n91 Grey in-depth review - Conclusion

Things change quickly in the world of cellular telephones.  When the Nokia N91 was first announced just a year and a half ago, it was revolutionary for packing a staggering 4 GB of storage space into a mobile handset.  What you gave up in terms of form you got back in spades with one of the first phones that could truly double as a music player you could load up with an iPod-esque quantity of songs. Nowadays four gigs isn't even...

Jan 24, 07, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: Nokia,  Nokia n91 Grey

Nokia to Acquire Loudeye and Launch a Comprehensive Mobile Music Experience

Espoo, Finland / Seattle, USA - Nokia (NYSE:  NOK) and Loudeye Corp. (Nasdaq: LOUD) today announced that they have signed an agreement for Nokia to acquire Loudeye for approximately USD 60 million.  Loudeye is a global leader of digital music platforms and digital media distribution services. Under the terms of the agreement, Loudeye stockholders will receive USD 4.50 per share in cash for each share of Loudeye common stock. By...

Aug 8, 06, by phonedog - Add a comment - all about: Nokia,  Nokia n91 Grey

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Write your own Nokia n91 Grey review

Great Music Phone

Overall Rating:
5 out of 5

By: Da Zhang on Sunday, August 03, 2008
From: Portland, OR (United States)
Experience: 1 Years

Pros: 4GB as an Ipod nano, nice speaker to listen music, unique slide phone control pad, dont need SIM card to start the phone.

Cons: load really slow to get in Gallery,a little heavy.

Summary: I love this music phone so much becasue i usually have a Sony Ericsson Z750a Grey and an ipod with me when im heading out, that is not light at all, but with this phone, my pant wasnt sagging anymore.

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Re: Nokia N91 Expert review

Wonderfull phone. I've not yet touched that one. Thank you very much for the review. I think I should yet wait for some months to get that phone.

Mar 21, 07, by kisna -

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Re: Nokia N91 Expert review

Nice Review as usual [H]  Now we need to see the new BB 8800 in action!

Feb 20, 07, by RJ04 -

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