Nokia N97 Review
Written on 12/04/2008 10:27:00 AM by poison_ivy
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So, guess what Nokia came up with as a follow up for their Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Touchscreen phone? The Nokia N97, a Google G1 phone look-alike that sports a 3.5 inch screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Nokia N97 is one of the high end phones you can get under contract. It's available on Orange, Vodafone, 3, O2, and T-mobile.
Design
The Nokia N97 looks like a cross between a lot of the latest mobile phones from the iPhone to the Google G1 Phone to the AT&T Tilt (HTC TyTN II). Up front, the Nokia N97's 3.5 inch display dominates the whole front of the phone except for the little button on the bottom left side corner which serves as the shortcut key to the N series multimedia applications. The call and end buttons are touch sensitive like Motorola ROKR E8. On the top of the Nokia N97 is the 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button. The Nokia N97 is just a tad bit larger and thicker than the iPhone and when you slide out the QWERTY keypad, you're reminded of the HTC TyTN II with it's angled screen. The Nokia N97 feels solid enough to hold though it just feels a bit too large especially if you have small hands. The QWERTY keypad is evenly spaced and you won't have trouble typing nor would you have to worry about pressing two buttons at a time. The buttons are very minimal compared with other QWERTY keypads from HTC or Blackberry phones. I guess this is to make room for the directional pad on the left side. The sliding mechanism feels solid enough though I'm a bit worried about the hinge that connects the screen and the keypad since it looks thin and breakable. If you're looking to get the Nokia N97 mobile phone for free under contract, it's not the sexiest phone compared with other latest phones from different wireless carrier's roster--if you're looking for a stylish phone that is.
Features and Performance
The performance of the Nokia N97 is based purely on the demo version but I have to say I'm quite impressed. It looks like Nokia has fine tuned the Symbian OS to be touch optimized. On the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, you won't get much of the swiping and flicking finger action but they've refined it so that you can get that much out of the Nokia N97. Also, compared with the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic demo version, the Nokia N97 interface is quite fast and responsive. You can barely see any hiccup on the accelerometer transition or when you're navigating the Symbian OS. The user interface on the Nokia N97 is also quite new but is still very user-friendly. Like I said, it's touch optimized and there are a lot of widgets you can play with. The built-in mobile browser also looks promising though I wasn't able to see if it supports YouTube desktop PC version. Scrolling through webpages isn't as smooth and fluid as when you're surfing the Safari Browser on the iPhone but the webpages renders quickly though I don't know if that's because the pages that the person demonstrating the phone is already saved and bookmarked on the phone's memory.
The Nokia N97 also supports TV Out, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio, and a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. If the camera on the Nokia N97 is as good as that on the Nokia N95 then I'm sure that the Nokia N97 won't have any problems when it comes to its camera software. The Nokia N97 runs on Quadband GSM networks and supports 3G/HSDPA.
It's just too bad that Nokia decided to go with Resistive touchcreen instead of capacitive like that on the iPhone. I'm sure with a bit of development, they'll be able to come up with a lot of good applications that can make use of capacitive touchscreen.
Outlook
Hmm, looks like Nokia got it right on their second try. I like the Nokia N97 better than their Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and I hope that they'll be able to incorporate the user interface of the N97 on the 5800 XpressMusic though I highly doubt that since the Nokia N97 is aimed at the high end market while the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic borders on the midrange to high-end phone segment. From the looks of the demo version, the Nokia N97 looks promising enough. It's fast and responsive. I don't know what processor or RAM they've used on this mobile phone but I guess they were able to make use of the new Symbian OS. All in all, it looks like the iPhone, Google G1 Phone and the Blackberry Storm has a new competitor to watch out for. And knowing that there are a lot of Nokia fanatics, I think that the Nokia N97 will definitely take a large part of the smartphone market.
Update:It seems that Nokia is a bit late in releasing the Nokia N97, while admittedly, it's probably the most pre-ordered from other contract mobile phones, specs-wise, it can be overshadowed by the other latest mobile phones from Orange, O2 and Vodafone.
Amongst Orange phones, the Samsung i8910 HD is probably its biggest competitor. The latter has an AMOLED screen and better video playback quality to boast of, not to mention 720p video recording capability.
