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Sep 12 2009

Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

Posted by Norman John in N-Series, N97, N97 Mini, Nokia

3886340733 699ff593b7 Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

Due to the huge demand on the Nokia N97, during Nokia World 2009 in Suttgart, Nokia launched a little brother, the N97 Mini. The word ‘Mini’ just signalise that it’s smaller than the original. However, what else is different? This article will show you all the differences between these siblings.

Size & Display:

3887140982 4b55faa87e Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

First things first is the different size. The Mini is slightly smaller than the N97 in all directions. It’s edges are also slightly rounded so that it will fit better in your pocket. Compared to other phones however, it is still quite big. When holding it in the hand you can really tell that the Mini is 22g lighter than the N97. The comparison picture will help you get a better feeling of the size.

3887093668 e29d412256 Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences
In order to get the N97 Mini smaller, Nokia had to decrease the screen-size. The really huge 3.5” display is now only 3.2″ and the original resolution remains at 360 x 640 pixel with 16M colors.

Keyboard:

3887138230 c5e0dfbe42 Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

The full QWERTY-keyboard, despite the smaller amount of space, is still present. Nevertheless, there has been some redesign in terms of the keypad. First, the big D-pad on the left side has been replaced by four arrow keys on the right side. Other than that there is more space between each keys and the keys are a little bit higher giving you a much better feel when typing.

Battery and the backside:

3887137320 7a2bcdbd7d Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

Also the backside has received a nice face lift. The plastic battery cover has been replaced by a solid metallic battery cover. This gives the Mini a nice look and feel. Although the original N97 felt really good, the Mini feels even better. The Mini has no camera protection but also comes with the same 5 mega pixel camera and Dual LED flash.

3887136890 351e5f1ac4 Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

This time the N97 Mini is powered by a 1200mAh battery which is basically 300mAh less than the big N97. A bigger battery would be great but due to the little space this was the only way to go.

Internal Storage:

To keep the price as low as possible Nokia reduces the internal storage from 32GB to 8GB. If this isn’t enough you can expand your memory with microSD card anyway.

Price:

3886376165 025a009b3d Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

The price mentioned in the keynote was 450€ before taxes and subsidies. This is about 100€ less than the big N97 costs. I’d love to see this devices being even cheaper to address more customers.

Little details:

3886343563 b0cd55db9f m Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences3886344359 65cf9b9fd2 m Nokia N97 vs. Nokia N97 Mini: Where are the differences

This isn’t really a big deal but the hinge mechanism isn’t showing all the features like GPS etc any more, but now simply says the name and that it’s been designed in Finland – the motherland of Nokia.

Final words:

These are pretty much all significant changes or differences. Yet, the software versions aren’t same but as soon as the Firmware 2.0 will come out for the original N97 both versions will be the same. All in all this is a big step and I can confidently forecast a big future for the N97 Mini.

Related posts:

  1. Nokia N97 vs the N97 Mini | Which one will you buy?
  2. Offline As It Happens: Nokia N97 Mini is ready to attack retailers worldwide
  3. Nokia N97 Mini Video
  4. Battle of the Sexiest: Nokia C7 vs Nokia N8, Nokia N97 mini and Nokia E52 [Gallery]
  5. Free Useful Apps to Enhance your N97 & N97 mini

  • Dans

    One big difference is the change in screen angle, its shallower, you can actually see the screen now when typing….

    Get the Mini, you wont be sorry.

  • anon

    You missed out more internal memory on the C: drive due to larger NAND size, 256MB vs 512MB on the Mini.

  • http://headcoffin.com zible

    Also the Mini doesn’t have a Compass or an FM transmitter. Course the FM Transmitter in the N97 is so weak it’s nearly impossible to ever use it.

  • daClaus

    If the center of the N97 d-pad is an ok-button, where is it on the mini?

  • eva

    Hello guys from symbianworld,

    great article.
    Can you tell me which color the Mini has on this review?? Garnet or the darker one called cherryblack?

    Thank you!

  • http://www.sonyericssonsatio.nl/ San-Satio

    So the only real difference between thos two phones is the internal memory and layout of the keypad? For that one has to pay 100 Euro’s extra? I think the Mini would be the one to go for. I must say that I very much like the looks of both N97′s. But what I’m really wondering is whether this sliding mechanism will hold over time. I mean with my E90 communicator the opening mechanism got broken after 3 years of usage.

  • Egy

    Ragazzi, avete visto il “N900″. considerato il costo e le carattestiche di entrambi penso sia più conveniente il N900. Che ne pensate?

