Nokia N75
Phone Scoop Review
May 24, 2007 by Eric Zeman
Read our close-up look at Nokia's N75, a 3G phone for AT&T. Does it stand out in the high-end feature phone crowd? Plus Video Tour. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Fantastic, versatile flip phone
I purchased this Cingular-branded Nokia N75 in near-mint condition about two months ago for a very low price. I unlocked it myself, and I am enjoying it a lot.
The software on this phone is Symbian 9.1, S60 3rd Edition, with software version 20.1.172 (also known as "Tab Top"). Unfortunately, I don't like Tab Top, as it replaced S60's active standby feature in all Cingular/AT&T branded N75's. It would be alright for heavy internet/email/multimedia users, but I prefer to use the N75 as a PIM tool more than anything else. Unbranding the phone should remove "Tab Top".
In the N75, as in my Nokia 9300, the PIM features are strong; Symbian and Nokia's PC Suite make a formidable team.
The phone has an FM radio built in, but as with my Nokia 6085, a headset must be connected for it to work. However, the phone can pipe the FM radio through the built-in stereo speakers as long as a headset is connected to the pop-port (which is mounted upside-down, and sticks a little), so I no longer have to wear the headset to listen.
The keys on the phone's keypad are large and spacious, which is nice. Overall, I like the feel of this phone. The phone gets about one day of heavy use out of the battery when on 3G coverage (and about two and a half hours of talk time), and during normal use on a 3G network, I seem to get about two to three days out of a battery charge.
Pro's:
- 220 MHz processor; an improvement over my Nokia 9300
- easy-to-use calendar and document viewers
- decent 2.0 megapixel camera with flash
- great mp3 player/stereo speaker combo with Bluetooth streaming
- spacious keypad and navigation keys
- external controls and display work well
Con's:
- "Tab Top" stinks
- keypad is flat and untextured
- pop-port is built in upside-down
- battery life is not stellar
If this phone did not have "Tab Top", I could have given it four and a half out of five, instead of a four. Otherwise, I am enjoying the features on this phone. Thanks again Nokia!
Nokia got it right
Well this phone is what I expected and then some. The phone is sturdy and has excellent sound. The screen is vibrant and bright. The phone is easy to work and the radio option is awesome since I'm a gym freak great to have. The mp3 in it is easy to work and maneuver in. the 2mp camera is sufficient and comes with a nice flash. No dropped calls at@t is my provider. Also the volume is fantastic and clear. The phone also has some weight to it and fits well in hand.
Great phone fantastic price for all the stuff you get. Lots more that this phone offers and so far cant be any more happier. I come from the Samsung A717 phone and what garbage that phone was...Great phone Nokia...
well done Nokia
Had this phone since the end of the summer, and I gotta tell you I'm completely satisfied with this device!
PROS:
s60
convenient ambient light sensor
brilliant screens
great multimedia player
cheap (as in price)
suprisingly sturdy build
connectivity (bluetooth, infared, 3g, a2dp, etc...)
Could go either way:
a/v camera - it's great for a 2mp, but not quite a replacement for a camera
size
at&t service
battery lasts a lot longer than I thought, but still not not outstanding
CONS:
on/off button placement
lack of 3.5 mm jack for headphones
UMTS (rather slow type of 3g)
If I could, I would actually give this phone a 4.75 out of 5, but phonescoop limits me to rating it 4.5... so.... yeah... :D
excellent phone
I have had this phone for 2 plus month's and I love it. I had a Motorola V3 and it was good but this in much better.
PRO's
Great reception.
Clear sound on ear peice and speaker.
Looks nice.
Big screen.
Very nice camera.
Easy to use.
Con's
Hummmp.....just one,battery life could be better.
It is a good phone over all. I have had no problems at all with it.
Great mobile device!
I've had this phone for two weeks. I've downloaded Google Maps and Gmail and both applications work very well! I'm using the Cingular branded model on AT&T's network, with an unlimited data plan. I live in Oxford, Ohio, and I travel to Cincinnati and Chicago often.
Pros:
* Great calendar functionality
* Easy web surfing
* Loud ring tones & alerts
* Beautiful build quality
* Usable external screen
* Loud, clear call quality
* AT&T service
* S60 3rd edition OS
* Application availability
* Advanced phone book
Cons:
* Short battery life
* No extended battery available
* 600K maximum for ring tones
* Some application access restrictions
Great phone for power data users. I'm very happy with the N75! I would like to see the availability of an extended battery and also a battery charger (dock), so I can charge an additional battery for backup.
Download Google Maps, Gmail and Opera (if you have an unlimited data plan), as well as Calcium, a sweet calculator!
Good stuff
From ATT still locked and branded it's a great phone but once you debrand it, you have 60 mbs free instead of the 40. Also, once debranding lets you switch to UMTS only or GSM
Pros: Symbian. Completely amazing OS, edit so much, there is literally an infinite selection of powerful apps and games you can get.
