Nokia N79 Review

When people are being bombarded by the latest mobile phones that all want to be the best smartphone, it’s a bit of a joy to come across a quality handset that makes no bones about just being a mobile phone, albeit one that has several great features.

The most obvious thing about the Nokia N79 is the exchangeable covers, an interesting innovation even for Nokia mobile phones. But the covers are more than exchangeable – they also affect the theme colour, which automatically alters to the cover colour. A small feature, but very neat.

The N79 comes equipped with GPS (it uses Google Maps), giving it an advantage over many comparable mobile phones, and also boasts an FM transmitter, allowing users to broadcasts tracks stored on the phone through other stereos, which could prove very useful on long car trips. There’s also an FM radio and, yes, a 3.5mm headphone jack for good listening.

About the only failing is in the camera. For all that its five megapixels, it’s very disappointing in terms of picture quality – Nokia has done cameras much better on other models.

Likewise, the keypad is a little bit cramped, and certainly not the best effort Nokia’s ever made.

Other than that it’s an excellent set, and the cover novelty might offer it an edge. But, really, that’s the only thing that does set it apart from many other Nokia mobile phones, although the fact that it’s available free on many low-end contracts will make it appealing to some consumers.