The Nokia N97 Review

By Rico, 9:09 am Fri Jul 10 2009 - Featured, Reviews - 13 Opinions

Over the past two weeks the Nokia N97 was put through its paces. So how did the phone hold up? Turns out the N97 is the best all-in-one phone to come from Nokia to date, and those who can afford the phone won’t regret the purchase. Here’s why.

Below is a compilation of the N97 mini-reviews published over the last 14 days, summarized for your convenience:

Camera

“So how does the camera hold up? Well, the N97 has the best camera phone I’ve ever used (it’s similar to the N82’s), but it definitely won’t give standalone cameras a run for their money. People planning to take photographs quickly as the moment happens will be disappointed as well. As with any other photography session under less-than-ideal lighting conditions, taking pictures with the flash off sometimes led to better results.” -The Nokia N97’s 5 Megapixel Camera: How Does it Do?

Battery

“For now though, one thing is clear: based on my (admittedly undemanding) usage, the Nokia N97 almost lasted for two days. A definite improvement over the N96!” -Nokia N97 Battery Log

Bundled Extras

“All things said, each Nokia N97 comes with a lot of useful items. At the very least, the USB data cable, hands-free kit, charger adapter, and the phone’s built-in 32GB of memory means you don’t have to buy accessories to maximize the N97. The bundle is good, but pretty much standard for a high-end phone.” -The Nokia N97: What Comes in the Box

Build Quality and Durability

“The N97 isn’t the most fragile thing in the world. In fact, despite it’s moving display it does pretty well in terms of rigidity and build quality. It can also survive the occasional accidental fall—which we learned the hard way after a particularly cringe-worthy impact on a tiled floor. Except for a couple of minor problems, Nokia has done pretty well, and the N97 definitely features better build quality than the N96.” -The Nokia N97: Build Quality and Durability

Responsiveness

“…it seems Nokia learned a thing or two from its experience with the 5800; the initial touchscreen responsiveness issues reported by early adopters of that phone (eventually fixed with a firmware update) are not present on the N97. This high-end phone can actually function as quickly as its less-powerful counterparts, despite having more features to manage.” -The Nokia N97: Responsiveness

Exterior and Styling

“In short, those who decide to buy the phone won’t end up with a cheap looking device. The N97 boasts an exterior and styling that is worthy of its price, coming across as a luxury item without calling too much attention. Owners will have to do a bit more to protect the Nokia N97 from oil, fingerprints, and scratches though.” - The Nokia N97: Exterior and Styling

Conclusion

Is this phone worth its P34,000 launch price? It’s hard to answer that question objectively, but here’s a guide: the Nokia N97 literally has every feature Nokia bothered putting into its phones, boasts a big screen, and is actually quite responsive. The touchscreen interface is good enough that you can access all of the phone’s functions without sliding out the QWERTY, and actually get caught by your friendly neighborhood MMDA for texting while driving. Speaking of which, the small keyboard is very easy to type on, rendering the bundled stylus unnecessary.

More importantly, the phone enjoys the support of a high-capacity battery, making it possible to use all those features for an appreciable amount of time. The only thing missing from this phone is a flashlight, ladies and gentlemen.

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• The Nokia N97: Exterior and Styling
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