The only reason why I didn't throw away the N73 was because I needed to return it to Nokia. It drove me crazy.
The Bottom Line:
The Nokia N73 simply has too many weaknesses to be considered an acceptable cell phone. I do not recommend it. Opt for the much better Nokia 6300, if it is available where you live.
Hardware & Design Quality
Pros:
- Sturdy and durable design.
- Excellent and strong camera back cover.
- Relatively lightweight for its size.
Cons:
- The keypad is below average. Keys are slightly too small for comfortable dialing and the side menu keys are not backlit. Not convenient at night...
Software
Pros:
- Includes Nokia's latest real browser with a mouse pointer, controlled by the N73's navigation stick.
Cons:
- The Nokia N73 uses Series 60 Nokia software, and as usual, it reacts a bit slowly. Menu items are slow to load.
- It takes too many steps to do regular things. For instance, to reply to a text message, you need to first select "options", then "reply", then "as text message". Most other cell phones usually have a direct "reply" function key.
Performance
Cons:
- The battery life failed to meet my expectations.
Call Quality
Cons:
- The earpiece is absolutely too weak. Even at the maximum setting, the output volume was not enough to comfortably hold a conversation, even in a low-noise area. That was a perpetual annoyance.
- The speakerphone's output volume also wasn't very strong, a problem common to many cell phones, however.
- Most calls were breaking up, in all areas of the city, no matter if the N73 was in my hand or my pocket (with a Bluetooth headset) and even when reception, as indicated by the phone, was good. That was a constant source of frustration.
Multimedia Experience
Pros:
- The camera's flash is powerful enough to actually make a difference when taking a picture in a darker area. That's a change, considering that on many other phones, the flash is too weak to make a significant difference.
- The 3.2-Megapixel camera takes decent pictures.
