Nokia N76 Review

N76’s design immediately calls an analogy with the RAZR series, but so do many other phones and we should not blame Nokia for this. Our device is from the red variation, representing a combination of deep red and metallic gray, rather contrasting, compared to most phones. The slim silhouette is also impressive and the fact that this is a smartphone, makes it an achievement. The other color version uses black instead of the red.

Model	Dimension (Inches)	Dimension (MM)	Weight (OZ)	Weight (Gramms)
Nokia N76	4.2" x 2.0" x 0.5"	106.5 x 52 x 13.7	4,0	115
Motorola RAZR V3	3.85" x 2.08" x 0.5"	98 x 53 x 13.9	3,4	95
Nokia N71	3.9" x 2.0" x 0.9"	99 x 51 x 23	4,9	139

It feels nice when held in the hand, its structure is solid and it resembles a metal device, although it is actually made of plastic. The plastic’s color has a metal shine, which also enhances its metal-like look. N76 is conveniently held both in open and in closed position, as well as during conversation. Our criticism is that it is difficult to open: there is nowhere you can ‘stick’ your fingers, so that it is almost impossible to open it single-handedly. Since it is very slim, while you’re holding it, your fingers almost always touch both its sides and therefore even opening it with your other hand is hard.


In closed position you will find the external display and 3 music buttons on the front panel. They are flat, but backlit, so that they can be visible. Although their function has been indicated, it also changes, because simple operation with certain functions is also possible with the phone closed. In standby mode the external screen visualizes the phone’s system condition (signal strength, battery, time). At the bottom there is a line, showing the functions of the buttons, which operate like three software keys. You can open the Music Library, switch on the music player or the radio. You can easily change tracks with the phone closed, using not only the previous/next function, but also the functionality that is available with the phone open – sorting by artist/album/etc.

You can also access the calendar by pressing a side button or you can use the camera interface for taking pictures, and even to adjust the settings!

The external display is nothing special, its size is only 1.36” and the resolution is 128х160 pixels, which actually is not so bad, keeping in mind that such a resolution is used for the main displays of the budget models.





The other outside buttons are located on the right. Here you’ll find the volume rocker in the upper part and the camera shortcut and gallery/multimedia shortcut, known from the N73 and N95 models. All buttons are felt when touched or pressed and pressing them is hard.






In the upper part are located the power button (shortcut to profile change), miniUSB port, covered with a safety rubber and a 3.5mm stereo jack for plugging in headphones. Here, just like in the case of N95, the standard, used in almost all portable audio devices is made use of, which makes us happy, because it is not difficult to plug in standard stereo headphones to listen to music. The top location is a good choise for the 3.5mm jack as you will easily put the phone in a pocket, when headphones are connected. The drawback is that the clamshell cannot open fully when headphones or miniUSB cable are attached.

Charger and microSD port	Bottom side	Loudspeaker

On the left is the opening, connecting to the charger. There is such an opening, because in this model Nokia is not making use of charging through miniUSB as it is with their new models with microUSB (8600 and 6500 series). Next to it is the microSD card slot, with cover matching the style of the design. On the bottom you can attach a strap, to wear the phone around your hand or neck as a fashion accessory. The openings for the loudspeaker are also here. The sound it produces is not the loudest possible and it does not live up to that of N95, but the quality is similar: the music sounds distinct and clear. Of course, the low frequencies are not reproduced, but this is only logical for such a loudspeaker.

You have to open the phone, so that you can get to the main display and keyboard. The 2.44” display with QVGA resolution and 16 million colors is in the upper part. It offers bright and contrasting images, typical for Nokia’s N-series phones. Its colors are saturated, but neutral and the white is really white, neither red nor blue. Underneath is the keypad, which, similarly to RAZR, is metal and flat: the buttons are large, but the different buttons are not easy to tell and they are comparatively hard to press. The backlight is in the „Cyan” color, which is not in tune with the phone’s design. It is operated by a light sensor, which turns it off when it’s light.