  • http://symbianworld.org/2502-nokia-n97-mini-video/ Nokia N97 Mini Video | SymbianWorld – your S60 and Symbian resource for News, Applications and more

    [...] by Norman John in N-Series, N97, N97 2.0, N97 Mini, N97 Mini RAOUL Limited Edition, Nokia In a previous article I showed all major differences between the Nokia N97 and the Nokia N97 Mini.  The N97 Mini is not [...]

  • http://.. Jhane

    Wow i think the articles so clear ! I really understood it well. I think that there both good phones aswell :)

  • prk

    N97 and mini both are gud

  • mohamed

    basically people who cant aford n97 they can by the cheaper version wich cuts features

  • jake

    if u guys are unsure whether to buy a n97 or n97 mini, i can tell u from personal experience, that the mini version is way better… its faster, smoother, and it is a lot more practical too!
    the main difference is the internal memory…but honestly are u reallly going to use more than 8gb plus an external 16gb memory??? i dont think so…
    if u want to do urself a favour buy the mini version and save 100euro

  • ellie:)

    great! thankyou :) i was wondering what the differences were and was deciding which one to get, now i’m pretty sure i will go for the mini! thank you a lott xx

  • philip

    well, u cannot compare them, its depends on users needs.. are you a media maniac or web browser? go for the big one, are you a just a app maniac go for the mini.
    About the prices, is 100 euro less, yes; but this mobile is design for media, are you sure 8gb is enough? microSD 16GB is around 72 dollars.. if you get my point.

    so in short notes, it depends how u use this phone; and any phone.
    hope this helps.

  • heezy

    yo y’all say the mini is 100 euro’s cheaper, but here the price of the mini is 25 euros more than the original n97. i know this isn’t a big difference but you can’t say this is a phone for ppl who can’t afford the original n97. cuz u aint savin money on this 1.

  • ryan

    I have N97 and I bought it before Mini was launched. It cuts prices for sure but keeping an N 97 always helps in cutting competition such as iphone and it really feels good to hold an expensive phone which has more features. 32 GB is endless and a better keyboard always puts you in a different league!! so choice is yours..!

  • FX

    Price never lie… always buy the most expensive to get a better product ^_^

  • lolo

    Mine N97mini have a working compass and it works quite well. Despite this there is also a lot of bugs, whole system can crash without any visible reason from time to time. I belive Nokia will fix this soon. So.. it is better to wait until prices get lower and bugs are fixed.

  • lolo

    @FX — prices sometimes lie. Two years ago I got new HTC TyTN – expensive and completely worthless piece of shit.

  • iqi

    this helped me alot it was very clear and easy to understand so thankyou :) i think i might go for the mini xx

  • http://www.contract-phones.co.uk/ contract phones

    I was in a mobile phone shop today and they only had a Nokia N97. I asked about the Nokia N97 Mini and was told that they are the same. I knew they were just trying to sell me what they had so I left the shop and came home to check on the internet. It seems that there are a fair amount of differences so thanks for explaining them and for the photos of the phones next to each other. Cheers, great help!

  • hEM

    What about difference between battery life?

  • aditya

    can n97 mini by any how can have fm transmitter

  • kia

    Hii..well i’m just confused.i want to buy the mob but i’m not being able to choose betwin n97 n the mini.i just want the best koz i’vE already an iphone 3gs.plz suggest me.

  • Anonymous

    fucckito..u eggyito..speak in english bitch..N97 minito…muahahaha…

  • John

    Hmm nice wakeup call! Thanks for the comparison. I haven’t been interested in any of these phones because they weren’t supported by skype, until yesterday. It’s time to make a move on N97.. Just for the larger internal memory and screen size sake, N97 buys more of my attention. A comparison of the battery life, Audio hardware performance, and other internal features would be even more helpful thanks

  • Anon

    There are too many differences, imo biggest would be crappy battery for the mini.

  • http://Hdjdk.com Mister Wooz

    My Mini can work FM radio, via use of a headset :)

  • daniel

    im stuck it said the n97 mini is €450 but i was lookin in a magazine and it said it was €120.:P

  • http://none Aaron

    I could be wrong, but i think this article neglected to mention the original n97 had a 3.5mm headphone jack which you could plug most headphones into, where as the mini doesn’t. This is the biggest factor in my decision.

  • Coolman

    In my opinion both the nokia n97 and mini r gud. it depends on the purpose of the phone and what the user is buying it for. the expensive 1 will have more functions while the cheaper 1 will have less functions.the nokia n97 has more functions that nokia n97 mini but there are even some advantages of n97 mini over n97 (it is smaller and faster to operate) but the n97 original has a greater size of memory 32gb.the above comparison tells that the memory size is reduced for n97 mini. a person will buy n97 original for business purposes while n97 mini for browsing the net. it is also gud to have an expensive mobile as we can compare it with popular phones like iphone.

