Nokia N97

amazon Nokia N97 reviews

Introduction

The Nokia N97, released in June 2009, was one of Nokia’s flagship smartphones during a time when the mobile phone industry was rapidly evolving. Positioned as a high-end device, the N97 was designed to be a versatile mobile computer, blending the functionalities of a phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a multimedia device. It came at a time when Nokia was still a dominant force in the mobile market, but was beginning to face significant competition from emerging smartphone platforms, particularly Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android.

The N97 was notable for several reasons, including its physical design, which featured a large touchscreen and a sliding QWERTY keyboard, its Symbian OS, and its extensive array of features that aimed to appeal to both business users and tech enthusiasts. However, despite its ambitious feature set, the N97 also faced criticism for several shortcomings that affected its reception and legacy.

Design and Build Quality

The design of the Nokia N97 was one of its most striking aspects. At the time of its release, the N97 was a large device, measuring 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 mm and weighing 150 grams. While it might seem bulky by today’s standards, it was in line with other smartphones of its era, particularly those that featured physical keyboards.

The N97’s design was dominated by its 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen, which had a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels. This was quite impressive for its time, offering sharp and vibrant visuals. The screen was complemented by a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, which was one of the phone’s key selling points. The keyboard made the N97 particularly appealing to users who preferred physical keys for typing, such as business users who frequently sent emails or typed documents on the go.

The sliding mechanism of the keyboard was well-engineered, providing a satisfying click as it snapped into place. When slid open, the screen tilted at a 35-degree angle, which made it easier to view content and type simultaneously. The keyboard itself was spacious and offered a good tactile response, though some users found the keys to be a bit cramped, especially for those with larger hands.

In terms of build quality, the N97 was solidly constructed, with a mix of plastic and metal elements that gave it a premium feel. The device’s body had a matte finish, which helped to resist fingerprints and provided a comfortable grip. The overall design of the N97 was sleek and professional, aligning with its positioning as a high-end smartphone.

However, the phone’s size and weight were points of contention for some users. While the keyboard was a valuable addition, it also contributed to the phone’s bulkiness, making it less pocket-friendly compared to other touchscreen devices that were beginning to emerge at the time. Additionally, the resistive touchscreen, while functional, required more pressure to operate than the capacitive screens that would soon become standard in the industry.

Display

The Nokia N97 featured a 3.5-inch TFT resistive touchscreen with a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels, which translated to a pixel density of approximately 210 pixels per inch (PPI). While not groundbreaking by today’s standards, this was considered a high-quality display at the time, offering sharp and vibrant visuals that were well-suited for both multimedia consumption and general use.

The resistive touchscreen technology used in the N97 was one of the areas where the device began to show its age. Unlike capacitive touchscreens, which respond to the touch of a finger, resistive touchscreens rely on pressure, meaning that users often had to press down harder or use a stylus to interact with the screen. This could make certain tasks, such as typing on the virtual keyboard or navigating through menus, feel less fluid and more cumbersome compared to devices with capacitive touchscreens.

Despite this limitation, the N97’s display was still capable of delivering a good visual experience. Colors were fairly accurate, and the screen was bright enough to be used comfortably in most lighting conditions, although visibility in direct sunlight was somewhat limited. The large screen size made it ideal for watching videos, browsing the web, and viewing photos, all of which were key functions of the device.

The resistive touchscreen also had the advantage of being more precise in certain applications, particularly those that required fine control, such as drawing or selecting small interface elements. However, the trade-off was that the overall user experience felt less responsive compared to the emerging capacitive screens, which were becoming increasingly popular in high-end smartphones.

Overall, the display of the Nokia N97 was a mixed bag. While it offered good visual quality and was well-suited for multimedia use, the resistive touchscreen technology limited its responsiveness and ease of use. This became increasingly apparent as capacitive touchscreens became the industry standard, making the N97 feel somewhat dated in comparison.

Operating System and User Interface

The Nokia N97 ran on the Symbian OS v9.4, with Nokia’s S60 5th Edition user interface layered on top. At the time, Symbian was one of the most widely used mobile operating systems, particularly in Europe and Asia, and it was known for its flexibility and extensive range of features. However, by the time the N97 was released, Symbian was starting to show its age, particularly in comparison to the more modern and streamlined interfaces of iOS and Android.

The S60 5th Edition interface was designed to take advantage of the N97’s touchscreen, offering a home screen that could be customized with various widgets, shortcuts, and live information feeds. This level of customization was a strong point of the device, allowing users to tailor the home screen to their specific needs, whether it be for business, entertainment, or communication.

