I've had the N9 since October, my wife has the 4s and the N9 is far better with reception and the swipe interface is pure magic. Don't find it impractical at all. If Nokia had marketed this with half the funds they spent on marketing the WP Lumias, this phone (N9) would clearly have attained that mantle of "Flagship" device in my opinion. All the comments I get from SGSII users and iPhone users is "wow". And, don't forget, the biggest markets in the world were left out of it's release and it has still outsold the Lumia's (according to links you can find here and in other forums).