Whether you loved or hated the Nokia 97, the Nokia 97 Mini certainly has a lot to offer. It's a lot more than just a smaller, prettier version of its predecessor. With its 5 megapixel camera, fairly responsive touchscreen, and speedy connection, it provides a user experience that seems more polished and thought out. Combine this with a significantly lowered price, and you have a phone that's definitely worth having.
Appearance:
7 Inch Touchscreen
One of the biggest downsides to the N97 was its enormous, clunky design. Fortunately, the N97 Mini is considerably smaller, lighter, and more attractive, at a mere 138g. The screen is slightly smaller at 3.2 inches, but with 16.7 million colours, it's still incredibly vivid, if not a bit dim. The screen responds reasonably well to touch, though a few users have complained that they have to press their nail against the screen rather than their fingertip to get any response. This isn't an issue for most, but if you want to take advantage of the array of touchscreen games, for example, it may be something of an annoyance.
Its exterior is fairly sturdy, and fans of the N97 will see that they've improved on the QWERTY keyboard as well. It slides out smoothly and shuts firmly. Each key is individually raised, which is great for fast, easy typing. Its only downside is that the spacebar is located on the right side of the keyboard rather than simply at the bottom, which has proved problematic.
Another big complaint about the previous phone would have to be the operating system. Full of random restarts and glitches, its Symbian OS was prone to all sorts of unpredictable antics. The N97 Mini, however, seems to run a lot smoother.
Sound:
When it comes to sound, the N97 Mini performs fairly well, with crisp, clear sound quality as well as dedicated volume control and a handy FM radio RDS and 3.5 mm headphone jack. It can play a variety of music formats, including MP3s, MWA, AAC, eAAC, and eAAC+. Its playlist capabilities also help in keeping everything organised. That aside, the sound system is fairly basic, with nothing sparkly or new. However, its flawless sound also makes it good for business related tasks, such as conference calls.
Camera:
The N97 Mini's camera is definitely one of its stronger points. It won't replace your digital camera, and there are certainly phones with better quality, but when you consider its size and price, it's certainly impressive. At 5 megapixels, with a dual LED flash, 14x digital zoom, dedicated camera key, picture and video geo tagging, and Carl Zeiss optics, this is definitely a camera that packs a punch. It also contains a separate camera for making movies as well, with video streaming and light options as well as a wealth of settings to play with.
Internet Connectivity:
The N97 Mini is fairly speedy and consistent when it comes to keeping connected. Along with having 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth, EDGE, TV Out, and WLAN Wi-Fi with UpnP support, there's also an micro USB option as well. Texers will enjoy its SMS, MMS, and instant messaging capabilities. Its push email and email web widgets are also a nice touch, though some users have complained of it being somewhat confusing. Finally, its Quad Band and WCDMA technology will ensure you always stay connected no matter where you roam.
Memory and Talk Time:
Along with shrinking the touch screen, Nokia has significantly lowered the memory as well. However, 8 gigabytes is enough for most to be able to enjoy their music, pictures, and emails, and there is an additional 16 gigabytes available on microSD cards should you need more. As for talk time, with seven hours of GSM talk time and 320 hours of GSM standby, it might be a good idea to charge often. However, when you consider the size of the phone and the amount of goodies inside of it, it's not surprising that this should be necessary.
Conclusion: The N97 Mini is a definite improvement over the N97. Its polished OS, awesome camera, speedy internet, and sleek, attractive new appearance makes it worth consideration.