Noknok

The Nokia N97 Mini landed on the desk at the end of last week, so we’ve had the weekend to get to grips with some of the features of this neat little handheld. Before we get on with a full review of the Symbian S60 5th Edition smartphone, we thought we’d give our first impressions on how we’ve been getting on. Check out our Nokia N97 Mini review and see for yourself…

As we mentioned with our Nokia N97 Mini Unboxing, this handset is a lot more compact and rounded than the original Nokia N97. While there isn’t a great deal of difference in size, the Nokia N97 has a 3.5-inch screen opposed to the 3.2-inch screen on the Nokia N97 Mini.

What we really like about the Nokia N97 Mini is the tactile feel of the device. The metal body feels great to the touch and the finish of the whole handset is sophisticated. On the rear you’ll find that Nokia has done away with the lens cover found on the Nokia N97, instead the 5-Megapixel camera sits on a raised portion of the body. The couple of snaps we’ve quicken taken have shown that it’s easy to use and that picture quality is more than acceptable.

On the side of the Nokia N97 Mini you’ll find all the ports we’ve come to expect of a smartphone. However, with the microSD slot hidden away under the metallic cover (it sits above the SIM card) the side have an uncluttered and minimal style.

The keyguard on the Nokia N97 Mini is a little small, so opening the screen to reveal the QWERTY keyboard can be a little fiddly at times. However, you’ll find the same fantastic hinge as used on the Nokia N97, so the screen sits as a neat 45-degree angle.

The keyboard is a good size and has a nice balance to it. Sure, the Space bar is still off to the right a little too much but we’re already getting accustomed to its position. The keys are individually mounted, so there is a fair degree of space around each one. We’ve found this is good news when trying to text on a bouncing train as there is less chance of making a mistake.

With the latest version of Symbian S60 5th Edition OS in place, you’ll find kinetic scrolling and a highly stable platform. We’ll be looking at the OS in more depth over the next few reviews but for the time being we’re more than impressed with what the Nokia N97 Mini has to offer. We like the fact that it takes the best parts of the full-sized Nokia N97 and makes them a little more pocket-worthy.

The Nokia N97 Mini is available in Cherry Black (the same as our review unit) from Nokia Online and costs £429 (inc. VAT) SIM free.

Check out our Nokia N97 Mini Review (First Impressions) image gallery: