10th
the design
I do love the N96 design - its nicely tactile, the lines are clean and uncluttered. This purity of form is not without it’s practical implications, the screen is always exposed to damage, and a screen protector is a must. the materials are nice - but not amazing, there is no metal, as the N95 classics face was - I dropped mine many times and it survived. I suspect a 4ft fall to concrete may well cause significant damage. So get it insured! The benefit should be better reception - as metal interferes with antennas.
The rear panel is quite unassuming, and probably the weakest element in the design. Now the media buttons are on the front, the dual slide is almost redundant. ALMOST, but not quite - there’s something nice about physical UI controls. I loved the form changing 5700- twist for phone/camera/music. It removed the need for navigating menus and on screen controls. The kickstand is a bit of a gimmick for me - it seems a bit fragile - but presumably easily replaced by changing the back.
I think the overall design would be awesome if better quality materials were used, scratch proof glass front, a camera shutter, metal sides etc. Its not as tactile as the N95 but when I compare the two the N95 seems very old fashioned.