On O2, there's the iPhone 3G S, which is the latest mobile phone from Apple, is better with the user interface and music playing capabilities though the N97 trumps the latter in terms of camera quality.
And as for Vodofone, they have a lot of business mobile phones to compete with the N97, particularly, the HTC Touch Pro2 which is at par specs-wise with the Nokia N97 but has far more business features to offer such as free MS Office Mobile and Microsoft Exchange. For multimedia phones, Vodofone offers the Vodafone Magic, an Android device which also has a lot of features. If you enjoyed this post Subscribe to our feed
I hope you're right. I invested
about $12000 in Nokia's stock.
Don't have a Nokia phone yet but
I plan on buying the N97. Can't wait
to have this phone. Hope the US
version we be availble by Q2 end.
Shelley Bevacqua
Avondale PA USA
I think nokia got left behind by the other manufacturers when it comes to touch screen, but the nokia N97 is sure to bring nokia back to the top. Just would of liked to see it running Android!
I'm excited. Expansys has this on pre-order and according to them, June is the expected release date.
N97 also very lame, it’s a good job Samsung are doing the better hardware at the moment than nokia or Symbian would sink in it’s new master and keeps cak hardware.
I don’t think Nokia are listening to their customers anymore - a bit like the EU lol!
You will have a poo battery
You will use poor hardware
You dont need a 3d chip (N-gage over and out 3 fps)
You will use 2 year old slow cpu
You will not complain and moan lol!
Yea right………………….. of to the shop for a HTC pro or a google phone with a proper CPU/GPU
You know what anonymous? You are SO right! I've been checking out different reviews from different websites and you know what I've found? NOKIA HAS TAKEN OUT THE TV FUNCTION! (Sorry, can't remember the acronym...DVB or something). It pisses me off that they are constantly removing hardware/functions that the predecessor has. I'm a Nokia fan but I'm looking at other phones such as HTC or Blackberry because Nokia clearly thinks that they can decide for us what we need or want in a phone. It's like they sit in the boardroom deciding what they can take out next to save some money and charge as much for a phone that doesn't have all the functions and have the nerve to put inferior hardware in a phone. It's simple(so to speak)...Put in what we WANT, get a better battery and stop building pretty phones that are crap. I have an N70 and wanted to I'm very dissapointed in Nokia! I'm a power user and I want a phone that can take a serious beating. A phone that can handle dozens of applications and doesn't close an application because of low RAM. You need more RAM if you're gonna be using the Max 48Gb space(if you can afford it). Like DUH...any computer idiot can tell you that! A Low 128 MB RAM + 48Gb space = Serious Lagging!
Currently there isn't a trusted brand that has a perfect phone and until then, ALL the manufactures can kiss my sweet arse...
Just to add a little perspective on how old this offering could be we can all look at the Nokia E51 yes it was and is a good business phone but as it features the same ARM 11 CPU running at 369 MHz
http://forumnokia.mobi/devices/Nokia_E51.html
You see, there is no ground breaking technology here just an old gaffer wearing a new shiny coat and duds
Oh and yes the E51 can play N-gage games hacked with hello carbide so no prize there.
The architecture of these phones matters to the user and it's just
more proof the N97 is just a nice business phone and that's were it ends.
If we want to see another bleeding edge revolution like the N95 dual ARM 11 332 x 2 = 664 Mhz Equiv caused then this is not the answer and with the 3d missing I don't think many will downgrade there N-gage experience with this bling bling phone.
I m a power user too, using HTC and it sucks. It's slow, windows is not reliable for a phone. Touch screen is poor. and on top of this i had once the display that was internally broken and this happen during the night when my phone was quietly sleeping. So fo me, never an HTC anymore. I was hopping on Nokia, and I will wait and test but I already have big doubt.
Sounds like a good phone! My best friend's mum has got the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and said it was an alright phone, but n97 sounds really good. The only thing is that the n97 is going to be expensive!!
not worth the money. nokia is not on my watch list anymore.
I am gonna wait for this phone and hope will be released as soon as possible and http://www.puremobile.com/Nokia/Nokia-N97-White-GSM-Phone/ and can it be
Its a great phone... No worries.. go ahead and take it..