Browser, download a slew of files from ANY website simultaneously, then hit "Hide" and continue browsing as you download. Branded and unbranded.
Screen is big&bright.
Call quality, is the best, I live in a area not on the ATT map, but I have usually 5 bars, (2 bars w/my samsung phone.)
Camera takes good videos.
Integrated Media player is the norm, Works fine and goes in landscape mode and regular, and streams. But I recommend downloading a player called Core Player from Corecodec, you can download any mpg, mpeg, little movie from the net to your phone not even using a wap site, just regular HTTP.
60 mb free when unbranded.
Stereo speakers on the side, you can shut the phone while you're on a call, Sync won't let me. I love Nokias.
Multitasking! As with other Nokia Smartphones, I can be chatting on Mig33 yahoo/aim, hold the menu button down to switch to a different app or game/media player. So chat as you browse, literally.
Buttons, on the side you have dedicated camera button, and taking pictures is super easy.
Cover display, you can do alot on this without ever opening the phone. Read texts, take videos/pictures, listen to music, profiles, different things.
Cons: Battery life. Although I have my screen as dim as it can get and it's still PLENTY bright enough, I never notice it being too dim, in fact I wish It could go lower. This saves on battery, also, GSM mode saves tremendously, all in all I get about a day with playing some games, surfing the net for about two hours, and some calls.
Camera: Though a good video taker, a green tint seems to hint at all my photos, however turning on fluorescent mode helps this.
Camera's green tint.
Great phone, I don't understand some of you people
I'm with evilhomer on this one. This is a phenomenal phone. It is a huge step up from my Samsung e317, and I love it. I've only had it for 2 days now but here's some of my breakdown.
Pros:
Pretty good looking, I think
HUGE gorgeous display
HUGE number keys that feel great
HUGE external display
Can do a lot with the external screen
Can customize almost every aspect, except where Cingular stops you.
Love the external speakers
Sound quality is great
Solid phone for the most part
Reception is crazy compared to my last phone
The camera is pretty good
BATTERY LIFE (its been 2 days, with moderate use and I still have a 70% charge left. yes, I did the packet data change.)
Cons:
A little disappointed with how the phone closes. My Samsung when it was closed stayed closed, whether I shook it or turned it upside down. This one, not so much so, and Nokia knows about it because I asked them. But its hardly noticable, and not really a big deal.
Cingular branded one ripped out menu stuff so you can't customize certain things, the jerks.
I hope you don't have to take the SIM card out anytime soon, its a pain.
Would liked to have seen a 2.5mm jack on it, but every company is moving away from it now.
Sure, it would be nice to have HSDPA.
I think if you're looking for a simple phone to use, you should get a Samsung. This definitely isn't for you. There is so much this phone has to offer despite Cingular pulling some things out of it. Great phone, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a powerful phone.
Unbranded N75
I have had both a branded and unbranded N75. I have decided never to go back to branded phones. I don't have the problems that some others have had with their N75s.
PROS:
Huge screens
Faster than EDGE for data
Unbranded unit can set 3g off
Customizable
Great build quality (seems better than the branded version)
Love the built-in browser
Great sound quality for calls and music
Great RF
Wizard for fast and easy setup
CONS:
None so far
I can highly recommend this phone, as long as it is the unbranded version. The branded one is OK, but not as user friendly.
Fix for Battery life
Menu
settings
Config
Connection
Packet Data
Change to "when needed"
that will improve battery life.
Great phone!!! Had a 6230 for 2 1/2 years.
More steps to do things like group text messaging (asking what number after I set defaults). Phone book is a nightmare for me with 862 contacts brought over from my 6230. I had the 3650 and used for a year. so I know the pros and cons to the operating system.
http://www.divshare.com/download/377196-930
A bit of a let down after a long wait.
I owned a Nokia 6230 for just over 2.5yrs. It was indestructible...well until the speaker finally quit recently. Forced to get a new phone, I picked up the Nokia 6126 last week because the AT&T store was out of the N75. Having had that phone a week I got my N75... After playing with it a week also, I'm returning it and going back to the 6126.
All of the pros you'll find on other reviews are wonderful. The screen, customizability, ease of function, media controls, etc... Even the battery life wasnt that bad. They're all great.
But I have 2 cons to add...
Emailing videos - You're limited to 600K, as well as using MP3s for ringtones, limited to 600K. I even copied an mp3 to the phone itself and it still was too large.
Also the alarm clock is basically useless. I changed all the tone settings and even tried the alarm on different profiles (other than silent) and it is still basically a whisper and not capable of waking anyone up.
Having owned now 7 nokias in my time, these gripes in the N75 surprise me. The idea is good, but the execution leaves much to be desired...
I moved many menus around, making the phone much easier to use. But still, performing the same tasks on the 6126 is much easier, so I'm taking the N75 back. It is near identical to the 6230 I had for many years.
