Nokia N79 review: Swiss Army knife

Gsmarena have posted their review of the Nokia N79. Here are the key features, main disadvantages and final impression.

Key features
2.4" 16M-color LCD TFT display of QVGA resolution
5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and AF assist light
VGA video recording at 30fps
Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3.2 UI
ARM 11 369 MHz CPU
3G with HSDPA support
Quad-band GSM support
Wi-Fi with UPnP technology
Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality and 3 months of free voice-guided navigation
microSD card slot with microSDHC support
4GB memory card included in the retail package
Built-in accelerometer for UI auto-rotation
Swappable Xpress-on smart covers (two of them in the box)
3.5 mm audio jack
TV out
Stereo FM Radio with RDS
FM transmitter
Stereo speakers
Navi wheel navigation
USB and Bluetooth v2.0
One free N-gage game
Keylock switch
Main disadvantages
No smart dialing
Doesn't charge off USB
No office document editing out of the box
Not the best camera performance
Zooming in on a photo takes ages
No dedicated 3D graphics accelerator
The GPS performance is not the best among Nseries

The good news with Nokia N79 is the Nseries haven't completely run out of inspiration. No gaps in the feature set and distinct looks do sound right for a healthy demand. Solid value as a brand-loyal upgrade and little competition let the N79 hope for quite a success.

From where we stand, the major obstacles in front of Nokia N79 are the not too impressive camera and the relatively low level of innovation it offers. No, it has nothing to do with the length of the specs sheets, there's just nothing we haven't already seen.

We still can't ignore the fact that N79 - and N85 for that matter - are being launched in a time of major transition. As Nokia are readying for S60 5th and touchscreen, N79 and the likes are taking over from the top dogs of the past, repackaging the whole set of goodies with a moderate price tag. At the same time they are clearing the scene for the new flagships to come. From this perspective, there's little we can hold against the N79. A true all-in-one, with less focus on N-gage and with a distinct face, the N79 may as well stick around and do just fine.