The application launcher, pencil, clear and multimedia applications launcher keys wrap around the keypad in the bright silver surround. Since normalcy abounds, the phone has a standard keypad with roomy blue backlit keys, a perfectly conformist 5 way joystick that's surrounded by the usual smartphone cluster of 2 softkeys and the call send and end keys. Like the SDA and 2125, a large QVGA display dominates the front face, and while the phone may lack the sexy looks of the N80 or the stainless steel machismo of the N91, the display itself is so eye-catching it gives the entire phone a turn to the stunning. It looks more at home with recent MS Smartphones like the T-Mobile SDA and Cingular 2125 than the Nokia N80, N91 or N93. It has a straightforward candy bar design and an absolutely standard keypad. The N73 is one of Nokia's more normal looking smartphones.
Nokia includes their stereo Pop-Port headset, world charger (prong adapter for US required), USB sync cable (CA-53), software CD with PC Suite and LifeBlog for Windows, a thick manual (even if the phone is an overseas model, Nokia always includes an English manual along with a manual in the localized language), Lithium Ion battery and (possibly) a 128 meg miniSD card (Nokia doesn't list this in their specs but one came in our box).
It has EDGE and UMTS 3G on the 2100MHz band (for Europe, not the US), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 240 x 320 QVGA display, miniSD card slot, full PIM applications with easy syncing to Outlook (and the Mac with little trouble), MS Office document viewers, MP3 player, FM radio, stereo output, email client and a full HTML web browser. The Nokia N73 is a quad band GSM world phone which will work anywhere GSM service is available. The plum colored back in sunlight which brings out the color The plum and mocha colors are complex, looking nearly dark gray to black with metallic highlights in darker locations but turning much more vibrant under direct light. The Nokia is available in three color combinations: silver gray / deep plum (which we received), frost white / metallic red and frost white / mocha. The phone does support predictive text in English as well. On the number pad, the numbers 1 through 5 each have one Chinese stroke, but these aren't distracting. Should you pick up an Asian model, have no fear: it's a bilingual phone so you can set it to English (unless you prefer Simplified Chinese). We picked up ours from and received the Hong Kong version of the phone in two days. However it is sold by Nokia flagship stores, the Nokia USA web site and by importers unlocked for use with any GSM carrier. It's shipping in Asia and in parts of Europe but is not sold in the US by any carrier. The N73 is one of Nokia's newest S60 3rd Edition phones and was released at the end of July 2006. The N73 has a 3.2 megapixel camera and adds a Carl Zeiss autofocus lens which makes for sharper photos. The Nokia N80 has a 3MP camera that's quite good (once you adjust to the shutter lag), and you'd likely be pretty impressed if you saw the photos it takes. If quality photos are important, the N73 and its bulkier sibling the N93 (which lacks the 850MHz band used by Cingular in the US) are Nokia's top offerings. If great photos aren't your thing, Nokia offers a wide variety of Symbian OS S60 phones with lesser cameras and other strong points such as the Nokia E61's QWERTY keyboard and the Nokia N91's 4 gig hard drive for MP3s aplenty. That's the Nokia N73: a camera that just happens to have a smartphone attached. Instead you slide open the camera lens cover and madly take photos of anything remotely attractive or interesting. You know something is up when you receive a powerful smartphone and you don't rip open the box to make a phone call or try out an Excel spreadsheet. Home -> Smartphone Reviews -> Nokia N73 Nokia N73Įditor's Note, June 2008: Check out the Nokia N78, the N73's successor with US 3G, GPS, WiFi and a 3.2MP camera.Įditor's Note, October 2007: If you're really serious about photography, check out the Nokia N95 with 5MP camera and US 3G!