Living With: Nokia N97 Mini Review

The Nokia N97 Mini has made a big impression at NokNok, as well as making waves at other sites. With a high-resolution 3.2-inch touchscreen, full QWERTY keypad and features including Wi-Fi and GPS, it’s a fully-featured handset that has loads to offer. What’s it like to actually live with though? Read on after the jump to find out…

Like the Nokia N97 that came before it, the Nokia N97 Mini has come in for criticism from some sides for being slightly too bulky and heavy, but for me it’s the perfect size. I’m not new to Nokia smartphones, and previously used a Nokia N96, but the thinner and narrower dimensions make the N97 Mini the perfect size to hold comfortably, and it slips perfectly into pockets.

While the Nokia N96 was constructed almost entirely out of plastic, the Nokia N97 Mini has a much more substantial feel. The metal finish that makes up the edges and rear of the handset offers excellent quality that’s suitably high-end, and the opening action of the QWERTY keypad is much better engineered than most rivals.

What’s it like to use though? The first time I used the N97 Mini, it was a bit of a struggle. The menus are slightly confusing at first, although once you get the hang of it though, it’s really rather good interface. Sure, it’s not as fancy as newer operating systems – such as the Maemo 5 OS found on the Nokia N900 – but it’s every bit as quick, with large, finger-friendly icons in place that make it easier than ever to use on a daily basis.

I like the home page made up of widgets – with the ability to customise them and add applications and shortcuts – but it’s also a bit cluttered. One of the things I loved about my Nokia N96 was the fact it could display the next seven day’s appointments on the home screen. Here, there’s a small app letting you know what’s coming up immediately, but there’s not enough space for detailed information.

When it comes to text entry, the Nokia N97 Mini is excellent. The hardware keyboard makes it a much more usable proposition than rivals, and I was also surprised by how good the software keypad is – there’s no QWERTY option – but the alphanumeric pad is responsive and among the better onscreen keyboards currently available.

Application-wise, the Nokia N97 Mini is a mixed bag. The Ovi Store could offer a little more variety for the latest handsets, although some of the apps I have downloaded have been truly excellent – such as the MX Data Tube application. Along with mapping, it also provides live updates which have proved invaluable. I’ve also been more than impressed with the Ovi Maps software that’s pre-installed as standard.

Downsides? The only issue I have with the Nokia N97 Mini is battery life – at around a day and a half from a full charge it could be better – and that’s without using features like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

At the moment though, I’m finding the Nokia N97 Mini to be one of the best handsets of the past year. I wasn’t a fan of the original Nokia N97 – it was simply too large for me – but the Nokia N97 Mini is proving a perfectly judged package. Keep an eye out here to find out if I still feel the same in a couple of months.

Check out our Nokia N97 Mini Living With gallery:

Have you got a Nokia N97 Mini? Do you agree with the review, or are you having a different experience? Leave a comment and let us know.