What are the easiest techniques to spoil a good feature packed high end mobile? Either mess up its keypad or its looks or its build quality. Amazingly, nowadays Nokia manages to do all this and more in its newer high end N Series & E Series. Nokia’s design team seems to have found the perfect recipe to spoil good mobiles.
We know that Nokia does not believe in making a perfect phone in order to maintain its sales. But from the earlier strategy of not providing all the features in one phone, there seems to be a shift by now packing all the features but messing up the design in various ways.
1. Uncomfortable Keypad
This is by far Nokia’s sickest way of spoiling a good mobile. Just look at the Nokia N82 and you will understand why. One of the best feature packed mobile from Nokia has a very uncomfortable keypad which takes some time to get used to. Other recent example is the Nokia N78 whose keypad cannot be seen when the backlights are off. Old timers will also remember the infamous Nokia N91 keypad.
2. Uninspiring looks
It all started with the Nokia N81. A design which was regarded by many as a one off mistake by Nokia soon became the defacto design for all new Nokia N-Series mobiles. The most annoying part is its multimedia key which spoils the symmetry of the looks of the device. Thus followed the N78, N85, N96… all very high end phones, but spoiled by its design & the multimedia key.
And as if asymmetrical keys were not enough, Nokia decided to make a completely asymmetrical mobile with the Nokia 5220 XpressMusic!
3. Poor Build Quality
You would expect Nokia to provide excellent build quality for its high end mobiles. But for some reason, Nokia has decided to provide solid build quality to only its E-Series range. For all its other mobiles, the build quality is questionable. Best example being the Nokia 6220 classic which uses cheap plastic to ensure pathetic build quality.
4. Beauty Marks
Is Nokia getting too superstitious? Have a look at the power on/off switch of the new Nokia E66 & E71. Why would anyone want to spoil such good looking business smartphones in black colour and stainless steel finishing by a red coloured power key?
Nokia, can we have a new design team in place now?
