Loading ... 
The hefty Nokia N97 is nearly a year old. But already it’s spawned younger, sassier offspring in the form of the Nokia N97 Mini. Pared down in size from the original, it has fewer killer features than its bulkier stablemate, but that does mean a smaller price tag too. So is it worth forking out for? Read our complete Nokia N97 Mini review now and we’ll tell all.
Just because the Nokia N97 Mini is tinier than the N97 doesn’t mean it’s any less sharp when it comes to the smartphone basics. There’s still Wi–Fi, HSDPA and GPS on board, although the 32GB of storage has been cut back to just 8GB. However, it does take 16GB SD cards, meaning only the most rabid of movie fans have got cause for complaint in this area.
The phone itself compares well to the N97, but brings with it many of the gripes we had with the old device. The 3.2-inch screen is only a smidge smaller than the older version, but the N97 Mini retains a 640×480 resolution, so watching TV shows or music ids is just as snazzy. Browsing is no different either, with web pages showing up crisp and clear.
Likewise, we think the keyboard on the Nokia N97 Mini is every bit as good as that on the bigger edition. Gone is the somewhat needless d-pad. Instead you get a simple QWERTY ‘board that took us just a few days to master. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that tapping out missives and status updates is every bit as good here as on competitors from BlackBerry and Sony Ericsson.
Nokia has also chucked in new features with the Nokia N97 Mini. Lifecasting tweaks the Facebook app for easier updates and telling your pals where you are via the power of GPS. Kinetic scrolling has also been added, giving the touchscreen a much needed tickle.
Yet it’s the touchscreen on the Nokia N97 Mini where the problems start. It really is no better than the laggy effort on the N97. Likewise, the Symbian UI leaves a lot to be desired in these days of social networking skins. Compared to the sexy HTC Tattoo, it really doesn’t stand up well. HTC Sense is far more intuitive than the OS on offer here. Menus systems remain awkward and go to show that Symbian has a long way to go to compete with newer, better operating systems.
Like we say, these aren’t new niggles with the Nokia N97 Mini. They’re simply leftovers from the N97. There’s no doubting the Nokia N97 Mini will appeal to those who want smartphone skills in a smaller package. But with Android at last bringing its A game at the cheap end of the market, we’d advise thinking long and hard before spending on the N97 Mini.
Why are you complaining about the “Symbian” user interface? Symbian is the OS, and doesn’t have a user interface. The user interface on this phone is S60 version 5.
Are calls clear? A lot of the new touchscreen smartphones are reported as not being good in this area. Call me old fashioned but this is the top priority for me – not having the very best UI is very secondary. I want a review that tells me what it’s like to live with, not a comparison with dissimilar OSs and form factors.
I cannot find any review that covers whether this new “mini” will work properly on U.S. GSM networks.???. Any comments/inputs? I see this is a Quad-band phone, but will it support U.S. data modes fully?
Thank you!