Nokia N97 hands-on
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Dec 2nd 2008 7:15AM
posted Dec 2nd 2008 7:15AM
Update: Make sure you check out Drita's video hands-on as well!
[Via Engadget Spanish]
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Splurge!
DO WANT!!
The phone that is.. not the splurge....
WHY WHY WHY chrome border?
UGH, just screams bad design.
doesn't an iphone have a chrome border?
I have to agree, that chrome border is extremely hideous. Unfortunately, most tech reporters will label any new phone as "clunky" or "ugly" if it doesn't have a chrome border. I can't be the only person who thinks chrome in all its forms is extremely tacky looking.
Looks like Nokia listened to my post here:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/24/nokias-qwerty-slider-e75-spotted-in-the-wild-again/
That was fast!
Ok we love you again. Thnx Bye.
Xenon flash I guess I can live without.
This mobile's so wasted with symbian.
I know right! with Maemo 5 i'd be king...
Not to start bitching but it does look fairly thick: http://www.engadget.com/photos/nokia-n97-hands-on/1196876/ . I was already glad to switch from my old Iphone to a E71, I don't want to get back to bigger, even if I pretend I don't care :x
It's amazing how many people look at a a phone with an actual, physical qwerty keyboard and then say something infinitely dense like ... gee, it's disappointing it's so thick. It's really a simple matter of material physics ... add a physical keyboard and the phone will be thicker by the factor of the physical keyboard. The observation that it's thicker is gratuitous and besides the point. Of course it's thicker, it also has a physical keyboard. //end rant.
It's thick because it has a physical qwerty keyboard. In fact, for a device that has such a keyboard, it's really thin.
On the other hand, the width of the phone (not the thickness) is really nice and makes it stylish. Look at the pictures.... it makes the iPhone look kind of fat (again, I'm talking about the width, not thickness).
iPhone: 11.5
Motorola Q: 11.8
Blackberry Bold: 14
Nokia N97: 15.9
Google G1: 17.1
So overall not bad but not great. And I don't buy this crap about it has a physical keyboard so must be thick nonsense. The Q has a keyboard and is about the same thickness as the iPhone.
@Nathan
Come on! You know I meant slide-in keyboard, not ugly-as-hell-in-the-front-keyboard that don't leave space for a big screen (just my opinion).
And people shouldn't just consider the width, but how many features are crammed in that space... more like a "feature density"...
(for example, If I have to carry around a separate camera to get decent pictures, that makes the whole package thicker and heavier).
Who who no need to get on your high horse here, I simply said it is too thick for me, now if you want a nice large keyboard this phone is definitely a nice option. And really I find your comment quite aggressive, "look at this guy, he said the phone is thick, he probably didn't understand there is a keyboard in there"...
I love the keyboard on my E71 (although I realize the screen size is no where near that one) but I didn't mind the keyboard on the Iphone, but I am not saying this phone is crap, just giving my honest opinion on it, so take it easy crescentdavid.
Cheers
*sigh*
The obsession over thin phones has led to some truly ignorant statements about what a phone should look like, regardless of the technology that's contained within. I don't get how people (read iDiots) can say with a straight face that a physical keyboard won't add to the size of a device. I'd rather take a somewhat thicker device with a physical keyboard over a slim device with a touch-only option that takes up half the screen and is more prone to causing mistakes.
Then again, that's just me. My comments about the phone size vs. capability still stand.
In my eyes, this phone is thinner than the iPhone.
There's no way it would have that battery and resolution, and hardware juice, and be less than 20% thicker. PERFECT ENGINEERING, NOKIA.
As for the gallery, this Phone is an example of perfectionist NOKIA build quality (except for the N95). It looks like a concept Gphone.
Damn you HTC and Google.
oooo oooo ahhhh
Was it good for you to?
As always, drop-dead gorgeous hardware. However after watching the video in the previous post... the OS looks sluggish at best. Shame...
Which video? I'm having trouble finding it. Could you link to it?
Slow? If Nokia 5800 UI is faster than iPhone then this one should be even faster. I believe this is using OMAP3 finally?
Think 6 months refinement till launch. I'm hoping for speed improvements, especially when I think to what the N95 was like with the original firmware.
Found the vid; just realised they updated the post.
