Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Hello everyone, I've been thinking about buying an N9. Currently my main phone is a Nokia 700.
Is the N9 good enough to be used in 2015? (and is it worth upgrading?) I am not an extremely advanced user, I would use it for stuff that a big part of N9 owners do. And is 16 gb enough for a typical user?
ps. sorry if this is the wrong topic for such a question.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Yes, it is definitely worth a buy. Even in 2015!
Depends a bit on price. But HW together with the OS is still working good.
Of course it has some flaws, but most of them were community solved.

So you should like to tinker...

A 16G device may completely suffice. Depends on what you like to do/store on it.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I would consider the N9 for Drive (an excellent offline navigation program) alone. It has a lot of other nice features such as the AMOLED display. On the other hand, it was a stillborn and there are never going to be any OS updates. Luckily it is quite mature as it is.

If you want a similar device that is under active development but has still some way to go to reach that level of maturity, you don't mind that it's a bit overgrown for a phone and is twice as expensive as a used N9, go for a Jolla.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

If you like to tinker, yes. If you like to learn new things, yes. If you font mind staying up Gore hours looking at a terminal screen, yes. Last month I pulled my barely used 64gb N9 out of the drawer because it was easily the most elegant phone I'd ever bought. For months I had been religiously reading this sight and had become as disillusioned with android these past few years as i had with ios when it first came out. I'm a phone nerd in the fullest and had learned everything i could about android, rooting etc, i have owned 11 different androids and came to the conclusion that they are ALL the same.BORING. So i spent a few days with the phone on wifi, adding and changing things, and then it took a solid two weeks of switching Sims between the G3 and the N9 to kick my play services and app addictions.But now I've never felt better and would never go back. The n9 is a unique beautiful phone , the OS is simply amazing, and this community that supports these old devices is a true blessing. I would buy one in a heartbeat and encourage others to do so as well, it has its flaws but with a little adjustment and help from this community its worth every bit. 2+ ghrz octacore, down to 1.150 single core and an android fanboy no more lol...end of rant, get the phone, btw amazon has 64gb n9s for 234.99 ;)

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

The N9 is still a very good phone by today's standards. I'm sure you'll like it. I have a 16GB one and that has been big enough for me.

Some of the actions take a minute or two to get used to ( the swipe across to change between apps and the swipe down to close) and some of the nifty features are not immediately obvious.

For an OS that has only had one update it is very mature, is very stable and very well featured. Much better than WP. The phone comes with Swype preinstalled, along with Skype and a host of other apps. It has a very good document reader, BUT doesn't have any document creation or editing software ala QuickOffice etc.

The camera is very good and as already mentioned the Maps and Drive apps on their own make the phone very worthwhile.

For me there are only two things I miss on the N9, a keyboard like the E7 or N950 have, and document editng software. Otherwise it's perfect.

I upgraded to the N9 from a Nokia 700. How bout that?? :D The N9 is a love hate relationship. There are so many wonderful things about this phone, but it's old. And slow. The N9 is relatively smooth, but I will warn you now, it is slower than the 700. I noticed it immediately after I switched. It's not unacceptablely slow, just not as snappy. I really liked Symbian Belle, but I didn't miss it after switching to Meego. But as great as Meego is, I wouldn't recommend it in 2015. Instead check out Jolla or Black Berry 10 if you're interested in trying a gesture based OS. I am NOT an app heavy user, but as more and more new services become available on modern platforms I am starting to feel dissatisfied with the N9. Mainly because I got a Pebble smartwatch for Christmas, and there's support for the N9 but it's limited. Like I said, try Jolla or Blackberry. Unless you have cash to burn, pass on the N9.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Nope. Not at all. But that's my own opinion.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I switched from C7 to N9 last year as my daily driver, got the 64 GB one.
I got it because I just had to have it:p because of sexy design, and linux:) Harmattan is so great to use, love it.
I wanted to learn my through through linux, and do things on the go. I am satisfied with it even if doesn't provide stuff other phones do. It suffices my needs. I do miss things from my C7 like FMTx, USB-OTG, smartdial, 720p video playback:(

So i would say that if u want a new phone, then there are many better options, but if u are like me, and just have to own an N9, get it(even in 2015), you won't regret it.