  • Dranger

    N97
    -greater storage
    -fm transmitter
    -longer battery
    -camera protection
    N97 MINI
    -tweaked touch screen (more responsive)
    -sharp display
    -E series grade metal housing
    -spaced keypad
    -camera lens cover removed due to scratching issues in N97
    So NOKIA has rectified mistakes made in N97 so it is better to go for the mini

  • Sally

    I’m an AT&T customer and have used nokia phones for many years. Currently AT&T has only 2 smartphones: Surge & E71x….
    I’ve been looking at both the 97 & 97mini, I don’t really know much about the “unlock” phones function and I haven’t found any comments about. I did talk with an AT&T rep, and she said “there” no guarantees or support” for these phones from AT&T; she also didn’t know if AT&T will add these phones in there offering lineup.

    My questions are:
    1) how “reliable” are unlock phones…
    2) how do I go about “activating’ the phone with AT&T

    I know this is probably these are novice questions, but I really need help here….
    I really would like to stay with a nokia phone, but have started looking at the HTC & LG lines.

  • http://www.google.com el tornado

    wlek erre el ja7esh ayri bi e5wetkon wala hayda a7la telephone bel 3alam we erre bas 8ali ktir lek jeye ma3o cha2fet ared ye3ne ????

  • http://kimirekonen.com/blog Kimizo

    i prefer n97 than n97 mini
    bigger screen is suitable for web browsing

  • Ehis

    i really would like to know which is gud.

  • Shady

    I used both n97 and n97 mini but I think n97 is awesome

  • Bops

    Dear friends,
    I have done a proper research on these 2 phones. Addressing all your different concerns, curiosity, ignorance and the annoying habit of some who make strong influencing/damaging statements without knowing what the actual fact is, i have listed out the exact differences and some of the similarities.

    Differences:

    N97:

    -32GB storage (Expandable upto 16GB)
    -FM transmitter (FM Radio is present)
    -1500AH battery (Higher backup)
    -Camera Cover (actually scratches the lens itself)
    -Plastic Body
    -Weight 150Gms
    -Slightly Bigger
    -Screen size is larger (3.5″)
    -D pad pesent in keypad (used widely for gaming devices)
    -Stylus available in box
    -Charger adaptor for older chargers available in box

    N97 MINI:

    -8GB storage (Expandable upto 16GB)
    -Slightly smaller
    -Improved touch screen
    -1200AH Battery (Lower backup)
    -Display smaller (3.2″) but same resolution (Images look clearer)
    -Metallic Body
    -Better Keypad (More space, more displacement, better feedback)
    -Arrow keys (No D pad, enter key works as ok button of D pad)
    -No Camera Cover
    -No FM Transmitter(FM Radio is present)
    -Weight 138Gms
    -No Stylus provided (Not really required)
    -Charger adaptor for older chargers not available in box

    Similarities:

    Almost everything else is similar

    -3.5mm headset Jack
    -Processor(434Mhz)
    -RAM(128MB)
    -5MP camera with auto focus and dual LED flash
    -Stereo loud Speakers
    -TV out function
    -Quad Band
    -GPS
    -Digital Compass
    -Secondary Video Call Camera in front
    -Proximity sensor and light sensor
    etc..

    I would not make an outright statement regarding which one is better. Both have its own Positives and Negatives. It actually depends on the users needs, likes and dislikes. So every person would perceive it in a different way. But personally I like the mini because its easier to handle, less bulky and of course its priced lower now. At least a difference of 4000INR. Even though i would have preferred a higher memory and an FM transmitter, i would go for the mini as I have just simply fallen in love with it.

    PS: Both have a few software bugs some of which are already fixed with updates and some more minor ones that I hope Nokia would fix through future software updates.

  • http://symbianworld.org/4772-nokia-n97-owners-club-widget%e2%80%94be-a-star/ Nokia N97 Owners Club Widget—Be a star! | SymbianWorld – your S60 and Symbian resource for News, Applications and more

    [...] Nokia, OVI, Ovi Store, tags: apps, N97, N97 Mini If you want more exclusive stuff for your N97 and N97 mini then this app is for you. Nokia N97 Owners Club Widget will give you useful contents from the [...]

  • Mian Zuahib

    I dnt Like

  • gadjeto

    well as people say u always like what others have and u can buy only the phone with what u have no point getting confu.. wna more stuffs go for big bro and otherwise mini is 2nd to none….

  • aman jaim

    i m using it for last 9 months.the phone is good.but there is one big problem about it’s battery backup.

