We know the Nokia N97 is the flagship device of the Symbian S60 range. However, it's about to be joined by the Nokia N97 mini, a smaller side-kick that takes on many of the traits of its bigger brother but with subtle and slightly different results. We thought we'd pitch the Nokia N97 versus the Nokia N97 mini together to see how they truly differ.
The Nokia N97 is every bit a flagship device, packing in the latest features and 3G connectivity, making it one of the most sought-after devices of the last three months. With the Nokia N97 mini hitting pre-order already, we're expecting much the same level of excitement from this smaller handset. However, how does the Nokia N97 mini compare to it's bigger brother? Well, you'll still get the same level of great connectivity for messaging and web browsing, so we thought we'd highight the differences.
Screen: The Nokia N97 has a 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen display that comes with a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels. The Nokia N97 mini uses the same touchscreen technology and even offers the same screen resolution but it does it with a slightly smaller 3.2-inch screen. Both displays are widescreen and being nHD offer great playback for video.
Check out the Nokia N97 mini tech spec
Size & weight: The Nokia N97 weighs 150g and measures 117 x 55 x 16mm. The first thing you notice about the Nokia N97 mini is that while it has a smaller screen, the Nokia N97 mini isn't that much smaller. It weighs 138g and measures, 113 x 52 x 14mm, which makes it slimmer and lighter but not overly so. So, anyone worried about not being about to make the most of this device need not fear!
Check out our Nokia N97 review
Keyboard: The big difference comes with the keyboard as Nokia has redesigned the QWERTY layout to make it work harder in the smaller form-factor. For starters, the D-Pad we like so much on the Nokia N97 has been done away with and the directional keys (Up, Down, Left, Right) have been moved to the left-hand side of the keyboard instead. This allows for a more natural way to use the Nokia N97 mini on the move.
Processor: Interestingly, Nokia hasn't changed the processor in the Nokia N97 mini, so you'll find the same ARM 11 CPU running at 434MHz in Nokia N97. We've had no problems with our Nokia N97 as this processor handles Symbian S60 5th Edition apps with ease, so we're expecting the same level of performance from the Nokia N97 mini.
Check out our Nokia N97 mini Hands-on
Memory: The Nokia N97 shipped with a whopping 32GB of internal memory, which is by far the best you can get in the market today. The Nokia N97 mini by contrast, will come with just 8GB. This is enough to load and store plenty of apps, as well as use the Nokia N97 mini as a media player. What's more, both devices come with a microSD slot so if you need to add extra storage, both support up to 16GB cards with ease.
Camera: Both the Nokia N97 and Nokia N97 mini use the same Carl Zeiss optics and both pack-in a 5-Megapixel CCD that offers shots up to 2592 x 1944 pixels in size. With 4x zoom and full 30fps video recording, we're expecting the same great quality from the Nokia N97 mini has we've had from the Nokia N97. Both devices come with the standard array of features, such as Auto Exposure, Auto Focus, Carl Zeiss Optics, Exposure Compensation, Flash, Geotagging, Self Timer and even Sequence Mode. However, it seems that Video Light and Video Stabilisation have been added to the feature-set of the Nokia N97 mini.
There we have it, the stat clash we've been looking for. If you haven't already picked up a Nokia N97 will this new version be for you? You can pre-order the Nokia N97 mini now for £429 (inc. VAT) SIM free.