Nokia N97 Mini

The Nokia N97 Mini is a new touchphone, released as a modified version of the Nokia N97. It is a reworked version of the phone, containing new features and new designs. It was announced in September, 2009 and released on November 2009.

The Nokia N97 Mini has been upgraded extensively from the Nokia N97. The Nokia N97 Mini weighs 138 g which means it’s easy to slip it into the pocket. The display resolution is 640 x 360 with a screen size of 3.3 inches. It also has a 5 megapixel camera equipped with Carl Zeiss optics and double LED flash, together with a front-facing camera for video calling. Other features include 8 GB of internal storage, 128 MB RAM, GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0 Functionality and a full QWERTY keyboard.

The QWERTY keyboard can be accessed by sliding and tilting the top screen. Compared to the Nokia N97, the D-pad has been removed so it is much easier to use. The buttons are more responsive than the Nokia N97. The size of the spacebar has also been increased. The Nokia N97 Mini is based on the Symbian S60 5th Edition Operating system and has full capability for Handwriting Recognition, Wi-Fi access and tools to write and view documents.

As already mentioned earlier, the Nokia N97 Mini is a downsized version of the Nokia N97 which is more expensive. Hence, a few features may be missing. The front screen of the phone contains the Menu key, the Call Key and the end key. As the Nokia N97 Mini is also a touchphone, normal fingertouch is used to communicate with the phone. The keypad may take some time to get used to but after some time, one gets used to it. The rear side has a small metal cover which helps it become slimmer and makes it more solid. However, the camera does not contain a lens cover which makes it more prone to damage.

Regarding the software aspect of the phone, kinetic scrolling is an important feature of the Nokia N97 Mini. The interface is quite fast. The touchscreen feature is responsive. The screen uses TFT technology which shows vivid colours indoor but is prone to blacking out outdoors. The hinge mechanism used to reveal the QWERTY keyboard is robust and very seamless. The screen can be tilted very easily without much of an effort. This allows the phone to be used like a laptop. The sides of the phone has a screen lock key, a micro-USB port, twin speakers, power button, 3.5 mm audio jack, volume/zoom buttons and a camera shutter key.

The rear of the Nokia N97 Mini uses a stainless steel battery cover which helps to make the phone much slimmer. Thus, the phone feels good when carrying it in the hand. The Nokia N97 Mini uses the 1200 mAh BL-4D battery promising a standby life of 320 hrs and talk-time life of 7 hrs 10 minutes. The phone also supports music for upto 32 hours.

Summing up, the Nokia N97 Mini is more a ‘younger brother’ to the original Nokia N97. It may do without some of its older sibling’s features but it is priced more cheaply. With the large array of features available including touchscreen recognition, QWERTY keyboard and 5 megapixel camra, it is a safe and sturdy bet to buy.

- Angikaar Choudhury

Tags: n series phones, Nokia N-Series, Nokia N97 Mini, smartphones, touchphones

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