Nokia N-Gage QD
Nokia · Released May 2004 · QD (2004)
Nokia's redesign of the N-Gage that fixed the 'taco' phone's worst quirks — side-loading game cards and normal calling — but arrived too late.
Pros
- +Fixed the original's flaws: front-loading cards and normal phone use
- +More pocketable, rounded design
- +Bluetooth multiplayer
- +Cheaper than the original
Cons
- −Dropped FM radio, MP3 playback and USB
- −Small library; the market was already lost
- −Still a niche curiosity
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- ARM920T (Symbian)
- CPU
- 32-bit ARM9 @ 104 MHz
- GPU
- Software rendering
- RAM
- 16 MB
- Storage
- MMC card MMC + phone storage
- Weight
- 143 g
- Dimensions
- 118 x 68 x 22 mm
- Cooling
- Passive
Display
- Size
- 2.1″
- Resolution
- 176x208
- Panel
- TFT colour LCD (portrait)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
- Touchscreen
- No
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 850 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~6 hours
- Wi-Fi
- None
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth
- Ports
- MMC card (side-loading), GSM (phone), Headset
- Expandable storage
- Yes (microSD)
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 0
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- No
- Gyroscope
- No
- Hall effect sticks
- No
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: Symbian Series 60
Also plays natively: N-Gage game cards, Symbian (Series 60) apps
No third-party custom firmware tracked for this device.
Our verdict
The N-Gage QD addressed the original's most-mocked flaws: you no longer had to remove the battery to swap games, and you could hold it normally to take calls. It was smaller, rounder and cheaper, with Bluetooth multiplayer. Sacrifices included FM radio, MP3 playback and USB, and by 2004 the gaming-phone moment had passed — but it is the better N-Gage and a fun collectible.