• Nokia N97 mini [Review] (Updated!)

    Nokia N97 mini [Review] (Updated!)

    Prasad Naik, Dec 08, 2009 1600 hrs IST

    A smaller, cheaper and equally well performing version of N97

    Build quality, sharp, high resolution display, full QWERTY keypad, connectivity options, audio quality, high quality supplied earphones, 8GB built-in memory, good pre-installed apps and widgets

    Poor display visibility under sunlight, unimpressive camera performance, resistive touchscreen response not up to the mark, interface design not intuitive, slow scrolling in web browser

    Check specifications
    Write Review
    Expert Rating :
    Rating
    Latest Mobile Prices
    mail share

Expert Review

    next


Six months ago Nokia launched the N97 smartphone in the market. The phone was touted to be Nokia's best yet and had a huge range of features and an impressive spec sheet that ran into pages. For some reason, however, I never really liked the N97. Sure it was a really feature-rich and powerful device, but it wasn't something that I could imagine using on a day-to-day basis. It felt more like a shrunk down version of a notebook rather than a mobile phone, which kind of overwhelms you every time you use it. The feeling that I got while using the N97 for regular tasks is equivalent to driving the Lamborghini Murcielago with a twin turbo V12 engine to get bread from the shop around the corner.

But now, six months later, Nokia has released the new N97 mini. As the name suggests the N97 mini is the smaller, shrunk version of the standard N97. However, Nokia has made very few sacrifices to the feature list while making the N97 mini, which means you get almost all the features of the N97 but now in a smaller, more likable package. But will it manage to be just as impressive as the standard N97 when it comes to performance, or has it also gone 'mini' on that front? Here is a complete review of Nokia's latest smartphone.


(The review has been updated with new comparison shots between the N97 and N97 mini. Head over to Page 11 to check them out)








Bundle

  • Nokia N97 mini
  • Battery
  • Charger
  • Stereo Headset (with three set of ear tips)
  • USB Data Cable
  • Charger Adaptor
  • User Manual
  • Ovi Suite CD   

One of the most impressive things about the N97 mini bundle is the presence of the new high quality in-ear earphones. These are something that even the larger N97 did not have. The headset also has playback controls and volume control embedded in it. However, the TV-Out cable has been removed from the bundle, along with the charger adaptor (which allowed you to use old Nokia chargers with the N97 mini), the cleaning cloth, stylus and carry case.  Another important thing is the smaller packaging of the N97 mini, which is roughly half the height of the standard N97 package.  

Follow Techtree on Twitter

    next

Do you agree with this Review?
YesNo

Up

49

Down

129

Related Links
Nokia 5800 Gets First Firmware Update
Nokia N97 - Worthy iPhone Challenger?
Update: Nokia 5800 Yours on January 4, 2009
Tag keywords
Nokia N97 mini Review mobile phone Nokia N97 mini S60 5th edition symbian smartphone touchscreen phone QWERTY keypad N97



