I tried creating a new N26 account…
I tried creating a new N26 account several times. Every time I upload supporting authentication documents, N26 support comes back in a few minutes saying the images of passport lacked sharpness/clarity. Even contacting N26 support did not help as all he/she did was to repeat the same message over and again. In comparison, a similar authentication process through a competitive bank took a few seconds and was a pleasant experience.

Updates: After the below message from N26, I re-tried and failed once again at the setup stage. I can't believe account set up on N26 can be this difficult! It is much easier to navigate the bureaucracy in a brick-and-mortar bank.