Mini Me
The Nokia N97 was the company’s flagship product with a decent performance. Nokia now wants to optimize its touchscreen portfolio by launching the smaller version of the N97 called the N97 mini. First, let’s discuss the main differences between the two devices. For starters, as the name suggests, the N97 is much smaller than its predecessor and also lighter at 138 grams compared to the 150 grams N97. The N97 mini’s screen measures 3.2 inches compared to the 3.5-inch N97. The internal memory of the N97 mini has been reduced to 8 GB, compared to 32 GB in the Nokia N97. The camera does not come with a lens cover and the D-pad on the QWERTY keyboard has been replaced with arrow keys. The N97 mini has a 1200 mAh mini battery compared to the 1500 mAh of the Nokia N97. Unlike the N97, the mini does not have a completely plastic body and the battery cover is made of metal. The N97 mini also has no FM transmitter function.

In terms of appearance, there is no significant change to the device from its predecessor, except that it is smaller. The phone is a side slider with a 3.2-inch screen on the front panel. Below the screen are the diagonally positioned menu key and touch-sensitive call keys. The left column has the charging slot and slide lock, while the volume rocker and shutter release keys are on the right. The top panel has a 3.5mm jack and the power key. By sliding out the bottom panel, it is revealed that the top panel rests at a comfortable angle for viewing the screen without holding it in your hand. The QWERTY keyboard has disjointed square keys, which are comfortable to use. Overall, the device is stylish and smart with a balanced size and ergonomic design that makes it easy to hold and handle.

Already seen
The N97 mini is also powered by an ARM 11 434 MHz processor, but the small footprint and compact functionality have improved performance. The mini’s operating system is Symbian S60 version 9.4 with Series 60 user interface. However, Nokia has added a new feature called ‘Quick Scroll’ so that one can simply move their finger up and down on the screen to let it scroll. While the icons require a single tap to open, the list menu requires a double tap to activate. The widget-enabled home screen allows you to display five widgets in addition to the usual time, date, and profile tabs. All these widgets can be customized and one can simply change them by activating the edit menu with a long press on a particular widget. You can hide the widgets by sliding your finger horizontally across the screen and make them appear the same. The built-in accelerometer allows users to mute calls by simply turning the phone upside down. The device supports handwriting recognition and a virtual alphanumeric keyboard is also available.

The N97 mini supports all major email clients like POP3 and IMAP4. Users can open Word, Excel, and PPT files, but must purchase the Quick Office upgrade to edit and create new documents. The PDF viewer is also available for a 15-day trial period.

The device comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. While Bluetooth has A2DP support, Wi-Fi comes with Universal Plug and Play (UpnP). Browsing the Internet on the N97 is a good experience. The 3.0-inch screen makes it even better. Touch functions like double tap to zoom in and out make navigation easy. The browser comes with an overview mode where the page appears as a minimap. However, there is no way to open new pages in new tabs manually. The Nokia N97 mini comes with a GPS receiver with A-GPS support and Ovi Maps 3.1. Getting an initial lock takes some time. The navigation license is free only for the first 10 days. The device offers voice-guided navigation for both vehicles and pedestrians

Music and camera
The Nokia N97 mini comes with a music player and FM radio with RDS support. Songs are categorized based on albums, genres, composers, and artists. There are six presets, including the default. However, users can edit existing ones and also create new ones. The player comes with additional sound enhancement options such as volume and stereo amplification. The FM radio can store up to 20 channels and can be played on the speaker. The interface of the FM radio and music player has been optimized for touch. Music controls have also been provided on the wired headphones and the sound quality is commendable through the headphones and fine on the speaker. The device has a 5.0 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. Image quality ranges from 0.3 megapixels to 5.0 megapixels. The maximum resolution can be set to 2592×1944 pixels. Dual LED flash helps in low light conditions. Camera settings include scenes such as close-ups, portraits, sports, as well as self-timer, color tone, white balance, and sequential shots. Users can geotag images. However, there are no additional innovations like vibration control, face detection, smile detection, etc. The image quality of the camera is good, while the quality of the video is decent. Video settings include night mode, white balance, and color tone. Video quality ranges from MMS to high-quality widescreen.

Also speaking
The Nokia N97 mini comes with a number of preloaded apps like Joiku spot, Boingo, AccuWeather, CNBC-TV18, Facebook, Hi5, Ovi Store, etc. The device can support up to 16GB of expandable memory. The N97 mini’s battery backup is decent. A single charge lasts one day, which includes music playback, constant Internet and email use, and two hours to make and receive calls.

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