Just a quick point. Apple has used a small visual trick to make you think the iPhone is snappier than it is.Namely the transitional animations. If I click on the calender on my 2 year old N95 and my iPod Touch, the N95 is faster...but the slight pause between me hitting the key and the calendar being visible makes you THINK it's slower. The iPod Touch (and therefore the iPhone) tricks you into thinking it's in constant movement by laying over a pointless animation of the home screen icons flying off in all directions and the calendar or safari or any other app flying in from the background...it's actually slower but your mind is distracted by all the eye candy. The video I watched was perfectly fine in terms of speed, just the transitional animations were not as smooth if they were used at all.
Tes,
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/02/nokia-unveils-flagship-n97-phone/
First watch the first video which is basically 100% cg, and then watch the second video where it shows how it really is... Can't really call it "snappy" - looks jerky, rather slow, and nothing special...
I didn't say it was "snappy" just that it was no slower than the iPhone. You're just tricked into believing something is happening when all you're doing is watching a snapshot of the last time you used the app fly in from some cache somewhere.
Tes:
Thats how Apple works. Distract you from the bad parts with eye candy.
I would agree with Michael here, there seems to be a little lag when you perform an action on the Nokia, but maybe it's not so bad when you actually use the phone...
As for the eye candy on the iphone, you'll have to consider the fact that playing these animations require processing as well, so the fact that the overall movement (like opening the calendar) is fluid (and a bit sexy) is a good point for the phone, even if it mean 1 more second to open your calendar. Now I really never saw the animations on the iphone as a trick to hide its overall slowness, but I might be too naive!
Launch times aside, even video playback on the N97 is not that great. When fast scene changes happen you can see the redraw of the screen. It's like when there is a lot of motion the processing can't keep up.
I'd like to see whether the browser's side to side and vertical scrolling is as responsive as the iPhone.
I hope the final version will behave like seen in the CG video. Customers love eye-candy and smooth UI animation. It gives the *appearance* that the software is more "polished".
@superhobo
I believe the trademarked term is iCandy.
Loving it so far but I though QHD stood for Quad HD. I too scared to ask for the asking price when it's released. I hate waiting. These Nerdgasms are just too powerful.
Say's €500 ($632) on the Nokia press release.
Just Love It!
You can find full specs over at nokia forum:
http://www.forum.nokia.com/devices/N97
Doesn't seem too thick: 15.9 mm (imperials that's 0.625984252 inches)
I hope they make a thinner all touchscreen version soon after this releases. Also yes I know about the tube but It ain't got shit on this
Apart from a 3.2MP cam and a slightly smaller screen, if you were to remove the qwerty keys this IS the tube.
What about the THIRTY TWO GIGABYTES of internal memory?
And the configurable home/active standby screen.
I think my hands are having an orgasm.
What's with the ugly, dirty white film canister that they're using as a display stand?
Looks like their hash container.
And is that gum thats holding it there?
This is from Engadget Spanish....... dont expect clean mexican film canisters
dang..... Touch HD or this?
Choice is getting harder......
If I was rich i'd go for my Bold and a Archos 5g for the surfing/media player
But the SFR (that's french vodafone) data plan that comes with the Archos 5g is just plain assrape so, I might consider this N97 a cheaper and therefore better option.
Mail+Surf+media playing all in one. And I get an extra 5mpx camera....
Forget the Touch HD. Why?
1) This one has interactive Widgets which are 100x more functional and interesting than ToucfFLO3D. Imagine receiving Facebook and Engadget feed right on your Start screen.
2) Symbian has always kicked WM ass.
3) While watching a DVDrip on your phone, you won't use the extra 150 pixels on the TouchHD. The N97, however, is tailored for a DVDrip with that gorgeous hi-res widescreen.
4) Symbian has Coreplayer. Coreplayer DOESN'T WORK ON THE TOUCH HD. Big surprise, I know.
5) Oh, and it has a keyboard.
Realistically, I'd "abstain" till I see what Microsoft and NVidia are cooking with TEGRA. 2009 will be a huge year with the likes of the N97 vs Tegra vs iPhone HD vs G2..... lovely.
This phone is more of a closer competitor to the Xperia. Except it mops the floor with the Xperia's face and it is cheaper too. =3
looks great! i hope it has a good OS - really as much as id love to replace my iphone - it comes down to a nice looking and friendly OS with strong apps
unless you are jailbreaking iphone apps are useless. even then the apps cydia has available are all beta and most are not perfected. the iphone is still in the smart phone wanna be category as is ever blackberry on the market.