Whilst the processor is not as powerful as other phones, the OS is increadibly efficient and uses little memory or CPU.
In stark contrast to an iPhone, which has 128Mb RAM and a great processor, the Nokia allows full multitasking whilst the iPhone limits it to a few core apps (hence no sat nav yet).
Also, dont make me laugh quoting HTC or Samsung ... their both terrible phones; business and personal. I agree with Chris ... Win Mob 6.1 is terrible.
So realistically it's the N97 or the iPhone 3GS if you want a high-end phone. I considered the Palm Pre but reviews arent favourable and it's a big gamble given that the company is about to go under! :-(
I agree with that. I'm a nokia user for 5 years. Correct me if I'm wrong, compared to WinMo mobile phones, Symbian OS consumes lesser RAM/memory and can run applications simultaneously at low CPU clock speed. This is very efficient for a phone. With that, it requires lesser battery consumption since that's a lower CPU speed and RAM. If you want 600mhz mobile phones, why not rather go for some netbooks or tablet pcs with you.
DVBH? Why not get some China phones with TV antenna (jowk!)
GPU? There are lots of good games in PSP or Nintendo. Grab some!
In my own opinion, I think N97 is decent enough for communication, texting, decent camera shots and games. Let's just see how multitasker will do with this.
Dodgy touchscreen, horrible keyboard, vastly overpriced.
No thanks.
HTC Magic for me, much better phone.
NVIDIA Tegra 3D is based on the ARM11 Risc platform featuring Multicore with support for 12 Mpix / 3d shader running at 650Mhz + this could have been a good cpu but it’s not here and it’s going to be in the google android phone, this N97 is whimp what went wrong lads…………….
You only used old Arm11 single core poor mans mobile CPU.
Nokia fans run to Droid.
The real test here, if which OS would perform better at the same CPU speed, RAM amount, etc. High technical specs will speak for themselves, but will they perform well as one will expect?
Well I just bought the N97 and I believe I have made the right decision. Nokia has pulled off another coupe, the N97 is well constructed, feeling very solid in the hand with a slide operation that belies quality craftsmanship. The Nokia based push email that effectively makes the blackberry function obsolete, built in RAM of 32gig (48gig with in all), you tube functionality, social satnav and a built in browser that seems to work seamlessly. The touch screen works as effectively as the Iphone with. They didn't just catch up withe the pack, Nokia just wizzed by the lot
good,
thanks for the information,on the Nokia as the seller, I need info like this. very good also to be notified to all my employees. success for you!!!
Just got the N97.As usual nokia built a solid phone as far as construction... It does not feel frail. Its 32g capacity, expands to 48g... great. Web pages load faster than Iphone from my experiance here in the us. Speaker is loud. Screen res is terrific. The only negative is that the touch screen is not as nifty...smooth, as the Iphone.
Its a solid phone, worth the price if your not a bargain shopper.
guys you probably dont know the real story about nokia managment but they have to make somthing wrong with every phone they come up with so they make you buy another one in a years time.hope the n97 will slip under,and pass without managment touch
After many years, I'm still waiting for a phone to beat my Nokia 9210i - nice big keyboard; easy to use Contacts; fax facility; solid construction, but with an up to date web access/emails . - could this be it guys?
Or, should I wait another 7 years...??
After the E90....I am not going anywhere near Nokia.....these fellas are expensive and at the end of it their features end up unuser friendly ...almost a scam....the last functional phone these guys had was the Nokia 9500....although bulky and slow....it was at least user friendly....bye bye Nokia....
The Nokia N97 does not have a WiFi radio, which means it can not be used to seamlessly transfer from a mobile to an IP network. This is a serious flaw in a phone which is otherwise so technically advanced and leaves it way behind all the other smartphones in the market. In the UK, where network coverage is poor inside homes, other smartphones can use the IP network to transfer voice and data traffic.
the n97 does have wifi aporva
@Apoorva
Are you sure with that? I'm currently surfing the net thru WiFi with my new N97.
@Ken, maybe by WiFi radio, Approva means it can't be used with T-Mobile's WiFi at home? I think there's a Nokia phone that can be used with both GSM and T-Mobile's WiFi at home.
OK. I've read the reviews and thought I would upgrade to the n97 to experience the phone first hand. First impressions are very poor.
