Nokia N97 review: Lock, stock and touch

16 June 2009
They don’t get any bigger than that. A launch of this caliber can aptly be called inauguration day. The release of Nokia N97 is the N-series counter-move that geeks have been waiting for since November. Easily one of the most...

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  • n
  • nu n97 user
  • pK9
  • 13 Jul 2009

hi,

i have recently upgraded from the n95 to the n97 and it might just be my handset but has anyone else noticed a step DOWN in pic or video quality with the newer n97 when compared to the n95??

i thought they had the SAME camera?

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • iny
    • 13 Jul 2009

    oh to be able to watch and download videos

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • iny
      • 13 Jul 2009

      I'm thinking of buying this phone but wanted an opinion of someone who has actually used one.
      I need it for calling, sms, mms, internet usage (eg email, facebook etc) and to be able to take a decent photo. Also playing games and being able to add your own ringtones are also an added advantage.
      If I use my phone for these sort of things is this a good phone for me and is the battery life pretty good?

        • n
        • n97 hater
        • efQ
        • 12 Jul 2009

        nokia has let me down with this phone. i waited since it was announced. comin off the iphone 3g, i played with it for about a week. and i literally had to make myself like it. till i played with my girlfriends iphone. the iphone pulled me back. ending up selling it for 600 bucks. 700 from nokia. wasted a 100 dollars. pretty sad. never again will i buy a nokia.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • ii1
          • 10 Jul 2009

          jealous nokia n97 haters

          majority of the people prefer basic UI
          parents and older people cbf playing around with it and want something nice and simple.
          in my opinion they probably designed it to target matured people/parents to have a fancy phone but deliver the basic requirements they need to enjoy it better or to keep up with technology..hence why it may have been priced high atm, for the "on-the-go" workers

          thats my 2cents, though i would prefer the samsung Omnia i8910 HD, itll be awhile before it comes out so id buy this till i8910 comes out

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • vCE
            • 09 Jul 2009

            Anonymous, 08 Jul 2009Certainly credible coming from someone called Intosh aka Ma... moreNokia does it again, its all smoke and mirrors effort from Nokia with the n97.

            The last really good and possibly great Nokia handset for me was the Nokia 6110 from 1998. A true handset that did what it was meant to do.

            Sadly since then every Nokia that has been out there in the market place lives off the Nokia name only.

            In terms of the n series, the n95 and n95 8GB were great handsets by Nokia, this new n97 fails in several areas, most notably the firmware errors, lets see, Nokia has this handset in pre-prodoction for what 6 months now and still could not iron out 99% of the bugs?

            Really why anyone continues to buy Nokia is beyond understanding, failure after failure ...

            Buy Samsung or LG and be better off, as for Apple, only if you have been brain washed into thinking apples are good for your health :-)

            Ask Steve Jobs for an answer to that ...

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • tVm
              • 08 Jul 2009

              Intosh, 07 Jul 2009If Nokia wants to compete, they should focus on building a ... moreCertainly credible coming from someone called Intosh aka Macintosh....

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • tVm
                • 08 Jul 2009

                Take away the Apollo mission expectations or must visit Mars by tomorrow targets, the N97 is a good phone. The problem is, its more of a social networking tool than a power phone. That's why its suffering. The phone doesn't know its identity. Seriously, don't think this is a uber business phone grade product like the E90 or the Touch Pro 2. Think of this as a 'have fun' product and it'll do just fine. It will get you to Facebook, instant messaging, skype, etc, the usual social networking crap. But it you get this phone and think just because it has a QWERTY slide out keyboard, that it should be better than the E90 or TP2, then definitely going to crash and burn.

                  • I
                  • Intosh
                  • jxK
                  • 07 Jul 2009

                  If Nokia wants to compete, they should focus on building a pretty UI with fancy animation that acts as a smokescreen around a very basic smartphone. They don't need multitasking, highly customizable homescreen, flash, copy & paste and all the "complicated" stuff. Most people are not smart enough to notice and want those. Invest massively on a pretty UI and marketing (especially in North America) and people will fall for it. Add features (even basic ones) in later revisions. Look at Apple.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • pJ6
                    • 07 Jul 2009

                    spudd1111111, 06 Jul 2009though i dont have the Nokia N97 just yet, i plan to buy it... moreyou can buy this phone seriously if you wanna waste your money go and enjoy n 97

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • 4Vg
                      • 07 Jul 2009

                      Anonymous, 27 Jun 2009OMNIA HD i8910 beats this N97, Nokia don`t like improoving ... morethis really prove how smart you are...who wouldn't want to improve their product and continue improving it for future growth of their products.

                        • p
                        • palash
                        • uNV
                        • 07 Jul 2009

                        abusufyan, 06 Jul 2009tell me whether this phone is simply the best or not? i hv... moreu can buy this phone....

                          • s
                          • spudd1111111
                          • PMI
                          • 06 Jul 2009

                          though i dont have the Nokia N97 just yet, i plan to buy it when it comes out here in australia.

                          alot of arguments between Iphone 3Gs and Nokia 97

                          in my opinion each phone has advantages and disadvantages against one another... i reckon it all comes down which phone suites your personality or lifestyle

                          Iphone = if you love to listen to alot of music and play around with the applications

                          N97 = like decent photos or travel alot and take some happy snaps, texting without touch screen keyboard etc etc..

                          me i choose N97 FTW!!!!

                            • a
                            • abusufyan
                            • u1v
                            • 06 Jul 2009

                            tell me whether this phone is simply the best or not?
                            i hv not yet buy this product,,bt i hv n95,,i want to change it,so plz give me the suggestion that n97 is suitable 4 me or not?

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • iAd
                              • 05 Jul 2009

                              the best part of this phone it's out in my country (with 5800 it took 4 months to appear here) and has very good prize (about 500 € and sim free).

                                • j
                                • jarule
                                • vpa
                                • 05 Jul 2009

                                zaheed, 18 Jun 2009this phone can be described in one line, "Jack of ll trades... moreur jack of trades bla bla is already overused! NOKIA N97 ROCKS no matter what!

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • q{X
                                  • 05 Jul 2009

                                  Read on about the "best phone" :)

                                  At the SyScan security conference being held in Singapore this week, Macintosh security expert Charlie Miller has outlined an SMS-based vulnerability in the Apple iPhone that could let attackers listen in on calls, access the GPS unit to locate the phone, execute arbitrary programs, and even let the phone participate in distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks against other Internet sites via the Internet.

                                    • F
                                    • Fais
                                    • mJs
                                    • 02 Jul 2009

                                    I've waitied for the Nokia N97 since it was announced and it was very disappointing to see how little Nokia had worked on trying to make this phone into an iPhone killer. I've always had a Nokia (up until yesterday had a Nokia 95 8GB and loved it!) but with a phone that should have lived up to expectations, this is not going to be the case from now on. So for those that have judged me purely based on my own opinions for getting an iPhone and not a Nokia, then good luck with the toy!

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • Mtr
                                      • 02 Jul 2009

                                      Anonymous, 30 Jun 2009i think you should keep your self upto-date my friend now u... moreI know about tablet computers, nobody buys them. And I've read the iPhone review, thanks but no thanks. Cheers back :-)

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • pJ6
                                        • 01 Jul 2009

                                        kage, 01 Jul 2009i think the N series has become more fashion than function.... moreA very good decision you've made keep it up