Resized At Its Finest – Nokia N97 Mini

It’s been awhile since I posted my last article on the blog. The last one I remembered was a post about the Nokia N97 Mini and BH-214 that I received from WOMworld Nokia as trial devices but it was just a sneak peek. So it’s time to share the full review.

Few days before the packaged arrived, I also received a Nokia N97 Mini that I got from @aussietrip. But due to my heavy schedule I didn’t have the free time to post some unboxing videos and pictures of my mini. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to finish the unboxing and review articles so I can share it to you before the weekdays will kickoff.

In the whole week of using the mini, I was able to revel: the different features of the phone, the tangible and collectible datum that should fit the review article, the immense and tactile documentation as I used dozen of apps in my daily routine, the software and hardware issues, the failures and improvements from the classic Nokia N97.

Before concluding and giving verdict to the Nokia N97 Mini, there are several things to learn from the device itself, like handling and adjusting yourself to the phone day by day, but it’s not a problem to like the mini because this device was made to fill the necessities of the different people-tech savvy, cellphone enthusiasts, professionals, freelancers, the looks and designs conscious minded, etc.
So let’s start to ravish and uncover the rebuilt but unencumbered and improved design of the Nokia N97, the N97 Mini.

Know the basics [Specs]:
•    Hardware
o    CPU: ARM11 443MHz Processor
o   Memory: 8GB Internal Memory, MicroSD cardslot with High Capacity support(1GB min – 32GB max), 128MB RAM
o   5MP Autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss lens, Dual LED flash, VGA to WGVA @30fps video recording, Secondary Camera in front(VGA)
o   3.2” Resistive touch screen (640 x 320 pixel resolution)
o   Slide-out 3 row full QWERTY keyboard, Numeric for touch input with Handwriting Recognition
o   Proximity, ambient light, and accelerometer sensors.
o   Standard 3.5mm jack for audio and tv-out and microUSB port for charging and data management
•    Software and Communication
o    Symbian OS 9.4 Series 60 5th Edition (S60v5)
o    Wi-Fi, GPS with A-GPS, Digital Compass

Unboxing:
It was hard to unbox a cellphone package with one hand, while the other hand is holding the camera to capture the scene. So, I’m sorry for the amateur unboxing vids because its my first time to unbox a beast from its cage or maybe an aged mini beast from the cave. =)

Retail package contains:
•    Nokia N97 Mini
•    BL-4D Battery, 1200mAh
•    MicroUSB Charger
•    Data Cable
•    WH-701 Stereo Headset with different sizes of ear-buds
•    Ovi Suite installation CD, manuals and Ovi leaflets/pamphlets

The retail package of the N97 Mini was missing the TV-Out Cable and stylus pen that have found on the N97 classic retail box. But it is not a problem after all because the mini was produced for affordable price and size-conscious people.

Nokia N97 Mini in my hands and in my pocket…
When I hold the Mini for the first time it is really a relief from my old phone, Nokia N81. The N81 was chubby and a little heavier than the mini. And I never thought that the designer would be able to create a slim and sleek phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard on the board. Also the mini was packed of many features but still manages to give a sexy body.
The size was not a bizarre experience but it’s a mark on the smart phone innovations. Taking the N97 Mini everywhere is not a problem because it will mostly fit on your trousers’ front or back pockets.

Nokia N97 Mini was a visual treat…
Did you ever imagine holding the N97 Mini while walking besides the cobbled street? How about using the QWERTY keyboard while taking a window shopping at the mall? Well, I should be thankful in the tilted slide design, the metallic accent in the phone, and the vibrant colors that were blended and wrapped in the mini. They were so special in my eyes and public can’t say no and definitely will agree with me. Far from that 3.2” screen against 3.5” screen is a big difference, but it depends on the beholder.

Nokia launched 2 colors in the start, the bronze and the black, but after that, the white variant was released in the market. So you have a wide range of range of choosing the exact color you like. Either white or bronze and black, still the mini will suite everyone.

Front of the phone will give you a tech-approach on the mini as it was boosted with sensors and hardware in front. Hi-Tech is already on the front of N97 mini with earpiece, proximity and ambient light sensors, secondary camera, the breathing menu key, and the call & end keys.
The Mini was so rich in light indicators that even when you charged the phone you will see the light indicator besides the microUSB port. Other physical keys that are attached on the sides are the screen lock slider, the 2 stereo speakers facing you when you slid out the QWERTY. Volume rocker and the camera button are in the other side while the 3.5mm audio jack was placed on the top.

My favorite part of the phone was the 5MP camera with DLED flash than can be found at the back. And I have a special space for the mini’s camera review.

Talking of speed…
Mini oh mini! The ARM11 433MHz cpu was not a big leap for Nokia  to put in mini because we all know it’s already late 2009 when the phone launched, but in terms of speed the mini grabs it. Touch feedback on the screen was responsive and kinetic scrolling works flawlessly. Turning the phone to landscape and portrait mode was not a problem. Opening applications were just smooth as opening a can of soda.

Beyond that hi-speed performance of mini’s hardware, there are things to mention why I envy the N900 users. It’s because the RAM of the mini is not an impressive feature. I have a hard time of keeping my main applications and programs running without closing them. Like the Gravity and Nimbuzz, I can’t open a web browser anymore because it will just close my running apps. So you will be left with no choice but to keep track with your apps. But when you’re a light multitasker it will not be a big problem to you.

