Customer Reviews

Nokia N97 Sim Free Mobile Phone - Black

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I carried out lots of inquiries from different phone shops concerning the nokia N97, unfortunately none of them has better review about this phone.All seem to be negative.I remember some guy from an orange shop refering to the N97 as'rubbish' when I mentioned N97, did'nt even finish my sentence.

Adamant not to subscribe to the Snobby Iphone niche nonesense, wanted an alternative that can challenge apple so-call 3gs. bought the Nokia n97. On trying to familiarise myself with the features, experienced virtually all the Negative reviews posted. i.e the freezing mid way through application and switching off and rebooting.

Nokia is renowned for their sophistication and craftmanship in mobile phone market. How did they get this wrong? well I suppose, in trying to stop the Iphone from market dominance, the N97 was launched too soon without proper testing.(emphasis is mine)

Nokia has dedicated a special hotline to solve the N97 glitch. ring up and get instructions on how to update the device from the present version. alternatively insert the Ovi cd, connect the device and update.

I have not experience any problem whatsoever since updating to software version v11.0.021. The N97 is a good buy.

This phone is not half as bad as some of the reviews, either here or, elsewhere on the web, would have you believe. It certainly has some flaws (or, should I say opportunities to improve) but in the main it does what it says on the tin.

I have a IPhone on contract so feel able to make some comparisons. While the N97 doesn't have the touch screen slickness of the IPhone it does have a qwerty keyboard which is a real boon if you use text a lot, it's not bad either for inputting web addresses. The keys are a little on the small side but can be managed with some care. I don't find the screen resolution much different either, perhaps the IPhone shades it, just. I find the maps and GPS far better on the N97 (though I'm not impressed with Nokia's charges), and unlike the N95 it seems to find the GPS signal very quickly, even with AGPS switched off. It's excellent for emails and video calling, nice clear picture at the other end, so I'm told, and on which subject I find the actual quality of the calls very good, way better that the IPhone and I've never had a problem with the signal, even in short tunnels.

It's easy to d/l apps, though obviously you don't have the choice that Apples apps store has and you need to watch the phone memory available if you do. I stupidly thought the 32 Gig meant diect memory, it doesn't.

Battery life seems excellent, I'm averaging 2 days or so between charges but I guess if you use the web a lot then that might well go down. Another factor which affects battery life is leaving apps open. Because the phone can multi task this is actually quite easy to do, unfortunately. Nokia have made it easy to check what you have open; checking is a habit you need to get into. Because it can't multi task this isn't a problem with the IPhone.

The downside of the N97 for me is that as a touch phone there are too many occasions when I have to `touch' the response I want twice, sometimes even three times. You can live with it but it is a pain. On a related note Nokia have some serious work to do on their OVI music and apps store, it may just be me but I find it really difficult to navigate not to mention find anything on it! Definitely score for Apple and ITunes here.

Overall, a good mobile I think, not the step up the N95 was but a high quality piece of kit. Worth spending sometime reading the manual to get the best out of the setup however.

UPDATE
Having used this phone now for 3 weeks or so I have to confess that my star rating for this item is incorrect, it should only have 2 stars.

The phone has, in my opinion, some serious flaws. The processor appears to be under powered for what is asked of it, e.g. it can take several presses (touches) before it responds to the `button', if it does, this may not sound like much (it didn't to me at first - see above- but believe me it gets really irritating very quickly when nothing happens despite many 'touches'. On several occasions I have had to go back to the home screen and start again before it will take the required action. The change from vertical to horizontal screen mode and vice versa often takes a long time (30 seconds or so, if indeed it does it at all. Again on more than one occasion I have given up trying to get it from horizontal to vertical and just switched off. This really is not good enough, I never have that problem with the IPhone and certainly should not with a Nokia. Let's hope Nokia sorts this out via a software update ASAP if they can. I'm pretty sure that I don't have a faulty phone and am just thankful that I don't have to use this for work. The phone certainly does have some good points, the sat nav continues to impress for instance and I like the keyboard, but, think really hard before you get this phone, can you live with the problems!

UPDATE 2 April 2010

Not actually sure one can still get this phone, Vodaphone seem to have dropped it; anyway the recent firmware update and the use of OVI maps (3) have improved this phone considerably. While the prob with the touch screen has not gone any it is much better to the extent that it is now usable without too much trouble.

