Tech Review: Nokia N9

Pros
• The unibody polycarbonate chassis is practically flawless—it’s unbelievably tactile, comes in black, magenta and cyan and swells at the back to nestle comfortably in your hand.
• Offering the highest Nokia smartphone resolution to date at 854 x 480, the AMOLED screen’s been beautifully-integrated with the curved Gorilla glass to create a picture that looks as if it’s floating just under the fingertips.
• The Nokia NFC (Near Field Communication) ecosystem features speakers and headsets that can be connected to the N9 via a mere touch. A second touch disconnects them.
• When locked, the screen shows only the time (and some notification icons) very dimly. Great for preserving battery life.
• An 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens means you get point-and-shoot quality photos.
• The Drive app is gorgeous—the turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation also comes with voice guidance and a map that features landmarks in 3D.
Cons
• Nokia fans will baulk at the absence of a physical camera key, which means more wobble. There’s a touch-to-focus feature, but it’s not the same.
• Both the micro SIM card and the absence of a removable battery pack are kind of disappointing.
• Swipe navigation is nice, but it takes a lot of getting used to.
Available for $799-899 from Starhub, Singtel and M1.