It's fairly straight forward to configure and I was up and running pretty quickly. But the more I used it the worse things became.
The worst thing was the videos and images. It started out OK but I moved my videos and images from my N95 8GB and that's when the behaviour became flakey. It got to the point were I was taking pictures and the phone's image library did not recegnise the images: I couldn't view them at all! When I took a picture the library wasn'y updating.
Then the home screen stopped working. The Facebook widget would no longer show and merely show the message "Loading content".
I added some contacts as favourites and that also stopped working correct: the contacts were there but the thumbnails would no longer display.
In summary, a very disappointing experience.
Interestingly they include a dedicated support number for n97 users - I think this approach might suggest Nokia might be getting lots of calls.
I will be returning to it to the Vodafone store ASAP. Very disappointed.
In reply to last anonymous comment....The manufacturer can't produce every single phone without a few coming out with software issues, did you think of the possibility that you transferred a corrupted file from N95 GIG. Re-Set the phone and start again. Remember teething issues will be fixed with later free software updates.
I have been reading reviews after reviews from Blackberry, HTC, iphone and much more. They each have their flaws. For example how could you bring an iphone out that can't have a simple function such as bluetooth to bluetooth device connectibiliy. The simple reason is money!! Iphone want to substantially profit in what company they allow compatibility with. I have a Tom Tom GPS in my car...I need my phone to connect via bluetooth...my stereo is also bluetooth so can play music from my current N96 wirelessly.
I have been anti iphone for a while and was almost going to buy one (as the new version 3GS seems great), until i found out it doesn't have the most basis of phone functions FULL Bluetooth.
At this stage....there just isn't a flawless phone, please let me know when you find one, until then the Nokia N97 will be my next purchase on Wed 1 July in Australia.
I have had my N97 for 3 days having waited patiantly ever since it was anounced
not dissapointed at all a great phone i can see nokia doing very well with this one
all the features of the previous nokias (n80 n95) and they have improved on them
wifi very sensitive so big improvement
Had my nokia N97 since launch day, the touch screen is not as acurate as I hoped and having to use both hands to answer a call when locked really p****s me off. Other than that the phone exceeds in the areas that made me chose the phone. (managing linux servers via SSH and virtual machines over VNC)
well im thinking of replacing my N95 by the N97, i've a pay monthly contract and its part of the deal to get a new phone for free every year or so, according to what i've read im gonna take the risk and go for the N97, ok it aint perfect but i dont belive that you find a perfect phone from any brand, as always nokia very easy to use, ok poor bateries but at least you can chage it not like iPhone that you cant go any near the batery and need to send to the seller in case of problems. A-GPS and GPS once again better than Iphone... 32Gb of mem + 16 on a card and come on, if you get latter a 32GB card im pretty sure that it will work too, 5mega pixel camera if its the same as N95 GREAT very nice camera no bad points on it. As soon as i get my N97 i'll let you guys know if it worths the try or not.
After getting the phone on its launch, im 50/50 as to wether im going to put it on ebay. Its features are out of this world with quick access to facebook and hotmail being my fav. Touch screen is fine and the pull out keyboard comes in useful for sending long texts or emails.... but why cant Nokia brink out a phone that is bug free on its launch? Its crashed numerous times in different ways, it just feels like the phone cant handle the software, why they cant iron these things out before launch is beyond me, im gona stick with it for a month and see if any software updates come out - otherwise I am going to ther dark side and gettuing an Iphone. - Keith Townley, Macclesfield.
n97 is looking like dashy mobile,the features of nokian97 is ossam yaar.
I just sold my N95 8GB (Great phone miss it)
Now i have done a deal with the devil and got 3gs..............
iPhone 3GS will also come with 256MB of RAM, up from 128MB. While not mentioned by the T-Mobile site, the new iPhone have upgraded the GPU to the PowerVR SGX, up from the PowerVR MBX. So how does the iPhone 3GS compare with previous devices? Very favorably.
EDGE iPhone 6/29/07 412 MHz 128 MB
Iphone 3GS 07/07/2009
600Mhz up 200% with new GPU
N97 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
omap 2420 400Mhz
I wanted the N97 but I test drove this old tart done up to go on the pull and it was a P.O.S sold my N95 and could not go back so got iphone better 3D games better screen better video better ......