  • aj

    hey, i dont think there is a white with the mini one i really wanted white and i think n97 is better because it has a bigger screen and a bigger keyboard for all of u that text all the time: the battery life is better than the mini one.. and i dont like the corners and the keyboard there is a lot of space between the letters so i would go with the N97!!! also it is more expensive which means it is better! :)
    GO WITH N97!!!!!!!

  • http://rasahi.tumblr.com Rasahi

    still confusing. Maybe i should have N97 and my wife N97mini this will solve my problem.

  • http://rdx.om Ankit

    I dnt knw wic one to purchare bt i like N97 mor than N97 mini bcoz of Internal Memory…..
    N bcoz of large display…

  • http://www.yahoo.com shymon

    nokia n97 b than nokia n97mini.it h large screen.it god for web brwsng and h a large memory storge.it h a camera cover.so i say n97 b than 97mini…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

  • minded

    byuh byuh….hapene apik tenan ya…sayange durung duwe duwit kanggo tuku. kanggo ak seh, hape sing penting iso gawe telpon lan sms. internetan gawe laptop wae, abot tapi paningale ora keju amargo layare ombo, hehe

  • Miso Jikijela

    Once had the n97 now i have the mini and truth be told I miss my n97 especially the fm transmitter.

  • versatile

    im a big boy who loves playing with big toys,so i m going for the N97.no arguement

  • Shae

    Guys! I need your help!!
    Ok, I’m 16 and I cant decide wether or not to go for the N97 or the N97 mini.
    I’ve done ALOT of research and I know the pro’s and con’s of each phone.
    I just want to know what model would be good for me to message, call and regularly go on facebook?
    Which one would be better the N97 or the N97 mini?

    Please answer this question A.S.A.P :)

    – Shae.

  • zahid

    these are two differene phones only the common thing is the name (n97)

  • http://symbianworld.org/5779-divx-mobile-player-for-symbian-s60v5-and-s60v3-is-finally-here/ DivX Mobile Player for Symbian S60v5 and S60v3 is finally here! | SymbianWorld – your S60 and Symbian resource for News, Applications and more

    [...] I was able to play an .avi file in my Nokia N97 mini but not so smooth in start. You could just play divx files with a screen resolution not exceeding [...]

  • http://www.iqwcs.com/ 传奇世界私服

    I have been reading your posts during my afternoon break, and I must admit the whole article has been very useful and very well written. I thought I would let you know that for some reason this blog does not display well in Internet Explorer 8. I wish Microsoft would stop changing their software. I have a question for you. Do you mind exchanging blog roll links? That would be really cool!

  • http://symbianworld.org/5873-nokia-photography-tips-plus-n97-mini-gallery/ Nokia Photography Tips plus N97 mini Gallery | SymbianWorld – your S60 and Symbian resource for News, Applications and more

    [...] expand more on how we define a good camera of a phone is the same as the Nokia N97 mini and N97 classic. They have 5 mega pixels, dual-LED flash, and Carl Zeiss optics which are important [...]

  • Sebastian Ato Nkrumah

    i am still hoping to get one.so enthused to you one.But to add to this i would rather prefer the n900. It’s in a class of it own.

  • sutann

    i have had both n97 mini and the classic and i have to say that overall the mini is much better because the classic jams to muh and its harder for flash to play.

  • http://hindi-english-songs-lyrics.blogspot.com Songs lyrics

    Thank u very much for such wonderful information. Before read this article, I felt both are same but finally I knew that both N97 and N97 mini are different. Thanks once again

  • http://thetelecomnews.com Gourav Sharma

    Thanks for the article on comparison of both.. Just bought a Mini and feeling proud on it.

  • http://google jithin

    i want know about n97 and 97mini

  • Spunkybloke

    Let me add one more point(if nobody posted this before).

    N97 Mini has 512MB of C drive* space(approx. 277MB available for User)
    N97 Classic has 256 MB of C drive* space(approx. 73MB available for User)

    *NAND Memory

  • Sahib Khan Ghugh

    Both have same configuration except that N97 have big memory but N97 mini is a smart compare to N97.I have N97 mini i like it and prefer it on N97 due to smartness.

  • Thebest_noel

    i buy n97 mini it’s very good and smarter if you have money i advice you to buy n97 mini it’s very useful and good

  • Ddio

    that’s not true , they both have 3.5mm jack

  • Will

    Great review! I’ve been quite curious about the similarities…

  • abdul nazeer

    frnds plzz tell me, whtr any complaints with N 97 mini? plzz reply me.

  • Anonymous

    No complain on N97 mini. it is a gorgeous device. the screen though is resistive so u can’t multitask. camera is good plus the keyboard and design.

  • Tho_stars

     why you say that n97 mini is smarter?