However, the user interface of the N97 was not without its flaws. The touchscreen navigation could feel clunky at times, particularly due to the resistive screen’s need for more deliberate presses. The interface also felt somewhat cluttered, with small icons and menus that could be difficult to navigate with the touch screen, leading to a less intuitive user experience.

The N97 did support a range of applications, thanks to the extensive Symbian app ecosystem, which included everything from productivity tools to games. However, the quality and availability of apps on Symbian were starting to lag behind those on competing platforms like iOS and Android, which were rapidly gaining traction with developers.

Another area where the Symbian OS showed its age was in the overall speed and responsiveness of the interface. While the N97’s hardware was capable for its time, the combination of the operating system and user interface often resulted in noticeable lag, particularly when multitasking or running more demanding applications. This was a significant drawback for a device that was marketed as a high-end smartphone.

Performance

Under the hood, the Nokia N97 was powered by an ARM 11 434 MHz processor, paired with 128 MB of RAM. While this might seem underwhelming by today’s standards, it was fairly standard for high-end smartphones of the time. The device also came with 32 GB of internal storage, which was one of its standout features, as this was a generous amount of storage for a smartphone in 2009. Additionally, the N97 supported expandable storage via a microSD card slot, allowing users to add up to 16 GB of additional space.

In terms of day-to-day performance, the N97 was capable of handling basic tasks such as making calls, sending texts, browsing the web, and running multimedia applications. However, it struggled with more demanding tasks, particularly multitasking, which could lead to noticeable slowdowns and lag. The limited amount of RAM and the relatively low processing power meant that the device was often slower and less responsive than competing smartphones.

One of the key issues with the N97’s performance was the optimization of the Symbian OS and the S60 5th Edition interface. The operating system was not as efficient or streamlined as newer platforms like iOS and Android, which were designed from the ground up to take full advantage of touchscreen inputs and modern hardware. As a result, the N97 often felt sluggish, particularly when navigating through menus or running multiple applications simultaneously.

Another area where the N97’s performance was lacking was in its web browsing capabilities. While the device did come with a built-in web browser, it was slow and often struggled to render complex websites, particularly those with a lot of multimedia content. The limited processing power and the lack of support for modern web standards meant that browsing the internet on the N97 was often a frustrating experience.

Overall, while the Nokia N97 was capable of handling basic smartphone tasks, its performance was often hampered by the limitations of its hardware and the inefficiencies of the Symbian OS. This was a significant drawback for a device that was marketed as a high-end smartphone, particularly when compared to the more responsive and powerful devices that were beginning to emerge from competitors.

Multimedia Capabilities

One of the key selling points of the Nokia N97 was its multimedia capabilities, which were designed to appeal to users who wanted a versatile device for consuming and creating content on the go. The N97 came equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, and an LED flash, making it one of the better-equipped camera phones of its time.

The camera on the N97 was capable of capturing high-quality photos, particularly in good lighting conditions. The Carl Zeiss lens produced sharp images with good color accuracy, and the autofocus system helped to ensure that subjects were in focus. The LED flash was also a useful addition, allowing for better performance in low-light situations, although it was not as effective as the Xenon flashes found on some other high-end camera phones.

In addition to still photography, the N97 was also capable of recording video at VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels) at 30 frames per second. While this was decent for its time, the video quality was not on par with some of the more advanced video recording capabilities found on later smartphones. The lack of high-definition video recording was a limitation, particularly as HD video was starting to become more common on competing devices. The overall video quality was acceptable for casual use, but it lacked the clarity and detail that would be expected from a flagship smartphone.

The N97 also featured a dedicated music player, which was another key aspect of its multimedia functionality. The device supported a wide range of audio formats, including MP3, WMA, WAV, and eAAC+, making it versatile for playing different types of music files. The music player interface was fairly straightforward and easy to navigate, with options for creating playlists, sorting tracks by artist or album, and using the built-in equalizer to adjust the sound profile.

The sound quality on the N97 was generally good, particularly when using high-quality headphones. The device included a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which was a welcome feature for audiophiles who preferred using their own headphones. The N97 also supported stereo Bluetooth (A2DP), allowing users to stream music wirelessly to compatible devices.

In terms of video playback, the N97 was capable of playing a variety of video formats, including MP4, WMV, and 3GP. The 3.5-inch display provided a decent viewing experience for watching videos on the go, although the relatively low resolution and the limitations of the resistive touchscreen meant that the video playback experience was not as immersive as on some other devices. Additionally, the device struggled with higher-resolution video files, often requiring videos to be converted to lower resolutions for smooth playback.