Discussion Board
(32) Comments
Anshuman
,Hyderabad, on Aug 08, 2011 01:13 AM
Nokia should be shameful and shoul aplogise to the customers who has bought N97 Mini. It is such a pathetic phone, lacks on every other feature you can think of...very annoying thing is when you are talking at that time the screen will go blank, you cannot use dial pad or any thing, screen lock-unlock will just not work... overall it would be such a horrible experience to use this. Never ever buy this model, and as long as for me....I have already smashed the phone on the wall and will never ever buy any Nokia phones.
Report abuse
sujala
,bangalore, on Aug 13, 2010 12:37 AM
n97 mini sucks big time....pls dont buy any nokia phones. i had an horrible experience...my n97 mini keeps restarting and even though its in warranty period the so called nokia care center people didnt bother to replace it. i have already given it 4 times for service and those service assholes,fools,dumbasses keep telling this time we know wat to do and make us customers to shut up. but the phone has never been better. still the same problem....one more time if it happens then i am going to the consumer court.. guys pls dont buy nokia phones. it really is an headache . my friends also face the same problems. they never value their customers!!!!
Report abuse
Arjun
,Kurukshetra, on Feb 09, 2011 04:12 PM
And so does the tech review team. Mr/Ms. Head of techtree....please chuck your tech analysis team out who happen to be Nokia agents...I hope you dont hv someone like nira radia influencing your decision to retain them. This fone is a nightmare. The displays could get lost on its will ( now i know that fones have soul and brain..they decide when to hang up on you)..the camera is shitty and the battey...Kya kehna
Report abuse
RAJESH GEORGE
,TRICHUR, on Aug 12, 2010 04:13 PM
I am totally disatisfied with the performance of mini. Sound gets jarred. range is an issue, where other nokia hand sets have range but not our mini>..!
Report abuse
satya
,Bangalore, on Apr 06, 2010 12:46 PM
one of my colleague bought it today for 19.5K, very good, no problem with sliding (for @sk2002..
Report abuse
sk2002
,mumbai, on Mar 05, 2010 10:32 PM
does the n97 mini have a problem with its sliding mechanism. I just heard from someone that it has a tendency to fail
Report abuse
nipurn
,calicut, on Feb 16, 2010 11:41 PM
when is n900 launching in india and hows it as compared to n97
Report abuse
Anonymous
,nnn, on Dec 08, 2009 08:08 PM
nokia suks big tym....
Report abuse
Lal
,BPL, on Jan 21, 2010 10:26 PM
Lot.. i heard from you all.. now here is a true response.. mini is just as good as its name is, its mini.. camera is really a drawback for nokia as batteries were for sony. Missing stylus really makes it difficult some times to punch as the touch screen is not so responding. Although the price has now reduced considerabely so this can be considered as a good buy.
Report abuse
Rabih
,Beirut, on Dec 10, 2009 05:09 PM
what's the difference betwen the N97 and the mini one?
Report abuse
Pankaj Ramnani
,Ghaziabad, on Jan 18, 2010 10:55 PM
You such a loser man !! after reading such a huge article , u say whats the difference !! C'mon get a life !!
Report abuse
Anonymous
,wb, on Dec 09, 2009 03:08 AM
Unless the price of mini drops considerably, n97 is much better buy. It has larger screen, tons of more memory, larger battery, a d pad, lens cover. I think most will be able to live with a little bit extra bulk.
Report abuse
Pankaj Ramnani
,Ghaziabad, on Jan 18, 2010 10:54 PM
Plus an FM transmitter !! That's one of the best features which is missing in the Mini ! Its like iTrip on a mobile !!
Report abuse
glasgow!
,glasgow!, on Jan 13, 2010 10:55 PM
the n97 mini is great but wish it had a stylus :(
Report abuse
SAURABHA
,Hyderabad, on Dec 28, 2009 10:30 AM
Which one is better n97 mini or omnia pro b7610. The major difference I could figure out is the processor speed, Operating system, screen type, size & resolution, Battery power internal memory & RAM. In all the above mentioned difference Samsung is better except the Internal storage (mini has 8 GB and omnia has 2 GB). Feature wise Omnia has Business card reader, Document editor, DivX certified and mobile tracker where as mini has Digital compass, Document Viewer, Flash Lite 3. Also, Omnia is cheaper than mini around 1.5 to 2K. My major requirements are A-GPS, E-book / PDF viewer / reader, E-mail and calendar synch, Wi-Fi, Camera (not much) and build quality (my mobile falls on an average once or twice in a week). Can anybody help who has used both the phones?
Report abuse
avanindra
,bareilly, on Dec 25, 2009 11:32 PM
kabbi kisi ladaki ko apne girlfriend ke bare mein mat batao agar batao to use hamesha sach mat batao kabhi vishwas nahi karegi
Report abuse
Shehan
,Hobart, on Dec 22, 2009 03:21 PM
While testing out the phone was there any problem with lag??? This phone has a 434 MHz processor and 128 Mb ram while the competition has much more (Iphone - 256 MB ram, 600 MHz). Does this effect the phone?
