Nokia"s N97 Mini Vs N97 - The N-Series Sisters Compared
Nokia quickly followed up the release of it's N97 with the slightly slimmed Nokia N97 Mini, which some people have found puzzling.
Let's take a closer to look to see what difference lies between the two N series handsets and see if Nokia have merely cut some of the spec to improve profitability, or if smaller does actually mean better.
Like it's older sister, the N97 Mini is a pretty handset - it is available in 3 colours, cherry brown, bright white and (surprise surprise) black and it boasts a vibrant 3.
2" screen, just a snip away from the N97's 3.
5".
In fact, while the N97 Mini is slimmer, it hasn't been on a dramatic diet - just a couple centimeters off the N97 (113.
0 x 52.
5 x 14.
2 vs.
117.
2 x 55.
3 x 15.
9 mm).
It has to be said that the N97 mini feels reassuring to use and this dependability is a characteristic which has made Nokia the world's biggest handset manufacturer.
The QWERTY keyypad is one of the best in it's class with nicely spaced and responsive keys.
The keypad slides out to rest at an angle too, and it retracts with a satisfying 'snap'.
Other touches, like the metallic backplate (an improvement on the N97's full-length plastic covering) make the N97 mini actually feel like a classier step up.
Connectivity is high and the Nokia N97 Mini supports WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, so even if you don't know where on earth you are you'll be able to makes sense of your surroundings and plug back into your digital lifestyle.
Flash video support also suggests that browsing the N97 Mini can deal quite abley with browing rich media on the net.
However, cosmetics aside it feels like something is lacking in the Mini.
This has a lot to do with Nokia's Symbian operating system, which although a fair performer, doesn't look so spritely in the face of iPhone's OS 3.
0, Google's Android or Palm Web OS.
Furthermore, the situation isn't helped with only 128MB RAM.
That said, if you haven't spoiled yourself with the smartest of smart phones already (iPhone 3GS / HTC Hero / Palm Pre) then this is still going to serve you well, and provided you are a little conservative with your web browsing demands, the Nokia N97 Mini still has a lot to offer.
Music fans especially will be glad to see hear that the 8GB onboard memory can be boosted to a considerable 24GB, via a micro SDcard slot.
The Mini also packs a punch with its stereo speakers and there's a 3.
5mm jack so you can use your own headphones.
Meanwhile the video camera boasts a movie light so you can film in the dark.
Nice news for any of you budding Speilbergs or Tarantinos.
Price difference is not massive between the N97 and the Nokia N97 Mini, but if you can deal with the slightly smaller screen and if you consider the slender vital statistics a bonus when in your hand, then you can save yourself around £5 per month.
Let's take a closer to look to see what difference lies between the two N series handsets and see if Nokia have merely cut some of the spec to improve profitability, or if smaller does actually mean better.
Like it's older sister, the N97 Mini is a pretty handset - it is available in 3 colours, cherry brown, bright white and (surprise surprise) black and it boasts a vibrant 3.
2" screen, just a snip away from the N97's 3.
5".
In fact, while the N97 Mini is slimmer, it hasn't been on a dramatic diet - just a couple centimeters off the N97 (113.
0 x 52.
5 x 14.
2 vs.
117.
2 x 55.
3 x 15.
9 mm).
It has to be said that the N97 mini feels reassuring to use and this dependability is a characteristic which has made Nokia the world's biggest handset manufacturer.
The QWERTY keyypad is one of the best in it's class with nicely spaced and responsive keys.
The keypad slides out to rest at an angle too, and it retracts with a satisfying 'snap'.
Other touches, like the metallic backplate (an improvement on the N97's full-length plastic covering) make the N97 mini actually feel like a classier step up.
Connectivity is high and the Nokia N97 Mini supports WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, so even if you don't know where on earth you are you'll be able to makes sense of your surroundings and plug back into your digital lifestyle.
Flash video support also suggests that browsing the N97 Mini can deal quite abley with browing rich media on the net.
However, cosmetics aside it feels like something is lacking in the Mini.
This has a lot to do with Nokia's Symbian operating system, which although a fair performer, doesn't look so spritely in the face of iPhone's OS 3.
0, Google's Android or Palm Web OS.
Furthermore, the situation isn't helped with only 128MB RAM.
That said, if you haven't spoiled yourself with the smartest of smart phones already (iPhone 3GS / HTC Hero / Palm Pre) then this is still going to serve you well, and provided you are a little conservative with your web browsing demands, the Nokia N97 Mini still has a lot to offer.
Music fans especially will be glad to see hear that the 8GB onboard memory can be boosted to a considerable 24GB, via a micro SDcard slot.
The Mini also packs a punch with its stereo speakers and there's a 3.
5mm jack so you can use your own headphones.
Meanwhile the video camera boasts a movie light so you can film in the dark.
Nice news for any of you budding Speilbergs or Tarantinos.
Price difference is not massive between the N97 and the Nokia N97 Mini, but if you can deal with the slightly smaller screen and if you consider the slender vital statistics a bonus when in your hand, then you can save yourself around £5 per month.