I totally agree with you i haven't bought a new phone since my iphone. I haven't seen anything on the market that catches my attention. The Xperia did get my attention but Win mo. is horrible and i wont pay a lot for a phone that will work 1/2 the time, or is mostly unresponsive. I'm really hoping that this is made with 1700Mhz radio and unlocked. If it is solid then i may just retire my iphone.
im so gonna get this phone. is looks so gorgeous. soo shiny, so glossy, so high end.
You call this design "gorgeous"? I'm liking the internal specs but this is one of the most hideously clunky and uninspired smartphones out there!
iphone killer meh
symbian is an epic fail
Because?
i dont know whats worse.. iphone or hardcore iphoney fanboi.
Hardcore anti-Apple fanboys?
No picture of the battery? I would think it needs some huge monster if they're using the newer processor.
This might get me thinking about keeping S60 on my next phone, was fairly commited to Android after trying it out over the weekend.
As an owner of a E71, why can't Nokia perform the same miracle of engineering that Apple did with the original iPod Nano (that at the time was incredibly thin) and produce an E71i with the following enhancements:
a) Double the screen resolution to 640 x 480 - perhaps enlarging the bezel slightly (this would make web surfing more pleasant - currently, one has to scroll around a lot.)
b) Make it a touch screen, so you can drag images across - as per the iPhone
c) Add a 3.5mm jack
d) Add the socially aware OS as per the N97, but with a more elegant GUI
e) A 5MP camera with Xenon flash.
f) Speed up the multimedia components of the OS. The gallery is sluggish and not as 'swish' as that on my former N95 8G.
Why? Because the great thing about the E71 is that despite it's small size, the keyboard is extremely convenient and usable. It is always there to use, no need to slide/flip/open up your device. Plus it is possible to operate it with one hand while standing up. Makes a big difference.
The technology to do this exists, although the space require for the flash and 3.5mm jack may require a slightly thicker form factor, like the new somewhat tacky consumer version of the E71 due out soon - the E63.
Nokia: I want a phone with the aforementioned spec. Why? Because it will slip into my pocket without cramping my style - like the lovely E71.
Because it's a business phone and your job probably doesn't want you having your Facebook and Twitter updates as the first thing you see when you pick your phone up.
All the things you want would increase the size, price and battery drain of the phone significantly.
The E71 is great because it's so thin. If you want an uber-business phone, go for the E90 - but don't complain about the size and price.
Where is the period button? A difference between my non sliding blackberry qwerty style phone and my friends sliding qwerty phone that has a similar layout as this, is that he has to press the function button in order to use a period. I found it really annoying because you use them a lot while typing. Maybe I am just blind, but I didn't see a period button in the pictures.
@Dave
I think the period-key is the one left of the return-key. It looks like it is period and comma when coupled with the shift-key.
OMG yea this phone is awesome! it looks a lot like the new Prada phone as that has the same qwerty keyboard, i think the N96 is amazing but this is one of Nokia's better looking mobiles like the 8800 was.
Stop spamming
This is the phone I've been waiting for.
/assuming the touch screen works well
Engadget should get a hand model with clean nails and something other then a "film spool canister" (I think I just made that up) filled with dirt to prop up the gadgets with.
This thing is going to be pretty popular as long as they don't take as long as SE took releasing the Xperia. For folks digging around for the information you might find this site helpful: http://NokiaN97.org
Wake me up when they launch this thing haha
Hm... this is the first Nokia model I'm liking very much.
This is the phone i have been waiting for! Lots of S60 haters here(probally not a big suprise this site being USA based), but i'd take S60 or OSX before any other smart phone OS out there.
This just makes the N95 8GB + ipod touch combination i'm using to one packet.
Not liking the release date thought :/ We might actually see some more TS devices from Nokia before this gets out as Nokia is bound to have some announcements in mobile World Congress that's usually Nokia's the place where Nokia shows the best they have.
Positively suprised about the size. It's thinner than X1 for example while having more in it.
The best they have? How can it get better than this?! I bet the big announcement will be that the N97 is shipping immediately!
am i reading it right? 32GB built-in memory PLUS microSD slot for up to 16MB microSD, thats 48GB of monster storage right there.
Yes this makes it the first acceptable music phone for me..
Now the thing is I'm not 100% sure the mediaplayer inside will be hable to handle 30 Gb of mp3..this might get Sllooooowwwwwww.
@Felix
I think the only slow process you will see is when updating your library, playing it wouldnt cause it to slow.
you mean 32.015625 GB monster?
Keep this in mind : this phone is due to arrive in Europe in 4/6 months !