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on Dec 23, 2009 10:39 AM
No, the phone is fairly fast without any lag as such. As for the processor speed, it is perfectly fine for the operating system that the N97 mini uses.
Report abuse
kellie
,boton, on Dec 13, 2009 06:56 AM
i'm getting this phone for christmas mega excited it's soo little and cute AHH CHRISTMAS HURRYYY :)
Report abuse
naushaad bera
,dundee, on Dec 11, 2009 08:07 PM
wheres the stylus ( pen ) that should have come with the n97 mini like the standard n97 ...... ?
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on Dec 11, 2009 08:40 PM
The N97 mini does not come with any stylus, unlike the standard N97.
Report abuse
Anonymous
,Mumbai, on Dec 11, 2009 07:15 PM
Hey Prasad ! Please review samsung b7610 Omniapro which sells in mumbai Rs 22,000 , its true value for money - touchscreen , qwerty , windows 6.1, UI superb , 5 MP camera ********* Far better than trash nokia n97 mini or n97 .
Report abuse
COYS
,London, on Dec 10, 2009 11:02 AM
mixed feelings on this phone. The os is awful, very sluggish and the menus and settings are a mess quite frankly. Lots of bugs which I hope nokia fix soon but not sure they will. Screen resolution is really good but the touchscreen function can be unresponsive and incomsistent as per the review. Overall i have mixed feelings as clearly the phone has some good functions but its use is hampered by the poor os and several bugs. Had to return my 1st one because of the camera fault mentioned in the review and debating on whether to return my second one unless i believe nokia will sort out the bugs with a firmware upgrade. Probably should have got an iphone.
Report abuse
Joe
,Covai, on Dec 10, 2009 10:23 AM
Hi Techtree, could you please review Nokia E72.
Report abuse
roshan
,bangalore, on Dec 10, 2009 10:07 AM
please review samsung omnia pro b7610.
Report abuse
Dave
,place, on Dec 08, 2009 11:12 PM
I have seriously gotta disagree with some of the stuff you said. 1. The camera is very impressive for 5 megapixels, the carl zeiss lenz in amazing. 2. The headphones are totally shit. 3. The screen is extremely well responsive even for me and this is my first touch screen phone. 4 And the slow scrolling during web browsing is really a thing that depends on were you are in terms of connection. I've had the phone for a month now, and im very happy with it. Would definetly reccomend it to people who are interested and I just cant see why people keep slagging off this excellent little piece of technology.
Report abuse
MiniMan
,Mumbai, on Dec 09, 2009 01:18 AM
I agree with you .. Did this guy even use the camera ? Screen is actually pretty good.
Report abuse
Rayn
,Riyadh, on Dec 09, 2009 03:39 PM
Yes I too agree.This phone is very easy to use and has twin benefits of a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a large ultra-hi-res touchscreen.The camera is the same as the one on the N97, which in turn is essentially the same as the camera in the old N96. But it's an excellent camera nevertheless, and outperforms most smartphones. The sensor is a respectable 5 megapixels, but it's the quality of the Carl Zeiss optics that makes it perform so well. The dual LED flash isn't as powerful as the xenon flash on other competitive brands, but it's more than a match for most camera phones. Video recording is excellent too, with the ability to record at VGA format.The only drawback is the OS,Symbian phones often have a tendency to freeze or reboot at the most annoying times, and the N97 was no exception.The price tag seems high compaired to N97 brother,but i think it will drop to another 4k. This N97 Mini is a perfect example of an intelligent compromise. Yes, the screen is smaller, the battery life is shorter. But the phone is significantly slimmer, lighter and quite a bit cheaper too, bringing the power of the N97 within reach of a whole new market segment.
Report abuse
Vinod
,mumbai, on Dec 09, 2009 01:12 PM
simply a waste of money. are these at nokia crazy?it seems they think we indians are fools.nokia n97 as far i am concerned is a complete disaster. now comes the mini. can't understand the logic. wait for the nokia n900, if at all they officially make it available. it is a vailable in the grey market for arnd 43k. a great peice of hardware.
Report abuse
Sanjay Narang
,New Delhi, on Dec 09, 2009 10:09 AM
Whats the point of releasing this phone when the price difference is not that much? Someone please tight those loose bolts in NOKIA people heads so that they can understand what price they should keep. IF u compare both phones, u 'll find that for 3K more N97 is still the better buy( U get 32GB space over 8GB & better battery life)!
Report abuse
inuggshopping
,DY, on Dec 09, 2009 09:14 AM
great!!
Report abuse
Anonymous
,xyz, on Dec 08, 2009 04:44 PM
Nice
Report abuse

Opinion Poll