Offering true digital camcorder functions, excellent phone features, and a bunch of connectivity options, the N93 is loaded with just about everything that has ever been featured in a high-end all-in-one mobile phone.

This baby is so loaded that I do not know which feature to discuss first! With all the things that the N93 can do, please pardon me if this review becomes too technical for your taste. Be assured, I will try to contain my excitement and use plain English as much as possible.

Nokia N93

On top of the N93’s long list of features is its outstanding digital camcorder function which can record video with audio in DVD-like quality. While other high-end phones capture video at 15 frames-per-second (fps), videos taken by the N93 are beyond compare at 30 fps.

15 fps? 30 fps? What’s the big deal?

To illustrate the difference, videos taken at 15fps are the ones we usually see in personal mobile phone videos, video-blogs, and most especially in phone scandals where images are choppy and sound is often out of sync. On the other hand, viewing videos taken by the N93 would be like watching a movie or your favorite TV program. Images are so clear and motion is so smooth; you would swear that it was taken on a real camcorder by a real filmmaker, instead.

So impressive is the N93’s video-capturing capability that in all of the mobile phone reviews that I have made, this is the first time that I am putting more emphasis on the phone’s video capabilities above everything else.

Now this does not mean that the N93 performs poorly with its other features. On the contrary, since the still and video cameras use the same lens, the N93 is also an excellent digital camera.

3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics

Featuring a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, auto-focus, flash, and 3x optical zoom, the N93 produces images with amazing clarity and accuracy never before seen from a camera-phone.

With its numerous shortcut buttons and several shooting options, it easily rivals stand alone point-and-shoot digital cameras in function and performance.

Being a 3G phone, the N93 also has a second VGA camera which is best used for video calls.

High-resolution screen and TV-out

As important as its image capturing capabilities, the N93’s enormous 2.4 inch screen provides a bright 262k color display with a 160-degree viewing angle. It can twist and rotate to different orientations allowing the phone to function in several modes:

Unfolded in working mode, the screen can accommodate the N93’s new 3x4 grid menu or display extra-long text messages.

Unfolded and twisted like a camcorder in imaging mode, the screen serves as a full-screen viewfinder.

Folded and rotated like a mini-notebook in viewing mode, the screen conveniently displays pictures and videos in landscape orientation.

Folded in idle mode, the external 65k color screen displays the time, battery and signal strength.
 
With the N93’s TV-out feature, it is also possible to display your files in a larger screen or widescreen TV via the included TV cable.

All the right connections

Designed to work on 3G and GSM (900/1800/1900) networks, the N93 provides easy access to browse the internet, send and receive emails, SMS, MMS, and instant messages so that you can stay connected even when you’re on the go.

Also equipped with WLAN and UPnP, sharing and streaming data wirelessly becomes easier and more cost-effective than ever.

Round it up with Bluetooth, infrared, and USB connectivity, the N93 comes with all the connection options ever introduced in a mobile phone.

A mobile phone at heart

On top of all that, the Nokia N93 is still first and foremost a mobile phone. Voice quality and signal reception is excellent. The keypad is large, well-spaced, and tactile-perfect. Its vibra-alert is one of the strongest I have ever encountered.

For entertainment, it also has an FM radio and a music player which supports MP3, AAC, and WMA file formats.

With all its multimedia capabilities, its 50MB internal memory will surely be insufficient. Fortunately, my unit came with a 512MB miniSD card.

Probably the largest and heaviest smartphone available, it will not look well in your pants or shirt pocket.  Surprisingly, though, it feels just right on the palm.

Complaints

Amazingly, I only have a few complaints about the N93 and none of them are deal breakers.

First, since there is no cord that attaches the lens cover to the N93, I am pretty sure that it is only a matter of time before the cover gets misplaced.

Second, in spite of the N93’s sturdy build, it uses an ill-fitting rubber strip to cover the memory card slot. I wonder why Nokia didn’t decide to use the more solid design/mechanism found in the 6680 model.

Third, anybody who decides to buy this phone will not use it just to make phone calls. Trust me. This phone is meant to be used frequently for its multi-media capabilities – especially its camcorder function. Unfortunately, this drains a lot of juice from the N93’s battery. And with the Wifi sniffer turned “ON”, a fully-charged battery gets fully-drained in less than 2 days.

Conclusion

There are many convergent devices currently available that claim to do-it-all, but in my opinion, none does it as well as the Nokia N93.

With its unparalleled DVD quality video, market-best 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, 3G, Wifi, and just about ALL the features ever introduced in a mobile phone, the only other things that I will need is a needle and thread to repair the big hole that it will burn in my pocket.