Nokia N73 review

What makes this phone so great then?

This phone is great, because it’s really, really powerful – think Nokia N80 minus the Wi-Fi, and you pretty much have the N73’s spec. For a Series-60 phone capable of 3G video calling, 3.2MP picture-taking, video recording and playback and a host of life-organising features, the N73 is also surprisingly small.

Styling is pretty perfunctory – we would have liked a few Sony Ericsson K800i aesthetic flourishes – but we expect nothing less from Nokia’s N-series. Thankfully, the build quality is excellent.

Unlike some past Series 60 smartphones, the N73 tears through tasks with only the briefest of delays. Meaning you don’t have to hang around to access various menus and eradicating extraneous ‘hurry up, I need my files yesterday’ button presses.

Hmmm…Tell me more

Another impressive feature is the screen. At 2.4in, it looks vast,

possibly because the metallic bezel surrounding it is so thin. It’s also very crisp, giving the impression of a proper next-gen multimedia device – definitely the coolest aspect of the N73.

As you’d expect, the interface is beautifully simple. The keypad feels a little less positive than we’d like, and the joystick is a tad flimsy, but a four-year-old kid with no experience of digital technology could easily instigate a video call on it. We tested this scientifically by giving it to Stuff’s staff writer.

It’s not all work, work, work

The back of the phone is dominated by the lens cover, which

automatically initiates the 3.2MP camera when clicked down. Yes, it’s a satisfying click – much more so than that of the N70 – and the camera springs to life almost immediately.

There’s a dedicated shutter button, a zoom control, and a gallery button on the right-hand side of the phone for easy access to those camera-y features. It’s clear that Nokia wants you to think this is as much a camera as a mobile, so it’s a shame that there’s no proper flash. Then again, the screen makes a brilliant viewfinder.

The N73 shows that smartphones don’t have to be all about the business – so why not leave the files to one side, get off the Excel spreadsheets, get out of the office and get snapping.