That's plenty of time to make the UI more responsive or "snappy".
I wish this UI come anywhere close to the snappyness of the Bold. Then I'm sold.
Opera Mobile you will be mine someday I know it xD.
Nice, but did the handset really have to be blu-tak'd to a film canister that has been used for transporting toxic waste?
Nokia won't get the UI right on the first try.
Nokia will never get the sliding keyboard right (no tactile feel)
They'll have to totally re-write the S60 interface
And Symbian probably STILL doesn't synchronize categories with Outlook.
So...other than the 3.5mm jack, now that HTC has gone VGA, why by a white and chrome Kaiser?
Keyboard looks a little cramped. It would be nicer if they made it slide a little further to squeeze in a fourth row.
The Physical keyboard doesn't make it really that thick at all, plus when you think about it, the entire top of it can only be the screen while not only does the KB part have to have the KB but also all the main hardware, plus you have to make joints to support the screen, so its not really that thick. I hate to say this, but dare I say this is a runner for the Touch Pro/iphone market?
Makes the iPhone look like a butt ugly fat box with no design whatsoever. LOL
Idk, Im not really a fan of how the keyboard is evenly spaced, that would throw me off, given that most phone keyboards and a keyboard itself is unevenly space. I.E. the m key is under the middle of J and K. @.@
0__o
^^
If for nothing else, I will get this phone cause of the emoticon styled speakers/whatever at the top XD
if you saw an emoticon there it's time for you to get off the internet for a while :P
but now that you brought that area of the phone to my attention, i wonder what the blob on the left does.
the two on the right are almost certainly the videocall camera and light sensor.
reminds me of the tilt too much
Except for the symbian, do directional keys on the outside, better camera, unlocked (hopefully not for long)...etc.
By the time it will be released, people will be all over TEGRA devices, this one will look "not bad". Not to forget the iPhone HD and the G2...
I love 2009.
Haven't heard of this iPhone HD. I will certainly be buying one at launch. Then I can sell it on ebay for mucho profit so I can buy the N97.
Ugliest. Phone. Evar.
So how much will an N95 be now that they will be clearanceing (spelling?) out? 300 dollars would be awful tempting and for that I'm willing to give up VZW for at&t prepaid or something...
This phone is simply gorgeous! I'm a WM user and was not looking for a phone with this form factor but I'd switch to Symbian and drop my desired form factor for this. This phone is HOT! I hope it lives up to the hype.
"The starting price for Europeans will be 550 Euros, so we imagine the Nokia N97 could cost $700 or so in the U.S. for an unlocked version. " - Infosyncworld
Good God! No thanks! Could get a kickass laptop for that price. I guess the Europeans aren't in a recession but the U.S. sure as heck is!
I'm pretty much expecting them to release something like an N95 8GB with QWERTY. But this (an N Series with qwerty) is a step in the right direction.
"iPhone-killer" r u freaking kidding me $700 comes out in June in states.the same People are praising this nokia that complain about iPhone $199 price tag.who gonna pay $700 plus tax for this ,,,,?as long as the masses continue to pay $300-400 for ipod touch iPhone 3g will continue to be the top dawg.
Ok, so this will probably be better than my Samsung Omnia but until it comes out (and in my pocket ) I still have the best smatphone available on this planet.
Let's just hope that Nokia do something about the bloated, buggy and irritating Nokia Nsuite sync'ing software, which was the only real letdown in the N95-8Gb.
What a thief using HTC's design.
Nokia always had some visual design issues, but hey if the phone is good enough you can always stick some vinyl on it or something.
All cell phones do the same thing equally well. So please, shut down engadget now, and free us from your tyranny.
i personally dont want nokia to lower the damn price for this phone and join the category of "low class 'everybody carrying'" iphone... this phone is made for the higher society who believe in rareness of the product more than the price value. im sure there are many folks here who feel the same...
WTF! Do the reporters at Spanish EnGadget have to dig effin' trenches before they get to go out on an assignment? Loook at that dudes finger nails and that grimy effin' film canister. Who the heck still uses film, anyway?
hahahaha- i was waiting for someone to notice the "grimy film canister". Unless I am mistaken (and don't think that I am) that "grimy" film canister doesn't contain film at all.....
.....its his stash of sweet Mary Jane. I know because, uh, um, my "friend" keeps her pot in a "grimy" plastic film canister as well. The "grime" is leftovers of sweet bud my friend
i can haz cmda version?