(x nokia fan).
how is anyone supposed to affored it and why cant it be free on a £20 per month contract on orange?
Hi
I have used quite few HTC Phones and currently using G1. However I must say that I'm not quite impressed with HTC phones such as Touch HD, Touch Pro 2 etc. Especially when it comes to multimedia features such as Audio & Video features & Quality, HTC are just Pathetic considering the Sky Rocketing prices you pay for them (£300-£600).
I'm getting N97 and really looking forward to using it considering the Repute Nokia has over Decades.
Those interested can have a look at www.onlinedigitaldeals.com for Original Sim Free version without any Network Logo for good price.
Not impressed with the N97. It is slow. S L O O O O W. Internet is poor and difficult to move around. Calendar functions are not versatile enough and small number of applications work. Tom Tom will not load to it. Only good thing is the TV and use of downloadable Iplayer file. My wfe has an I Phone and I think this is easier to use, faster and a proper touchscreen. Min was supplied by my companybut I will go back and use my E61. cheers
All phones used to be slow at first release of firmware version. Maybe you forgot to update yours.
As far as I know, Symbian will release a major OS change for Nokia touchscreens, such as N97 and 5800 which will be a great and phenomenal change for its user interface.
I agree with readers saying Nokia is becoming arrogant and not listening to customers: I had serious HW problems with my last 2 Nokia (2!!) and Nokia REFUSED to repair them under warranty. I was rescued by Vodafone (from where I bought the phones) that ship them and forced Nokia to repair them as both were well known construction problems.
This phone is immense, 120% better than the new iphone, i got it on a vodafone contract its brilliant highly recommended ;)
Maybe that's the reason why N97 is top 1 in Vodafone right now, second is Nokia 5800, third is Sony Ericsson W595. People today are becoming practical and considers worth of money.
Nokia definitely did get left behind when it came to touch screen compatibility, but the Nokia N97 makes huge head way for them.
I had the Nokia N97 for a 2 weeks trial a couple of months ago. I have to say it is a very good phone but has been let down big time with all the bugs in the software & terrible battery life. I have been using Nokia phones now for approx 13yrs and i agree with some of your comments, Nokia used to lead the way with phones but now they are getting left behind and my personnal opinion is their getting boring now or is that just old age creeping up on me lol.
Why Is It when i read these negative posts about the n97 all i can geuss they are americans which need a phone to order there fast food . so i think its fair you dont criticise what you wont properly use ...... fucking americans moaning all then time!!!!!!!
I thought the Nokia would have been a Great leap ahead of the N96, but no, it has the same Features & No 3D Chip, The touch Screen is not Responstive as the iphone, i used to be a nokia Fan, but have moved on to the more sophisticated phones like the iphone. For the price of a N97 you can Buy an Iphone 3GS & still have Some money left over.
After Using the Nokia N97 for about a Day, i got bored so Quickly, its overrated & overpriced,& not that Much differant than the Nokia 5800. I'll be selling Mine on Ebay & will be Buying the iphone 3GS.
Currently using HTC Touch Dual with the contract due to run out in a month's time. Looking at N97 because I like using the internet on the move. N97 slide-out keyboard looks an intelligent inovation, and phone itself looks fab. Bit concerned over the neative reviews I'm reading about processing powers. Have to say that my current phone really does surf well, but I see the slide-out keyboard as a common-sense step forward. As for battery strength, well, isn't it just as everyone says, all smartphone battery strengths are naff?
Excellent Cell Phone!
Looking at investing in this phone, this page contains a lot of Negative feedback.
From What I can tell a lot of the negativity depends what your looking for in a phone.
I am no looking for an inbuilt TV, trouser press, french maid service (although if a phone could do that, things would be pretty sweet).
My requirements are:
A phone.
I know I shouldn't use this page as an information request, but I do have one question that's not been answered in ANY of the blogs/pages/forums I've been looking at.
with the N97, Can you choose to how you access the internet?
through different wifi services, mobile cover or other means? Basically the thing that's a selling point for me is the alleged allegiance with Skype and Nokia.