I had my Nokia from the day it came out back in June 09, and have recently departed with it due to my endless frustration with the phone.

Instead of rambling about it, I'll start with the positives. The N97 is a pretty good looking phone, and comes with some impressive hardware - the 32GB storage is great, and the 5MP camera was pretty good too. The keyboard, while not perfect, was really good for typing on, and once you get used to it, is much faster than regular or virtual keypads.

Unfotunately, this is where the positives end.

My biggest gripes with the phone are the ancient ARM11 CPU, the distinct lack of RAM and no GPU whatsoever. Considering this is Nokia's flagship for 2009, it's specs were much worse than the (rather amazing) N95, which was released two years previous. In day to day terms, my N97 lacked the grunt to impress me, and applications were sluggish and often closed due to the phone not having enough memory. The main offender was the web browser, which would just simply give up and crash whenever you wanted to load an image, or memory heavy. The ARM11 CPU (which can be found in much cheaper, older phones) couldn't cope with what was being asked for it. The lack of a graphical processor meant that games and other apps looked pretty rubbish, and were often very laggy.

The N97 is based on Nokia's beloved S60 platform, and quite honestly, isn't well suited for touch input. The whole interface is boring, and laggy, and offers no eye candy or any special effects (probably due to hardware limitations). When I had my N97, S60 was extremely buggy, and although it didn't crash, it was quite unstable and ugly - loading different things up meant that different parts of the OS would load over other bits, and it looked very messy; almost unfinished.

The last straw came when my touchscreen broke. Over time, the screen had developed a large bright white area in the biddle of the screen, and around the edges, it darkened, until the screen would no longer respond to touch (my guess is the resistive layer came off).

I wouldn't recommend anyone get this phone. It's too expensive, and compared to other smartphones of 2009/10, it's seriously lacking in some areas. If you are still interested in it, I would suggest looking at the Nokia 5800 (almost identital, but a lot cheaper) or Nokia's latest phone, the N900.

As for me, I won't be returning to Nokia until they stop producing new phones with old hardware.

Pros:
- Qwerty keypad is a dream for writing emails and txt messages
- The usual Nokia layout making it simple for you to switch on your phone and be away without having to consult the manual before use
- Device can be set to automatically read all of your text messages/emails to you
- Surfing the internet with a larger screen makes life much easier, the zoom in option comes in handy at times and stylus all make internet usage much simpler.

Cons:
-The device crashed after it had been switched on for 1 hour and demanded a restart (Not a good start Nokia).
-The device freezes regularly when trying to make selections on both the touch screen and touch pad.
-Two days after purchasing the device the answer a call function when the keypad is locked is still baffling me, it is not a simple press the green button to answer like a normal phone, some kind of fastest finger in the west technique is needed to unlock the keypad via the touch screen and then answer the phone via the touch screen (Can be a pain if you are trying to answer your call before it diverts)
- Battery cover feels very flimsy when trying to remove it

Well here it is the long awaited Nokia N97, coming from an N95 8GB I was pleasantly surprised by the aesthetics of the device, it is not as large and bulky as I anticipated and it is also lighter than I would have thought. It fits nicely in the palm of your hand however it doesn't feel like it is built to last.

The ever so useful Qwerty keypad is not as sensitive to use when compared with the traditional Nokia device number pads, to access most applications you have either the choice of using the touch screen to select the item or a button on the qwerty keypad which opens up your selected application. When using the touch screen function the device vibrates slightly however this option can be disabled in the settings. Should you not want to flip open the keypad you can double click when writing a txt message and so on which opens up a touch screen pad similar to that of traditional devices. A mini Nokia stylus is also included in the box for use with the touch screen and I have found this useful when trying to use the scroll function on the internet and Ovi store application.

To lock the touch screen of the device there is a handy one touch lock/unlock button, this is very handy and locks the device immediately and places the phone in standby mode. The home screen has several shortcuts that can be customised to suit the individual users needs and to be honest I have removed most of these because I have found that they drain the batteries resources rather quickly you can select from the usual create a message, access photos, or newer options such as four favourite contacts for one touch dialling, email, facebook and many other options. There seems to be fewer features in the main menu however there are a wealth of applications available in the applications section. In the box there is no pre loaded music, no images for your desk top and no game demos to try.

