| NEC N840 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 850 / Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 / Gsm 1900 |
| Announced | 2004, 4q |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 100 X 48 X 25 Mm |
| Weight | 118 G |
| Display |
| Type | Tft, 256k Colors |
| Size | 240 X 320 Pixels, 33 X 45 Mm |
| | - Second External Stn, 65k Colors Display (120 X 30 Pixels)
- Downloadable Pictures
|
| Ringtones |
| Type | Polyphonic (64 Channels) |
| Customization | Download, |
| Vibration | Yes |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | Yes, Photo Call |
| Call Records | 20 Dialed, 20 Received, 20 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | Minisd, 128 Mb Card Included, |
| | - 32 Mb Built-in Memory |
| Data |
| Gprs | Class 10 (4+1/3+2 Slots), 32 - 48 Kbps |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, V1.2 |
| Infrared Port | Yes |
| Usb | Yes |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Mms, Email |
| Browser | Wap 2.0/xhtml |
| Games | Yes, |
| Colors | Silver |
| Camera | 2 Mp, 1600x1200 Pixels, Video, Flash |
| | - Java Midp 2.0
- Mp3 Player
- T9
- Scheduler
- Todo List
- Voice Memo |
| Battery |
| | Standard Battery, Li-ion 1100 Mah |
| Stand-by | Up To 100 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 2 H 40 Min |
|
NEC - N840NEC's 2 Megapixel N840
When the largest Japanese mobile phone manufacturer, NEC, announced the N840 as their first real 2.0 megapixel phone, people took note. One reason is that the N840 makes use of a CMOS camera sensor instead of a CCD unit, which tend take superior photographs. People had some doubts about the level of digital noise and color reproduction that would be found in the CMOS camera's photographs. Well, we've finally managed to get our hands on a Hong Kong version of the N840. Continue reading to see how it did.
Physical design
Compared to its brother, the N830, the N840 isn't as physically appealing at first glance. The design is typical clamshell, but it does have some interesting elements on the outside, and reminds me somehow of the Batmobile. NEC has chosen a plastic cover material to reduce weight, but also has the benefit of being more fingerprint and scratch resistant.
The hinge on N840 is arced, so the phone feels more natural when you hold it against your face. Size wise, it is not the biggest flip phone around, measuring a 99mm in length, 48mm in width and 24mm in thickness. It's fairly weighty at 125g, but this is to be expected when you consider the high-end specifications. It's also quite evident that NEC spent some time on the N840's ergonomics; simply looking at the dimensions may turn away a lot people, but actually holding the phone is quite a different story. The curved top casing and the lack of external antenna make the N840 a lot more pocketable than expected. When open, the weight of the upper and lower halves of the phone are nicely balanced.
On top of the phone you'll find an engraved NEC logo, the camera lens, a dial around the lens for switching between macro and normal mode, the external sub display, and the LED camera assist light. Looking at the left side you will find the mini-SD slot and the volume up/down buttons. Located at the right are the infrared port and the stereo earphone/handsfree jack. Out back you will find the battery cover, a hole for hanging decorations, and the polyphonic speaker. The charging and USB connection ports are at the bottom of the phone, protected by a plastic cover.
Flipping open the phone will reveal the main display and the keypad. The 2-click lock system in the hinge feels very solid and durable. The keypad alignment is similar to that of the N830, yet the buttons look more like those of an E338, being black with orange backlighting. The keypad is really well lit in the dark; one of the best we've seen. The keypad is reasonably roomy and you'll be hard pressed to make a mistake on it. The d-pad and the central select button have a brushed metallic-plastic finish that looks and feels very classy. Next to the d-pad are a few more shortcut keys for messages, WAP, the main menu, and the phone book. Needless to say, the obligatory dial, clear/back, and power on/hang up buttons are also in their usual locations.
Multimedia
The N840 makes use of the same 2.2" 262k color QVGA TFT screen as the N820 and N830. While it's not as bright or vibrant as Sharp's excellent CG silicon screens, I found it better than most other models on the market. A slightly yellow tint to the whites can be seen, though the color reproduction is still very natural and pleasing. In terms of visibility in direct sunlight, the display is a little disappointing, though turning up the backlight does help. The external sub-display has been upgraded to a 1" 108x80 pixel 65K colors STN screen. As you might expect from STN's, the sub-display quality is nothing amazing but similar to Motorola's low-end color screens.
NEC N840
The N840 uses a 64 voice polyphonic chip from Yamaha, and comes with 19 polyphonic ringtones built-in along with 4 message tones. On top of MIDI, MFM, and AMR formats, the N840 also supports the 3GPP format. Sadly, MP3 files cannot be used as ringtones. Bundled with the Hong Kong version N840 is the Ulead Video Studio 8 SE software that allows you to convert your music videos or MP3s with the addition of pictures to 3GPP files, which can be used as 'ring-videos' - video clips that play when somebody calls you. Videos taken by the N840 itself can also be used as ring-videos.
