# Nokia N9 30 Hacker News commenters recommended Nokia N9 and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Recommended for its touch interface, design and hardware, seen as ahead of iPhones and Android at the time; the caveat is that Microsoft ended support soon after launch. ## Why people recommend it - Best-in-class touch user interface (7 comments): "most modern and refined user interface, 15 years after being discontinued" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47314553)) "it still has the most modern and beautiful GUI of any smart device" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243599)) "ahead-of-its-time touch UI/UX and power user friendliness" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48919270)) - Design and hardware praised (6 comments): "The N9 was fantastic. A joy to use, and in many ways the best design, both hardware and software, I've ever handled." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896532)) "they still very much had something to say and to show with their design" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49828599)) "Nokia was able to match and surpass Apple in taste on all fronts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49211334)) - Favorite phone for owners (5 comments): "I had both and really loved the N9. My all-time favourite phone." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46241502)) "I had a beautifully Linux phone once, the Nokia N9." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47467071)) "I was a huge N9 fanboy. Wish I didn't sell mine" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243266)) - Ahead of iPhones and Android (3 comments): "It was great. I had it for some years before it broke and then found the Android I had afterwards to be poor compared to it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46247449)) "It was such an incredible phone. Easily rivaled the iPhones of the time and was light-years beyond any Android." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46241552)) "Yet the N9 was years ahead any competition of that time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896897)) ## What people warn about - Weak app selection (2 comments): "The N9 was pretty good, usability, design, hardware, but the apps started to weight" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896460)) "it was clearly too late to the market share and app races" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896212)) - Microsoft ended platform support (3 comments): "Microsoft took over right before the N9 launch and instantly discontinued any further support for the platform." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46262587)) "launched (2011) similarly crippled in the same week that they shut down the entire team working on the OS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46241794)) "the platform was cancelled before the retail release and the retail release was limited" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896835)) - No physical keyboard (2 comments): "The N9 looked great, but I couldn't get over the loss of the keyboard" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46245082)) "its portrait form-factor with a capacitive touchscreen and lack of physical keyboard simply wasn't providing a comfortable experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48952771)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Apple iPhone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone.md): 706 recommend - [Fairphone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fairphone.md): 168 recommend - [Apple iPhone Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone-17-pro.md): 144 recommend - [iPhone 13 mini](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone-13-mini.md): 141 recommend - [Jolla Phone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jolla-phone.md): 88 recommend ## Where to get it - [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Nokia+N9+MeeGo+smartphone&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Nokia N9", https://hackerapproved.com/p/nokia-n9/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).