Additionally Nokia have again changed the charger type for this device, instead of the one pin charger, the device takes a charge through the usb connector slot. The USB connector which connects your device to the PC is not the same as original devices either, so your old usb cable will not work when connecting to your computer however all the equipment including a new charger and cable are all included in the box to get you started. I do find this a little frustrating considering most Nokia users will buy additional chargers and cables.

When comparing my options of either the Blackberry Bold or the N97 the Blackberry is far easier to use, has been designed in a very uniformed fashion and comes with a box full of accessories all included in the retail price. However the N97 has a fun appearance, the menu options of a Nokia do not seem regimental and yet the N97 still has the capability to meet the needs of a demanding user, unless Nokia up their game this will be the last device I purchase from them, the constant crashing of their devices and glitchy software is little to be desired. I just hope Nokia's new generation of N-series will be a cut above the rest and lead the way for Nokia to maintain their ground in the ever competitive mobile market.

I have had this phone for little over a week now, and have to say i am very impressed. I previously had a Nokia E71, which i found very difficult to send emails and texts on. This Nokia N97 has a large slide out full qwerty keyboard that makes emailing and texting very easy. Another thing i found while using the phone; the web browser in this Symbian 5th edition handset loads web pages a lot faster then my previous E71 and N95. When using the in built sat nav, the GPS module gets a fix within 15 seconds of starting the maps application, lots faster than any other GPS phone i have had. The widgets feature on the home screen make it easy no access applications you use most.

The only downfall i see is the widgets tend to crash.For example, the Facebook widget might be working in the evening, but come morning and the widget has crashed. This then involves having to restart the phone. I'm sure this is only a software glitch, so should soon be fixed!

Even now with the latest firmware it still has problems. Once I updated the firmware it then locked the screen is is unusable, so is going back for a 3ed time. Its already been back because the screen cracked while it wasn't being used (apparently a design flaw) and I've had so many problems.... just don't do it to yourself...

Firstly let me say I have had this phone for about two months now. I purchased it from the Nokia store in London and paid 50GBP more because of it. So note to other people: unless you are really uncomfortable with purchasing merchandise on the internet, buy the phone on Amazon or Nokia's website. 50GBP is a lot of money. Personally, I liked getting it in store because that way I made sure to ask about all the issues raised with the phone (here and elsewhere on the internet), and make sure they were resolved. The other thing was that in store, the person who helped me did everything I asked him to do for me (for free). He transferred all of the phone numbers in my old phone's memory without too much fiddling around, etc.
Anyway, I will try and write this in the most helpful way possible.

Appearance:
- perfect size dimension wise (as far as I'm concerned), not as wide and as the iPhone but is fatter (due to qwerty keypad i guess)
- qwerty keypad is slightly on the small side - I can not imagine how horrible the nokia N97 mini qwerty keypad is, and on the soft side when pressing the letters so takes some getting used to.
- screen is big enough
- touching the screen the responsiveness is good
- colour and the feel of the phone are perfect. Personally I decided to protect my phone with a skin. Must say though, that some of the silver coating is beginning to get scraped off so I am not impressed with that.

Software:
- IT WILL CRASH IF YOU DO NOT INSTALL THE UPDATES! When I took the phone out of the store it crashed on me before I got to the nearest Tube station, and then again about 3 or 4 times in the same day. But once I installed the updates, it hasn't crashed once! The only thing that can make it crash are games - but that is not due to the phone software, but is due to the game.
- Symbian is perfect. Really simple and offers a lot providing you get familiar with it (which due to the simplicity is not hard at all)

Applications:
- on pay as you go not as good, but I do believe with a different operator or with monthly payment price plans would be perfect. I still do not realise the full potential of this phone, but what I have so far is pretty close to perfect. I have three different email addresses and can check them all regularly on the phone. The hotmail email installed its own inbox and updates automatically for no additional cost.
- games are not the best feature, but, if you get this phone and get the games going on it, read the comments people write on the games - very helpful (ovi store)
- phone has 32GB of memory which is the same as the most expensive of the iPhones. Personally I have an iPod so I don't need the 32GB for music, but if I would, 32GB is enough for all my music. It is equivalent to about 4000 songs but don't take my word for it.
- applications are fast and work perfectly with the software updates I have now so no complaints there.

