After the announcement of Nokia N97 we had enough time to look at the device in a new way. Nokia has named it the technology leader, which is unlikely to change until the middle of next year, as Nokia N97 is a leader with features and functionality. The first touch smartphone from Nokia, 5800 XpressMusic is sold in more then 1 millon copies, what makes it a bestseller, the demand for it is enormous. Very affective is the balanced set of specifications, but especially low price.

Nokia N97

Buy it Now

Nokia N97 Features:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 900/1900/2100
• Display: TFT 3,5″, touch-sensitive, resolution of 640X360 pixels, 16M colors
• Camera: 5 MP, Autofocus, optical Carl Zeiss, video 640×480 30 fps, double LED flash
• Memory: 32 GB built-in, support for microSD memory cards
• Communication: Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi 802.11 /g, TV-Out
• Integrated GPS module
• Stereo speakers
• Support for Widgets
• 3,5 mm jack for headset
• Battery: BP-4L, 1500 mAh
• Talk time – up to 6,6 hours
• Standby time – up to 430 hours
• Hours in player mode – up to 36 hours
• Size: 117,2×55,3×15,9 mm
• Weight: 150 g
• Price: 550 euros (expected)


Nokia N97 is a totally different story. This is the second touchscreen smartphone from Nokia and N97 opens a new era in the development of Nseries – the era of mobile computers. It is difficult not to notice features of 5800 – virtually the same size, the same touch screen (though slightly larger diagonal – 3.5 inches), but you’ll be wrong to see Nokia N97 simply as modified 5800 with the QWERTY keyboard and advanced features, a sense of the use of these devices is quite different.

Nokia N97

Flagship is only slightly bigger then 5800, it also lies comfortably in the hand and is made of really pleasant material, but no metal at all. The case is made entirely of plastic, glossy front surface, matte back cover, metallized (under a layer of coating the same plastic) screen border.

And if you’d price 5800 just as it look likes, the flagship of the line, the most expensive device should have much more original design, made from some unusual materials.

It is a pity they do not exist in the N97.

On the other hand the quality of assembly and the plastic is very good, one might even say perfect, the unit is cast, even though the presence of moving parts.

The main color for the Nokia N97 – it is dark brown, white version looks interesting and fresh. Nokia N97 Brown and White will be launched at the same time, the situation with a white Nokia E71, which appeared a few months later, won’t repeat.

Nokia N97

Display of Nokia N97 has the same resolution as the 5800 XpressMusic, but has slightly more diagonal of 3.5 inches. By increasing the diagonal is more convenient became finger control. In Nokia 5800, there is one negative point – the high edges of the screen, which makes difficult to use scroll bars. In Nokia N97, this defect is corrected; edges are only 1 mm above the surface of the display, which, nevertheless, is enough to protect the screen from damage.

Nokia N97
One of the main hardware features that differentiates N97 from 5800, is the full slider QWERTY-keyboard, so that the users in addition to the three modes of text input (handwritten input, virtual keyboard, standard keyboard) have another, much more comfortable for a long correspondence, though the keyboard is not the best in terms of the numbers of keys. Keys are separated, slightly curved, can be perfectly pressed, and no false clicks.
Number of keys is 33, including alphanumeric 27.

Nokia N97 in no case can be referred to as a substitute, an alternative to or a continuation of E90. The devices are very different, only common they are with large screen and QWERTY keyboard. In everything else, they are fundamentally different.

Nokia N97

Nokia N97 camera is a usual model of all current Nseries. The module is exactly the same as in Nokia N79, for example (2,8 / 5,4). It provides decent quality, but compared with the N82 is not so good. The flash is not xenon, but LED (double). There is a protective shutter, so at this point the thickness of the device reaches 18 mm (without it N97 is about 2 mm thinner). Slot for memory card is located under the rear panel, can be hot-swappable.

The amount of internal memory is 32 GB microSDHC cards are supported by up to 16 GB, but only for the reason that the 32 GB has not yet been marketed. Thus Nokia N97 is becoming the most universal telephone in the world, with such memory volume there is no one other device. Announcements at MWC 2009 will bring a lot of big numbers and from other manufacturers also, we hope at least.

With such a memory is easy to use Nokia N97 as a multimedia player, the sound quality matches the Nokia 5800, and in continuous MP3 playback N97 can be for 1.5 days – another record for mobile devices. Battery – BP-4L (1500 mAh), which is used in smartphones of Nokia.

Nokia N97

Chipset, which is used in N97, is still a mystery to everyone except employees of the company. Data on the Forum Nokia absent representatives prefer not to answer this question. According to subjective feelings also can not be said that inside, because the speed at this stage is significantly lower than 5800. Naturally, this is due to software, prior to the issuance of N97 is still very long. And speculate about the hardware platform, we will not, the benefit of all the guesses could be wrong. Logic is the same platform as the Nokia 5800 and see what it really is.

Nokia N97

Software which Nokia N97 runs is not so very different from 5800, this fifth edition of the same platform, the same realization of the menu, the individual applications. But there is a difference, which clearly separates N97 multimedia computer and a regular phone 5800 XpressMusic. All that is in the N97, did not appear in 5800, despite the fact that it can be. This widget desktop application Photos, and so on.

Nokia N97

Widgets – this is the main feature of Nokia N97. There is a list of applications that can be put on the desktop, including the well-known for the 5800 panel of contacts, which, though diminished in size, became more comfortable. Other applications – calendar, music, profiles, bar links, and so on. Windows applications, you can arrange on the desktop in any way, you can hide, and in general, the functionality is maximal.
It supports all services of Nokia Group OVI – Share Online, Music Store, as well as for new companies – So-Lo. According to its functionality, this service compares with a Gypsii, which is installed in smartphones from Samsung. Thanks to the integrated GPS module and the functions of A-GPS device “understands” where you are, and you can upload information about your location, along with photos, descriptions. This is a very interesting service, which we will tell you in the near future.

Once again the search function was upgraded, and it became even more functional, user-friendly.
The remaining points of software implementation of Nokia N97, we will consider later, after a longer acquaintance, as we have a very long time before release.

Nokia N97

N97 will be available during the first half of 2009.

The cost of the Nokia N97 will be 550 euro without taxes and subsidies, the price is fair for Europe.
Related links:

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Review

Review of Nokia N96

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