A few days back to i switched back to C7, and use N9 not as a primary phone but handheld linux device and gonna use it for development, experimenting and stuff.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I have jolla1 blackberry10 and nokiax (temporary) but I still prefer to n9 and I would prefer to use n950 but I just keep it religiously in a box for preservation consern (can someone help to replace that screen?) ?

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

No. Compared to modern devices it's slow. Bugs will never be fixed. Using an abandoned device is pain because everything is just getting worse, nothing will get better.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I'd say it's nice to have it. I had a Jolla, BB Z10, 808, L820 and I always come back to the N9. Guess I'm just stuck with it. The only other phone I am sure would satisfy me is Lauta but it's nowhere to be found.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

There are two main drawbacks with N9, slow hw for today’s standards, officially abandoned platform. Especially the 16GB is restrictive as you cannot store lots of AV content. Of course it all depends what sort of use you want to do, with current Jolla phone price drops, I would suggest you go for a Jolla phone.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Wow, thanks guys, I really like your opinions, but I saw that there's no USB-OTG support, so... does the Z10 have it? I like the Z10 too, so if it has OTG and is not much more closed than Symbian, than I'm moving to BB! But if not, I'll probably get 200 euros and go for a 16 gb N9. Thank you guys!

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

There is "Easy Debian for MeeGo Harmattan : now with translucent VKB on PR1.3" with OpenOffice, Abiword, Gnumeric, etc. About 10s to open OpenOffice on N9 x 1 minute on N900, hey, it is faster than some desktop and notebook PC's !

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

N9 is like once in lifetime device, With almost all centennial apps you wont't regret about N9 purchase. And a strong community is doing everything so show can go on, But keep in mind that despite of all the deice is old and if good condition set is available gO grab it.
Else Z30 is another phone which you can go for, Though offline map support is limited but phone is amazing and OS is simply great. With 10.3.1 update the phone became much better.I won't recommend Z10.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

No need to worry about condition; I'm buying a new one (the good thing about Serbia is that you can still find even a brand new N95 :3)

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I am pretty sure the Z10 does not have USB OTG. The Z30 does, and it gets much better battery life.
I seriously might still be using the N9 if it were not for the browser. Both the stock one and Opera were simply way too slow for me. That's why I moved on to Blackberry Z30 (and then Passport). I still love the phone. If there were only a browser that still got updates....

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

No, no support, dead, too slow, no active store anymore.

Jolla or some android device, if you like one (i would buy Huawei or Nexus 4 ->). If you do not want to know anything, just use and like very polished phone then use Iphone.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Is it still worth to buy a N9? Indeed it is! The N9 combines a good hardware with a (unfortunately abandoned) amazing and flexible OS - but there are some bugs which won't be fixed ...

the pro's:
- good form factor
- amoled
- good camera (compared to Jolla and BB Z10)
- still active developers - openrepos
- still working Skype (nobody knows when meet follows symbian ...)
- offline navigation and most needed apps (we'll see what happens when the OVI store will close it's doors ...)
- highly customizable - search this site ...
- price ;-) - you'll get a used one in good shape with 16GB for a bit more than 100,- EUR (colored a bit more)

the con's:
- not everything work's out of the box - you'll have to do a bit of investigation and applying some patches
- the browsers - the stock one is awful - Opera and firefox are better in rendering and faster but outdated (no sync in Firefox and awful keyboard in Opera - and no security fixes ... )
- no maps updates - the latest are early 2013 ...
- no SD
- no HDMI-out
- no more updates for major apps (but sometimes fixes from the community as for exchange accounts)

well, that's it - finally if you want something not-related to MS, Apple or Google your options are limited ;-)

- Blackberry - I own a Z10 - it's a great business device - mail, contacts, messages, calls, ... all in the hub and managed to a nearly perfect workflow, telephone-calls are in real high quality and the OS is fast and easy to use - plus a real HDMI-out on the pro site (for me the only way I can play my mp4 movies on my girlfriends TV) and SD-slot - everything else ist quite boring - the android runtime is not as good as on the Jolla and the battery is *****, you can customize almost nothing and the stock media players are very basic (there is one really good in the BB World) - ah and the apps are really expensive - but it works and works and works ...