Camera:
- do not purchase the phone for the camera. I am not perfectly happy with it, it could be better when it flashes, without the flash it is actually quite good

The phone overall is brilliant, I love it, but it is not perfect. So do consider the little pitfalls before buying. I bought it despite all bad reviews but I am happy with it and wouldn't change it now.

In the box I got headphones, cloth for cleaning the screen, 20GBP voucher for music downloads from the store, phone, battery, charger (the standards basically). Don't think I left anything out, but do take a look at what the contents are just in case.

Hope this helped.
Best regards to the potential buyer.

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Update:
It has now been a year or so since I purchased this.
A couple of months ago, the phone kept crashing, wouldn't dial properly, in short: everything that could go wrong with its software, did go wrong. I had it repared, which oddly enough DID NOT repair it at all. It may have repaired the incoming/outgoing calls but as an exchange it turned on my Maps. To the day, I still can't get the "free" maps to work.
The phone got scratched at the edges while I was wearing the protection sleeve and is still scratched now. That aside, I would still not change it for the iPhone as I warmed up to it. But value for money, dissapointing. Changed my rating from 4* to 3*.

I upgraded on contract from N95 to HTC Hero.That was one phone I couldnt get to grips with or its battery life.Half a day on full charge.Took phone back and after much haggling I was lumped with the N97 in white of all things.Now 3 months down the line Ive got a reduction on the contract and have gone back to N95 for time being.Why?The N97 is 80% useless.Most of it has been covered here with freezing,iffy screens and memory problems.I have also found that the nokia internet radio feature doesnt work on 97.You can get last fm and the like but its not the same as hearing an actual station that exists and not a playlist from someones bedroom.The 97 I have found it drops the wlan connection all the time.cant hold onto the 3.5g signal(Im approx 100 meters from the 3 mast!),and phone calls tend to be echoing all the time.None of these problems I get with the 95.The music player also has a glich in it,that it drops out every 1-2 mins for a second.I thought it was the headphones,but alas its not.Apps wise...you can run almost all the same apps on the 95.
On the plus side,the phone feels right if that makes anysense.The keypad is a joy to use even with ham fingers like mine,and the camera/video is eay to use.Unfortuantly as Im locked in a contract,Im stuck with this piece of rubbish until 3 gets rid of all the N97s and I can swap it under warranty for something that actually works.

A review by my girlfriend :
Good points
The predictive text for me is so much easier than other phones. I know this may not be a big thing for most people as they have always used predictive but for me l have never been able to get on with it. With this phone l now use predictive!

Touch screen texting when the phone isnt up is so much easier than any other phone l have seen or tried to touch text on. The 'buttons' are much bigger and hard to make a mistake

The internet runs smoothly on it and l use my wireless internet from home to download and then my umlimited anytime anywhere internet for searching,facebook etc.

It is very easy to go to offline which means people who have a limited internet lower the risk of going over this.

The camera unlike alot of phones l have used and seen takes pictures quickly with no big delay

The themes and ablity to make this phone your own is great, with themes to make it your own colour and the homepage content is amazing. You can go from very few things on your page to your homepage full with all the shortcuts (This can then be 'put to the side' so just the wallpaper and clock is in view.

The amount of memory is amazing and near impossible to use it all!

The camera is (unlike the mini) protected with a slide cover

Keeps open all the things you use until you close it. Like a laptop this phone needs you to actually exit something. For example say you open the web and then just press the menu button to read it text it will still have open the web as it needs to be closed not 'minimized'.

Bad points
Freezing - I have had this phone for 2 days and it has already frozen twice with the only way to sort this was to take the battery out. I think l need to learn myself how much my phone can take as maybe l am expecting it to work to fast and l have to remember this is a phone not a laptop.

i think you either love or hate this phone and l definatly love it

The reason I wanted this phone was because of Skype. Sadly after buying it, I soon realised that Skype was still not available for it.
However I've over come that problem until the official release. The phone is FANTASTIC, it does everything and that little bit more. The applications available that are free are really useful and navigation is super duper, the keypad slide is a bonus for e-mail writers such as myself.
Working for a mobile repair centre, I struggle to see any phone currently available that beats this. The iPhone comes close, but I am somewhat still old fashion and like to press the odd button so this N97 beats the iPhone for me...
For business users I would recommend looking at HTC-XDA or Blackberries but for the Home user I would give this a bash!!