Classic and Mini lacks…
The graphics processing unit plays well in a cellphone’s performance, but not on the mini. There was no dedicated GPU to assist you when you need those speedy processes of playing videos, browsing photos, and playing games. Unlike N82, N900 and other devices, the mini is missing this important aspect, and even N97 do. I tried facing the hang up while browsing and organizing the photos, video playback has the same issue too, but it just happens occasionally.
It’s not that easy to bring down the N97 Mini with the missing dedicated GPU. I’ve tried the motion based games and mini didn’t disappoint me. I’ve never experience a lag while enjoying shooting enemies and/or bumping my wheels on the walls.

Touch me or touch me not…
The 3.2” resistive touch screen was an improvement from the first Nokia touch screen, 5800XM, it is very responsive and if you want feedback there are different settings in tones and vibrations for the touch function. Kinetic scrolling was a superior feature for the touch. I can use the kinetic scrolling in almost corner of the phone’s UI.

If you’re not in to touch, there’s a QWERTY made for you. The 3 row QWERTY keys were not bad at all. Hi speed typing can be done quickly and easily on the nice surface of the keyboard.

Multimedia experiences were well polished…
Photo and video browsing needs to be include in the improvements, it’s because the S60V5 comes with a nice photo and video organizer. Plus the rich viewing features of the multimedia files. You can easily upload and share the captured photos right in your gallery of camera’s UI. Enabling Share Online gives access to your flickr, OVI, and Vox.

There are also several photo viewer apps aside from the S60V5 default photo browser, so you have the choice to download and install them in your s60v5.

My biggest ouch on the multimedia feature was the lack of Divx/Xvid support. You will need to beg some extra cents from your parents just to buy the third party applications for the full support of watching movies and videos. And I hope I can find a free application for that.

Music Player user’s interface is not boring neither exciting. I can see no big difference in the music player from my Nokia N81. But the exciting parts are the touch functions and the radio of the S60v5. There are floating station ids all over the radio’s UI and I hav some example at the bottom.



The vibe of the sound quality was a dream comes true. From the N73ME and N81 I was totally amazed of the different experiences I have in the N97 Mini music quality. I didn’t even tweaked or setup the equalizer, the default was almost perfect giving a crispier and clearer output.

I don’t need to keep an eye on the battery status…
I rolled up 3 hours of web browsing, music playing, twittering and chatting, the results were amazing for the battery test of the Mini. I didn’t go in the low battery status and instead I have still 50% more energy to waste.

Texting, turning the Bluetooth for the whole day doesn’t move the battery status bar from full bar.

The love and hates while running applications and programs…
I love running apps on the mini because of its touch functions. And with the extra aid of QWERTY; texting/chatting, emailing, and web browsing were a professional treatment reminiscent of the PC or Mac’s keyboard. And if you want to use the mini with one hand only and there’s a numeric touch and handwriting recognition inputs for everyone.
Sad to say, I hate opening more apps. Remember that the mini only have 128MB RAM. Gravity and Nimbuzz can run together but adding a web browser or an Opera Mini will result to close your other running apps. I suggest you keep an eye on that. Still multitasking was rich experience in my Mini.

Oh! Vee…

Oh my! OVI store totally keeps me online always. I can’t resist myself to go online and check the OVI store every day. Lots of free and demo apps for my Mini.
The integration of OVI Store’s UI is best for touch phones and sorry for non-touch Nokia phones. I reserved some post for the Ovi Store Apps galore so be sure to wait for it.

I can’t live without…
The back of the phone is my favorite part. The 5MP Carl Zeiss Len and DLED can be found on it. I doesn’t like to talk more on technical parts but instead I will share to you the sample shots I got.

Not so new, not so old…these are the fine definition that would explain on how the N97 Mini’s camera differs from others. Talking of not so new, the 5MP are not so Hi-Tech in terms of pixel count. As we’ve seen the 5MP almost 4 years back from N95 Classic. The DLED can be judge by its generation or functions. Like the N86 8MP’s DLED that is a 3rd generation dual-LED, the DLED on the mini is still a superior catch. The flash are incredible compare to N73 and older Nseries models. Xenon could kick that DLED in photo shoot but DLED will win in the video capture at night time or low light.

We have the automatic focus on the camera features, but we are missing the great touch or manual focus that seen on many rivals. We can’t blame N97 Mini on that because its not a camera flagship after all. Unless we are talking of N86 8MP then we should be sensitive on reviewing the camera.

Using the N97 Mini as my daily camera is still a great option compare to many digital cameras. The battery life that gave me whole day of capturing photos and hours for recording videos, and the multimedia features that I can easily share my files anywhere, anytime with ease and speed.

Not my last words…

Giving this verdict to the Nokia N97 Mini is just the start of something new. It is not being bias because I’m a fan of Nokia but I am totally convinced that N97 Mini is a true sibling of the flagship phone.

The smaller screen, smaller battery, eliminated Dpad and active camera cover, and less internal memory were not the hindrances on what the real flagship is. These features are less compare to the N97 but the innovative designs and functions were all packed into sleek and compact phone, the Nokia N97 Mini. And I believe that mini is the answer to the needs of people. The Nokia rebuilt the N97 while keeping and giving a wide multimedia features, enhanced form factor giving more comfort in your hands and in your pocket, and finally a smaller smart phone that keeps my life fully functional.

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Tags: Carl Zeiss, mini, N97 mini, Nokia, Nseries, pictures, Review, S60v5, Symbian, unboxing, video

This entry was posted on January 31, 2010 at 4:34 am and is filed under Mobile Technology, Mobiles, N series, Nokia N97s, Nokia Phones, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.