The N97 also came with an FM radio, which was a common feature in many Nokia phones of the time. The radio included support for RDS (Radio Data System), which allowed users to see information about the station and the song currently playing. This was a nice addition for users who still listened to traditional radio, although it was becoming less relevant as streaming services began to gain popularity.

Another noteworthy multimedia feature was the N97’s support for photo and video editing. The device included basic editing tools that allowed users to crop, resize, and apply filters to photos, as well as trim and splice video clips. While these tools were not as advanced as those found on dedicated editing software, they were useful for making quick edits on the go.

Overall, the multimedia capabilities of the Nokia N97 were solid, particularly for a device released in 2009. The camera and music player were standout features, offering good performance and a range of options for users who wanted to consume and create content on their phones. However, the limitations in video recording quality, the resistive touchscreen, and the relatively low-resolution display meant that the N97 was not quite on par with some of the more advanced multimedia smartphones that were beginning to emerge.

Connectivity and Networking

The Nokia N97 was designed to be a versatile communication device, with a wide range of connectivity options to keep users connected on the go. The device supported quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz), making it compatible with a wide range of mobile networks around the world.

For data connectivity, the N97 supported HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) with speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps. While this was not the fastest mobile data available at the time, it was sufficient for browsing the web, downloading apps, and streaming music and video. The device also supported GPRS and EDGE for areas where 3G coverage was not available.

In addition to cellular connectivity, the N97 included Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) for connecting to wireless networks. This was particularly useful for accessing the internet in areas with poor cellular coverage or for saving on data usage. The Wi-Fi performance was generally good, with stable connections and decent speeds for browsing and streaming.

Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support was also included, allowing the N97 to connect to a wide range of Bluetooth devices, such as headsets, speakers, and car kits. The A2DP support was particularly useful for streaming music wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled audio devices.

Another notable connectivity feature was the inclusion of a microUSB port, which was used for charging the device and transferring data to and from a computer. The microUSB port was a standard feature on many smartphones at the time, and it provided a reliable and convenient way to sync the N97 with a PC or Mac.

The N97 also featured a built-in GPS receiver, which was integrated with Nokia Maps, the company’s navigation and mapping software. The GPS functionality was one of the N97’s strong points, offering accurate location tracking and turn-by-turn navigation. Nokia Maps included a wide range of features, such as points of interest, voice-guided directions, and offline map support, making it a valuable tool for travelers and commuters.

In terms of software connectivity, the N97 supported a range of messaging and email options, including SMS, MMS, and email via POP3, IMAP, and Microsoft Exchange. The device also came with built-in support for instant messaging services such as Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger, allowing users to stay connected with friends and colleagues.

One area where the N97 was somewhat lacking was in its support for third-party apps and services. While the Symbian OS had a relatively large app ecosystem, it was starting to fall behind the rapidly growing app stores of iOS and Android. As a result, the selection of apps available for the N97 was more limited, particularly when it came to newer services and social media platforms.

Battery Life

Battery life was always a key consideration for any mobile device, and the Nokia N97 was no exception. The device was equipped with a 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery, which was fairly standard for smartphones of its time. Nokia claimed that the N97 could provide up to 6.6 hours of talk time on a 3G network and up to 17 days of standby time.

In real-world usage, the battery life of the N97 was generally good, although it varied depending on how the device was used. For basic tasks such as making calls, sending texts, and browsing the web, the N97 could easily last a full day on a single charge. However, more demanding tasks, such as using the GPS, streaming music or video, or running multiple apps simultaneously, could drain the battery more quickly.

One of the advantages of the N97’s design was that the battery was removable, allowing users to carry a spare battery or replace the battery if it started to lose capacity over time. This was a feature that was becoming less common in smartphones, as more devices began to adopt sealed, non-removable batteries.

The N97 also included power-saving features, such as the ability to adjust the screen brightness, disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use, and switch to a power-saving mode that reduced the device’s overall power consumption. These features were useful for extending battery life, particularly when users were away from a power source for extended periods.

Charging the N97 was done via the microUSB port, and the device supported standard charging speeds. While it did not include fast charging or wireless charging, which were still relatively new technologies at the time, the charging times were reasonable, with the device typically taking a couple of hours to fully charge from empty.

Overall, the battery life of the Nokia N97 was one of its strengths, particularly for users who needed a device that could last through a full day of use. The removable battery and power-saving features added to its appeal, making it a reliable choice for both casual and power users.

Software and Applications

As a Symbian-powered device, the Nokia N97 came with a range of built-in software and applications, many of which were designed to take advantage of the device’s hardware capabilities. In addition to the core phone functions, the N97 included a suite of productivity tools, multimedia apps, and connectivity features.