The maximum file size is limited to 300Kb for ringtones and videos, which is approximately 30 seconds of a 3GPP file. The N840's video quality is adequate, and overall the sound quality is comparable to a 64kbps MP3 ringtone. The volume is above average, and you'll have no problems hearing this phone in a crowded environment. Photo Caller ID can be used with JPG format files and can be assigned to individual contacts, or to a group. You can use any non-3GPP ringtones in the same way. Using ring-videos will cause the caller ID picture to be ignored since the video will take over both the main display and the sub-display.
In terms of memory, the N840 comes with 26Mb of user accessible flash memory, and officially supports mini-SD cards up to 256Mb in capacity.
The N840 is one of the first real 2MP GSM phones. It makes use of a CMOS sensor, but in spite of that, still managed to exceed our expectations in terms of the picture quality. Noise levels were reasonable, but not as good as the those of the CCD sensor in Sharp's GX30 for indoor shots. In terms of clarity, the N840 actually surpasses the Sharp 902 in my opinion. I shall leave the judgment to you, unaltered sample pictures can be found in later pages. The camera and video controls are straight forward and logical. Maximum digital zoom is 6x for 128x96 photos. Digital zoom can also be used during the recording of a video. Screen refresh rate is comparable to the Sharp GX30 and shutter lag is about a second.
The camera supports 7 resolutions that range from 128x96 through 1600x1200. 5 photo quality settings are available, with the highest quality level equating to about a 300KB file size when shooting full 2 megapixel images. There is a 10 second self-timer option, user selectable shutter and timer sounds (but no way to turn them off completely), and 8 picture frames to choose from that work with photos of up to 320x240 resolution. A burst photo mode can also be used with photos of up to 320x240 in size. The d-pad can be used to adjust brightness levels and control the digital zoom. Photos and videos can be saved directly on the mini-SD card or in the N840's internal memory. They can both be sent via MMS or IrDA or through the bundled USB cable and software, but size is limited to 300Kb again. Bluetooth is locked for headsets only, similar to GX30.
When viewing pictures, you can either choose the 3x3 thumbnail view or the file list view. You can sort them by date, file name/type, or size. A 2 megapixel file takes abut 3.5seconds to load, and you will not be able to rotate or zoom in/out the picture unless it is at or below 320x240 resolution. When viewing videos, you can adjust the volume using the side keys, and you can also zoom in to full screen mode by pressing the # key.
The N840 supports MP3 playback from both the internal memory and the mini-SD card. You can either choose the ID3 tag or the file name to be displayed on both internal and external screens. A wired stereo hands free headset that controls the stop and play functions is bundled with the N840. The play list is customizable and can save up to 30 songs at a time. Play modes such as repeat once and repeat all are available, and the preset equalizer provides you with Rock, Jazz, or Pop sound settings. In terms of sound quality, the N840 is comparable to mid-range mp3 players; the bass is clear, overall sound quality is on the warm side, with a bit more emphasis on the middle range. If you choose to go without the headset, you can also use the speaker on the back to play music, which is loud and clear.
User Interface
The NEC N840 uses an upgraded version of the menu layout from the N830. The first thing you'll notice will be the presence of standby screen icons. Instead of having a "my favorites" list, NEC chose to adapt a shortcut icon system: missed calls, shortcut calls, shortcut message recipient, designated pictures, missed calls, new SMS, and various other functions. Even the camera can be set as standby screen icon, and you can even rename the icons. For demonstration purposes, I renamed the camera icon to "kamera", which you can see in the photo gallery at the end of this review. Standby screen wallpaper, needless to say, can be changed. However, the clock and network displays cannot be modified.
The 4 direction keys of the D-pad are pre-assigned to multimedia, missed calls, received calls, and ringer mode. Pressing the menu button at the standby screen will bring you to the animated 3x3 main icon grid menu screen. The background and icons in the menu are all customizable: you can use a GIF background and download new animated icons. There are no surprises at the second layer of the menu: just plain text. You can select themes of different backgrounds and text color combinations. At the top right corner of the menu you'll see a string of characters starting with a letter M. These tell you where you are in the menu system. The M stands for menu, and the numbers that follow it signify the buttons to press to get back to this point quickly using just the keypad. Overall, the menu is logical, easy to use, and its response is virtually instant. I have no real complaints with it.
Phone functionality
The N840 is a quad-band GSM phone, which means it supports all of the GSM bands currently used in the world. It has excellent reception quality, possibly due to the special positioning of the antenna, which, to our surprise, is at the base of the phone just between the keypad and the battery. Even for having an internal antenna, the N840 appeared to outperform the Motorola V2xx and V3xx phones phones I tested, in addition to Sony Ericsson's K700i and K508i when tested on the same network, the same frequency, and at the same location. Voice calls sound natural, loud, and clear over both the earpiece and the headset (which can be stereo or mono). You can also mute or record the conversation.