- Firefox OS - actually I never tried it because there was no hardware, that fits my needs (maybe the new transparent one ... )

- Jolla - I'm still playing around with mine, and it's a cool first device for startup - If you like spending hours in testing, playing with the OS, reading in forums and if you are willing to help a small company in supporting the idea of open source software on mobile devices, and if want to feel a bit more geeky than the guys with android ;-) ... buy one bit be aware, that you will finally use more android stuff than you expected because even the stock apps in sailfish are still too limited (email, calendar, ...) - the pro is, that much mire android apps are working on Sailfish than on BB 10.2 (haven't tried 10.3 yet ..) and SD-slot

- Tizen, Symbian, ... - even worse

So should you buy a N9? I would, but I already have one ;-) but I won't spend 200,- € - for a 16GB (130,- for a colored one made in Finnland in *mint* condition - 110,- for a black one) - you'll get a used Jolla for 160,- and a used BB z10 for 150,- - so it's more a decision of your preferences

So decide what you want ;-)
- a geeky enough, still good working device with a good support base: N9
- something that just works with no fancy and no blingbling and your day isn't longer than 10hrs (battery): BB Z10

- the future (maybe) and something totally different: Jolla

ah and if you want to stick with the major companies: still the best offer: Nokia Lumia 620 - good camera, small form factor, optional outdoor backcover, fast enough for everything, SD - but unfortunately MS :-(

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Be warned, that soon you will not be able to install Nokia Store apps on N9, so you could be stuck with factory software only.
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=94272

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Not entirely true, see http://openrepos.net.
But indeed could be a showstopper for some.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Thanks for that comprehensive essay :)
I have to agree in all points (about Jolla HW, would also say bit outdated: camera, display, no HWkbd (TOHKBD), ...; OS also has flaws, but getting updates so might be the future, yes)
But still the N9/00 will live a few more years .....

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I loved and love the N9, it's a beautiful device with a great user experience; and if you've used a gesture-based interface, you can't go back to the Android/IOS mess. However, I recently switched from N9 to Jolla. Mostly because I want to support this company as I'm afraid it's the last chance for a somewhat open alternative. But also because the battery on my N9 was showing its age.

Overall, SailfishOS is very similar in user experience to the N9. The Jolla is faster, lighter, has 4G and its Android compatibility means you have no missing apps. The interface is smooth and beautiful, and at least as intuitive as the N9's. It's not expensive with the current price drop. What I miss from the N9 is the screen (I used it as night clock) and the Drive application. Also, the N9 was the perfect size for me (though the Jolla is far from a big phone by today's standards). But when I now use the N9, I find it heavy and very slow.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

The answer depends on what you want from the phone. I personally dont have the time to tinker about with the phone, I just want everything to work and preferably to do so in a quick manner.

I had N9 for about 2,5 years, now with Jolla for 6 months. The good/best part of the N9 was the OS, it was just spot on in terms of usability and looks. It's still miles ahead of sailfish in my opinion, well ok sf looks more modern, but I miss the meego OS. And the camera sometimes.

But thats about it. Most things are outdated, slow, require tinkering, etc. Lack of new apps. No support from the manufacturer.

I do hope that Nokia had continued with meego/harmattan and released a model with a multicore processor etc. better specs. Probably would still be using that.

Edit: about the display, there seemed to be a lot of different quality panels out there. I had three different panels (originals and from official Nokia repair) and my wifes N9 had two (original + nokia repair) and only one of those was good quality. Either they did not work properly in the cold or the colors were not solid on large surfaces.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

2015 today, i have n900, z10, nexus 5 , but n9 still main phone! n9 4ever! ))
jolla ... maybe later ....

