Nokia to Bring $895 N96 Smartphone to America

Nokia’s N96 to retail for $895

Nokia announced today that it is bringing its N96 Smartphone to North America with support for 3G HSDPA networks. According to Nokia, the phone will be available here in Q4 2008. The N96 will feature a 2.8-inch screen and 16GB of internal storage space.

The N96 has been available in Europe for a while and the American version of the phone will have most of the same features. Features will include a kickstand that holds the phone upright in landscape mode for watching movies.

The 16GB of internal storage is enough for up to 40 hours of video content according to Nokia. The phone has a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, integrated WiFi connectivity, and GPS navigation.

The N96 is compatible with Nokia’s Ovi online music store. N-Gage compatibility is built-in and the N96 will ship with a voucher for the full version of Asphalt 3: Street Rules and trial versions of other N-Gage games are pre-installed.

Nokia’s Bill Plummer said in a statement, “Since the first Nokia Nseries device came to market in 2005, this range of devices has consistently represented cutting-edge technology combined with an unparalleled user experience. The Nokia N96 builds upon this tradition to bring mobility to today’s most valuable Internet services. With support for movies, music, games, navigation and more right out of the box, the real power of the Nokia N96 is that it provides an open application environment for users to define their own mobile lifestyle.”

The features of the N96 draw many comparisons between it and the Apple iPhone 3G. The main difference between the two is price. While you can get an iPhone 3G for $299 (with a two-year contract), the Nokia N96 will retail for a whopping $895 sans contract when it goes on sale in Q4 2008.