Phone profiles are selectable and customizable. The options include ringtone and volume for voice calls, SMS, MMS, and the alarm. To turn on silent mode, simply press and hold the up key on the d-pad. Note that timed profiles are not supported. Some disappointments in the N840 would be the lack of speaker phone functions (which are not so popular in Asia, a possible explanation for their omission). Voice dial and speed dial, however, is available. Simply press and hold down on the direction pad and say the name, or press and hold a number key (2 to 9) then N840 will dial the associated number.
The N840 offers no surprises in terms of contact management: room for 500 records in the phone, the usual groupings and designated caller IDs and ringtones, etc. The N840 uses the camera's assist light as a blinking, multi-color service LED. You can set different colors for when there is a missed or new call/SMS/MMS, or configure it to be turned on when talking. Personally, I think this looks quite cool. It's one of the reasons why I prefer the N840 over a few other handsets on the market - simply for the wow effect.
As you would expect from a feature packed quad-band cell phone, the N840's battery life is only average, lasting about 2 full days with 45 minutes of talk time and 10 SMS messages per day. When simply playing MP3 files in standby mode, the N840 can last for approximately 8 hours. The battery itself is a moderately high capacity 1000mAh that should be sufficient for moderate users. Power users, you'll have to charge regularly.
Connectivity
Just like the sharp GX30, the N840 does have Bluetooth profile support: it is limited only to working with Bluetooth headsets. IrDA, however, is virtually limitless; you can beam contacts, pictures, ringtones (not MP3s), 3GPP videos, schedules, to do lists, and .TXT note files from your phone to any other IrDA devices. IR modem functionality is also built-in.
The N840 is a class 10 GPRS device (4+1/3+2 slots). The browser is straightforward. Standard functions include network profile, startup page, and favorite links list.
Apart from using your mini-SD card and IrDA for transferring data, you can also use the bundled USB cable for synchronizing PIM files and multimedia files with your computer (vCard and vCalendar import/export supported). The NEC memory editor for Windows XP, while reliable, is a bit clumsy to use without reading the instructions.
Messaging
The N840 has typical SMS and MMS capabilities. Only a few things are really worth noting. Firstly, the machine reviewed comes with eight predictive input T9 languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese (pinyin) and Traditional Chinese (stroke or zhuyin input). On top of that, a user dictionary is available for storing your favorite slang. Also, whenever the phone is in text input mode, you can switch to a "highlight mode" which allows you to cut, copy, and paste text within or across different messages. In terms of folder organization, apart from the usual inbox, drafts, outbox and sent folders, two more user rename-able folders are available for you to organize your messages. Pictures and videos can be easily attached to MMS; simply select "use" followed by "send as MMS" by calling up the submenu in picture/video viewing mode. Emailing is also supported on the N840 through support for the SMTP and POP3 protocols. Maximum email message size (combined with attachment) is limited to 450KB. Thanks to the large display and high resolution, the interface for messaging is very clear and spacious. The menu access is logical and user-friendly.
Applications and miscellaneous programs
NEC N840
The N840 supports vCalendar files, which can be synchronized with the bundled software or received through infrared. For the Scheduler screen, you can choose between week or month view. Navigation is logical and simple. Functions such as an alarm for the exact time or even a reminder alarm due a few minutes earlier than the appointment are available. The phone supports .TXT file editing. The files are recognized as "notes" in the Notepad app. A voice memo function allows you to record your voice as a reminder in AMR format. All these PIM files can be stored on the mini-SD card. Nothing fancy, but sufficient to act as a basic personal organizer.
Needless to say, the phone also comes with an alarm clock function. You can attach a note and set any of the ringtones (but not ring-videos) as alarms, and have them occur once, daily, or on every weekday. It is a shame that NEC decided not to include any sort of timer on the N840. A currency converter with customizable exchange rates is available, however. The calculator gives no surprises, just the usual simple calculations.
The phone supports JAVA MIDP 2.0, but only two java games were included with the Hong Kong version - both in Chinese. The same 3D engine from the N830 is built-in and it would have been nice if NEC would have included the same 3D golf game found on the N830.
User passwords can be set to lock the whole phone, or just to restrict access to the phonebook and the PIM items that you have assigned as "private".
Conclusion
Now for the $64,000 question - is it worth buying or not? We all know that there is no such thing as a perfect phone, only better or worse. I personally consider the N840 a fairly strong competitor in the high end 2.5G market.
While it's true that, apart from the camera and great reception, the N840 does not particularly shine in other aspects, it's still a fairly solid phone. The major disappointment would be the size and the lack of Bluetooth file transfer compatibility. The good thing is that the N840 delivers what it promises: a phone with good reception and easy texting, an MP3 player, and a fairly good camera. NEC has positioned the N840 as a Sharp 902 2.5G substitute. Other phones you may want to consider are the Mitsubishi's M900 and the as yet unreleased Sony Ericsson K750i. |
| Common misspellings on this brand: n4c |
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