What I’m really trying to get at, is this:
Can I CHOOSE a wifi network to connect to and make skype calls from? Or does the phone pre-determine how you connect to the net?
I am a traveller by nature, and don’t know where I will be in 1 year’s time, but if this phone can connect to a wifi network, then I can use that connection and the skype function to call home for free???
For example, all Macdonalds have free wifi at every establishment of theirs for 30 mins (provided you aren’t downloading) so could I pull up in to a Macdonalds carpark, connect my phone to their wifi in say Sydney and call another skype user in the UK for free? Or do they force you to connect to an ISP that you need to pay through the teeth for?
MacDonalds is only an example, you could use a hotel or internet café, or train with wifi etc..
Phone operators will offer you the N97 for free, providing you pay a monthly charge for a term of 18-36 months, but if you choose for the option with the least minutes/texts but unlimited internet access, then potentially you can use Skype (as I have wireless in my house) to make the majority of my calls/text for free to other skype callers or a £5/$10 monthly charge to skype to call any number in Europe. (I’m Currently in the UK)
This was an longer message than I meant to type!
Anyone able to shed light on this? ‘twould be greatly appreciated
Cheers, Dave.
To Dave:
HI Dave, I have a N97 and use internet a lot, yes, N97 allows you to chose how to connect to the internet (operator or wireless) as long as you have a wireless network on range and can access to it. but i must tell, i use my phone for a lot of things witch drag all the memory down, so some times i have to restart it (one time a day does the trick) battery has a very good performance getting sometimes 3 days using 3.5G internet (operator) with out charging and nearly 5 days using wifi access. if you have mor questions just let me know.
i wouldn't reccomend this phone, unless you like spending alot of money for a phone nowhere near priced right. I've had it for 6months now, and in that time. The unlocking button has fallen off, now the phone doesnt charge when the charger is plugged in and the charging light on. Most days it freez's which means i have to turn it off then back on again. Althought the memory is good i still wouldnt reccomend the phone, as the same problems has happened to 2 of my friends with the same phone.
To download free apps, free games, free themes for nokia N97, I recommend: http://www.touchnokia.com.com/en/
I love this phone and got it from puremobile.com and its really amazing
what to say about the nokia 5530? its definately a phone of two halves. If youre a teenager and you want your first touch screen phone and a facility for web access and some choons as you go about youre daily life then maybe its the phone for you. If youre a bit older and functionality, useability and smooth running are your thing then I couldnt recommend this phone, its definately no iphone.
the phone is intuitive and easy to initially get to grips with definately one of Nokias strong points and the reason I went back to them after 2 Samsungs, however its a bit cumbersome to use the touch screen, the screen is too small, which also hinders browsing online, the touch screen doesnt seem sensitive enough meaning youre often repeatedly trying to use buttons to get them to work. it doesnt really scroll that well, the touch interface feels a bit 'heavy'.
Plusses are definately the reception and wifi access too, if you pay for web usage with your provider the wifi can really save you money. The quality of the music through headphones is pretty poor, that maybe just the headphones (although I doubt it) Theres plenty of space on the phone for tunes and photos. The camera is ok but nothing brilliant, its all good for taking photos for facebook etc but if you want a decent camera for any 'real' photography forget it.
Updating this phone is a nightmare, and shows exactly why the iphone is so dominant. Instead of a one click affair you heave to be ever present as the phone turns itself on and off several times whilst updating software and requires many inputs from the user .. I cant be bothered to update it anymore as it takes too much time and effort. I'd also agree with other users about the back cover of the phone being a bit flimsy and cheap, get a case if you buy this phone! Another really annoying thing is that the lead you use to connect the phone to your PC to sync is way too small(about 4 inches!!) why are nokia assuming that everyone who buys this phone will have a laptop? The other thing here is that the phone doesnt charge when plugged into PC ?!! (again its obviously Nokia assuming that everyone who gets this phone would use a laptop and didnt want the battery drain)
If you are over the age of 20 and you want a really functional phone/web device which can help not hinder your life dont get this, you'll find it frustrating, get a blackberry or an iphone, theyre worth the extra cost. If you want your first touch screen phone with some room for tunes, facebook photos and decent wifi access then this is a good cheap option, although I would definately recommend you check out the Samsung Jet first.