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I bought an N9 last week on ebay for 49 quid. In my spare time over the week I've managed to get everything I need to work and I just think it's a brilliant device and a real pleasure to use. I don't know why some people have commented on it being slow by today's standards. As much as that is true on paper in practice I get a very smooth, lag-free, experience. I have only two problems that I can't solve. First is I can't get it to automatically switch to an available WLAN and the second is I can't put my Facebook account in it because it constantly asks for the password. I bought this as a stop gap as I broke my BB Q10 and am not due an upgrade for a few months but I don't see another phone out there at the moment with a UI I would like as much as this.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I've likewise just acquired an N9, and have been listing my trials, tribulations, and discoveries in getting the software ready for life in 2016. Might you perhaps consider casting an eye over this page on the wiki, and making any additions you have to offer?

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

That's a great page - wish I'd seen it a week ago it would have saved me a load of time. All the essential stuff to make the phone usable is there - I wasted a lot of time trying to get my gmail account to set up in MFE. I used the 'other mail account' setting finally but also used caldav to sync my google calendar. No sync for contacts however exporting them from google and importing them on the N9 was painless. There is an app in warehouse for syncing google contacts but it's one way so contacts you add to the phone won't turn up on google. Also did you know you can still download maps for offline use in the map app ('manage maps' from the menu)? I don't know if any of this is worth including on your wiki - maybe the calendar info?

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I've only written about stuff that I've tried myself, or found explained in the various conversation threads. If you'd rather not add the info yourself, just summarise it in this thread and I'll type it up at some point.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I just didn't want to clutter up your page but I'll add a couple of things now as concisely as possible.:D

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

HI nice to meet you and yours N9 :)

first step if you want use Facebook chats you must disable chat options in account settings - prompt password is stopped :)

next install from warehouse extraplugins
and configure Facebook account for chat, more on this page :)

https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=95561

The following should solve your first issue:

Settings/Internet connection/edit networks (find your connection, open it and check connect automatically.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I still really like the N9. I occasionally have a hankering to try a newer phone but nothing really excites me, except for Jolla and may be a Blackberry Z30. Unfortunately the Jolla phone doesn't support my Telco's frequencies. That leaves the Z30. With your experience of the Q10 what do you think the Z30 would be like for someone used to using Meego?

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I really liked my Q10. I came to it from a N900 and I found it had the same sort of flexibility under the hood without being cluttered on the surface. The N9 is more a step towards minimalism and that's what I really like about it. The thing I most miss from my Q10 is it could play any media you threw at it and it had an hdmi port to play out on and a SD slot for storage. I've heard good things about the Z30 and I do think BB10 is a good OS.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

The Z30 is awesome. I still have it, but use the Passport as my main phone.Very Meego-like UI. SO MUCH faster in operation than the N9; no contest.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

The passport is what I fancy getting when my upgrade comes at the end of January. Good to see it get a thumbs up from a Meego user.:)

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Thanks for the replies.

Like Meego I think the Blackberry OS is under rated.

Too often tech reviewers are iOS or Android users and they don't both to dig around a different OS to see what it can do and how it really works.

I'm waiting for my Jolla tablet and am hopeful that it still ships. Depending on what happens with that will probably decide what/when I look at another phone.

Everything I hear about Jolla is good and I really hope they can over come this latest financial hurdle. They've made huge improvements to the OS and I sense they're so close to getting Jolla to a point it will become self sustaining.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

I was in a similar boat this year as I bought the N9 last December and had it for about half a year to play with.
It really depends on your needs - it can definitely act as a primary phone for basic needs and it doesn't really feel slow for general UI operations. My biggest complaint was the browser quality (stock and 3rd party) - it is extremely slow, actually slower than on N900. Also the rendering is worse.

Plus the typical issues of an EOL device/OS - a lot of services either unsupported or need to be hacked; constant fear other services will be killed by Nokia, service providers etc.

The actual device is very nice in size, looks, AMOLED display is nice but has the typical early OLED issues - for me mainly the purple fringing on some content. Battery life is not so great and it is a bit heavy.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

Install Opera browser. For me Opera mobile browsers have been the gold standard for mobile devices. Every mobile device I've had right from the Palm days, I've had one version or another of Opera browser.

The Opera Browser runs rings around the stock browser.

It can be downloaded from the Warehouse.

Re: Is it worth to buy an N9 in 2015?
 

The problem with Opera is that I cannot use VKB or Swype, so I cannot type polish characters. And all is hardcoded as binary blobs, so you cannot simply edit as QML/VKB.