Nokia N9 review

It's taken a long time for Nokia's MeeGo-packing N9 to make its way into our top secret labs (the N9 moniker was first applied to early E7 prototypes), but it's here in our dirty little hands, at last, and it's glorious -- well, as glorious as a stillborn product can be, anyway. The N9 is the latest and greatest in a long line of quirky, interesting, yet ultimately flawed touchscreen experiments from Nokia that includes the Hildon-sporting 7710, a series of Maemo-based "internet tablets" (770, N800, N810, N900) and most recently, the N950 MeeGo handset for developers. What makes the N9 special is that it represents Nokia's last flagship phone as an independent player. MeeGo is already dead, and future high-end devices from the manufacturer will run Windows Phone and use Microsoft's services. So, is this the company's final bittersweet hurrah? Did MeeGo ever stand a chance against Android, iOS and Mango? In its attempt to stay relevant, is Nokia throwing out the baby with the bathwater? Most importantly, how does the N9 fare in today's merciless dual-core world? Find out after the break.

Wrap-up

Nokia's really made our lives difficult here. On the one hand, the N9 delivers a double punch with gorgeous hardware and brilliant software. It's arguably the first competitive flagship phone to come out of Espoo since the launch of the original iPhone -- a stunning feat when you consider how far behind the company was even just a year ago. This is the handset that puts any lingering doubts about Nokia's engineering chops to rest. We have dreams of MeeGo running on Galaxy Nexus-class superphones. Yet despite all that, it was killed before even getting a chance to prove its worth. At least the current hardware -- with its fantastic design, amazing screen and top-notch camera -- will likely be reborn as the Sea Ray (guess we'll find out at Nokia World next week). Still, it's a shame about the software, because given the choice, we'd pick MeeGo over Mango, despite its weaker ecosystem. Should you buy this device? It's difficult to recommend a platform with no future, but the N9 is everything Nokia's long time fans have been waiting for, and you could have it today. MeeGo is dead -- long live MeeGo.

READ MORE AT: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/22/nokia-n9-review/