The home screen of the N97 was customizable, allowing users to add widgets, shortcuts, and live information feeds. This level of customization was one of the strengths of the Symbian OS, allowing users to tailor the device to their specific needs. The home screen could display a range of information, such as weather updates, email notifications, and social media feeds, providing quick access to important information without having to open individual apps.

The N97 also included a full suite of office applications, including a document viewer that supported Microsoft Office formats, a PDF reader, and a calendar with support for syncing with Microsoft Exchange. These features made the N97 a capable device for business users who needed to stay productive on the go.

In terms of multimedia, the N97 came with a music player, video player, and photo gallery, all of which were integrated with the device’s hardware features. The music player supported a range of audio formats and included features such as playlist creation, album art display, and an equalizer. The video player was capable of playing a variety of video formats, although it was somewhat limited by the device’s screen resolution and processing power.

The N97 also featured Nokia’s Ovi Store, which was the company’s app store for downloading additional software and games. While the Ovi Store had a relatively large selection of apps, it was not as well-stocked or as easy to use as the app stores on iOS and Android devices. As a result, users of the N97 had fewer options when it came to finding and installing new apps, particularly as developers began to focus more on the growing iOS and Android ecosystems.

Another key aspect of the N97’s software was its support for social networking. The device included built-in apps for popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, allowing users to stay connected with friends and family. However, the experience was somewhat limited compared to what was available on other devices, particularly as social media apps became more advanced and required more powerful hardware and software.

One of the criticisms of the N97’s software was that it felt somewhat dated and clunky compared to the more modern and intuitive user interfaces that were emerging on iOS and Android devices. The Symbian OS, while robust and feature-rich, was starting to show its age. The user interface often required multiple steps to perform simple tasks, and the resistive touchscreen meant that interactions were less fluid and responsive compared to capacitive touchscreens found on other contemporary devices.

The N97’s browser was another area where the software felt behind the curve. While it supported basic web browsing, the experience was not as polished or fast as on competing smartphones. Pages often took a while to load, and the lack of support for modern web standards made some websites difficult to navigate or use effectively. The inclusion of Flash Lite was a plus, allowing the browser to display some Flash content, but it was a limited implementation that didn’t fully replicate the desktop experience.

Additionally, the N97 supported multitasking, which allowed users to run multiple applications simultaneously. However, the device’s hardware limitations meant that multitasking could sometimes lead to sluggish performance, especially if multiple resource-intensive apps were running at the same time. The Symbian OS handled app switching fairly well, but it was not as seamless or intuitive as on newer operating systems.

The email client on the N97 supported multiple accounts and was compatible with popular services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Microsoft Exchange. Setting up email accounts was relatively straightforward, and the client provided a decent experience for reading and sending emails. However, the small screen and the need for stylus input (due to the resistive touchscreen) made composing longer emails more cumbersome compared to devices with larger, capacitive touchscreens and more advanced virtual keyboards.

Nokia Maps was a standout application on the N97, offering robust navigation features. The app provided turn-by-turn directions, offline maps, and a wide range of points of interest. While the mapping data and navigation features were generally accurate and reliable, the user interface could be a bit clunky, particularly when compared to the emerging Google Maps on Android devices. Nevertheless, for users who needed reliable offline navigation, Nokia Maps was a valuable feature.

The N97 also featured several utility apps, including a voice recorder, calculator, and notes app. These were all fairly basic in functionality but useful for everyday tasks. The voice recorder, for instance, was handy for capturing quick memos or recording meetings, while the calculator was sufficient for basic arithmetic.

Given the hardware limitations, gaming on the N97 was a mixed experience. While the Ovi Store offered a selection of games, the device’s resistive touchscreen and limited processing power meant that many games were simplistic or struggled to run smoothly. Some classic mobile games like Snake and Tetris were available and played well, but the N97 couldn’t compete with the gaming experiences offered by newer platforms like the iPhone or Android devices.

One of the more unique features of the N97 was its support for a range of customization options, including themes and ringtones. Users could download and apply different themes to change the look and feel of the user interface, and the device supported a wide range of ringtones and notification sounds. While this level of customization was appreciated by many users, it was not enough to offset the growing perception that the Symbian OS was becoming outdated.

Overall, the software experience on the Nokia N97 was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it offered a wide range of features and customization options, making it a versatile device for power users. On the other hand, the user interface and overall experience were starting to feel dated, especially in comparison to the more modern and user-friendly platforms that were gaining popularity. The limitations of the Symbian OS, coupled with the hardware constraints of the N97, meant that while it was a capable device, it was not as competitive as it needed to be in the rapidly evolving smartphone market.

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