Nokia N97 Mini Review – Not very mini at all

As we have seen and heard from the  other blogs like engadget and GsmArena, the N97 Mini turns  out not very different from the Nokia N97, it cant even be termed as a mini interms of its dimensions. Maybe we can call it N97 8GB version and the original N97 as N97 32 GB version, just the way Nokia called the N95 and N95 8GB.

It is kind of disappointing to see the supposed to be mini version, not making much changes in looks. But the cost of the N97 mini is expected to be less than the original N97 and hence allowing more users to enjoy the product.

Nokia N97 mini black slided out keyboard
Nokia N97 mini black slided out keyboard

We observed three primary differences between N97 and N97 mini they are

* N97 Mini has 8GB inbuilt memory against N97’s 32 GB.

* N97 Mini has a smaller battery and hence less talk time and standby by 20%

* N97 Mini has lost few mm in width and thickness. Below is comparison of N97 and N97 Mini in terms of dimensions.

Nokia N97 mini black  Front view - Home screen
Nokia N97 mini black Front view - Home screen

Nokia N97 mini – 113 x 52.5 x14.2 mm
Nokia N97 – 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 (18.2 max) mm
Apple Iphone 3Gs -115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
Nokia X6 – 111 x 51 x 13.8 mm

Below is the video of N97 Mini intro

Nokia’s Slim Music Phone – Nokia X6 Review

Nokia today announced two cool Music phones one a slider keypad phone and other a full Touch screen Phone. The X3 is expected to be priced at around 200$ and Nokia X6 to be retailed around 700$ USD. The phones will be available in Europe and Asia. Now lets take a closer look at the Nokia X6 which promises cutting edge features in a slim package, a real competitor to Apple Iphone 3Gs.

The new X6 boasts of Full body Capacitive (Multi Touch capable – first phone from Nokia) touch screen with a 3.2″ wide screen at 640×360 (nHD), 5MP Camera , 32GB of internal memory,A-GPS,Accelerometer,S60 V5 feature Pack 2, Wide Screen Aspect Ratio(16:9),Desktop Page capable internet browser,Flashlite,On-board video editing and much more. Definitely the phone is a power packed one and without the keypad of N97, it also is slimmer and less bulkier than N97. To compare this phone with Nokia 5800 will not be fair as the price is almost similar to N97.

Nokia X6  Blue & white - Slim and stunning Touch screen phone
Nokia X6 Blue & white - Slim and stunning Touch screen phone

Lets have a look at the dimensions of X3 and X6 compared with other top phones.

Comparision of X6 with N97,iphone,Nokia 5800 in terms of dimensions. Lenght x Width x Thickness

Nokia X6 – 111 x 51 x 13.8 mm
Nokia X3 – 96 x 49 x 14 (Not a touch screen) mm
Nokia N97 – 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 (18.2 max) mm
Iphone 3Gs -115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
Nokia E71 – 114 x 57 x 10 mm
Nokia 5800 – 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm
Nokia 5530 – 104 x 49 x13 mm
Nokia N97 mini – 113 x 52.5 x14.2 mm

Definitely the Nokia X6 is occupying less space compared to both Apple iPhone ,N97 and Nokia N97 mini.

One sad point is the phone doesnt have an upgraded processor it still uses ARM 11 434 MHz processor and 128MB RAM as in the case of N97. Though this processor and memory is more than enough to handle the OS still an upgrade would have been much better.

Nokia X6 Black & Red - Best Touch screen phone
Nokia X6 Black & Red - Best Touch screen phone

The phone definitely looks cooler than the current crop of phones including Samsung and LG models and all with a powerful OS and a huge collection of Apps. But the pricing wont excite many but then compared to a unlocked Apple iPhone this is definitely a better deal.

Nokia X6 in landscape mode
Nokia X6 in landscape mode
Nokia X6 back view
Nokia X6 back view

Full Specifications of Nokia X6

Physical features, power and memory
Size
Form: Classic with finger-operated touch screen user interface
Dimensions: 111.0 x 51.0 x 13.8 mm
Weight: 122 g

Display and 3D
Size: 3.2″
Resolution: 640 x 360 pixels (nHD)
Up to 16.7 million colours
Automatic orientation sensor (Accelerometer) for display rotation
16:9 widescreen aspect ratio

Keys and input method
Finger-operated touch screen for text input and user interface control (alphanumeric keypad, full and mini QWERTY keyboard, handwriting recognition, full screen handwriting for Chinese language)
Dedicated Media Bar touch key for access to music, gallery, share online, Video Centre and web browser
Voice commands
Physical keys for application launch (menu key), send and end, power, camera, lock, volume up and down
Dedicated personal Contacts Bar touch key for direct access to contacts, feeds and status updates

Colours and covers
Available in-box colours:
– White/Blue
– Black/Red

Connectors
Micro USB connector for USB 2.0 High Speed to PC
3.5 mm Nokia AV connector for audio and TV-out
Small DC jack

Memory
32 GB internal memory

Power
BL-5J 1320 mAh Li-Ion standard battery
Talk time (maximum):
– GSM 8 h 30 min
– WCDMA 6 h
Standby time (maximum):
– GSM 401 h
– WCDMA 420 h
Video playback time (maximum): H51nHD 25 fps up to 3 h 36 min
Video recording time (maximum): 3 h 30 min
Video call time (maximum): 3 h
Music playback time (maximum): 35 h

Communication and navigation
Operating frequency
WCDMA 900/1900/2100, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 (Latin America and Brazil variant only)
WCDMA 900/1900/2100, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, 2G QB (China variant)
Automatic switching between GSM bands
Flight mode

Data network
CSD
HSCSD
GPRS/EDGE class A, multislot class 11, with similtaneous voice and packet data mode support
GPRS/EDGE class B, multislot class 32
WCDMA 2100/1900 with similtaneous voice and packet data mode support
HSDPA cat 6, maximum speed 3.6 Mbps (DL)
WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g
TCP/IP support

Local connectivity and synchronisation
Bluetooth version 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
MTP (Mobile Transfer Protocol) support
TV out (PAL)
Support for PC synchronisation with Nokia Ovi Suite

Call features
Integrated hands-free speakerphone
Number screening for messaging and calls
Automatic answer with headset or car kit
Any key answer
Call waiting, call hold, call divert
Call timer
Logging of dialled, received and missed calls
Automatic redial
Speed dialling
Speaker-independent name dialling (SIND)
Fixed dialling number support
Vibrating alert (internal)
Side volume keys
Mute/unmute
Contacts Bar for 20 contacts with images and comminication history (SMS, calls, instant messaging, email, web feeds)
Talking ring tones
Conference calling with up to 6 participants
Video calling: up to 176 x 144 pixels, low up to 5 fps, normal up to 10 fps, smooth up to 15 fps

Messaging
SMS with support for concatenated SMS for long messages
Multiple SMS deletion
MMS version 13, message size up to 600 kb
Automatic resizing of images for MMS
Nokia Xpress audio messaging
Common inbox for SMS and MMS messages
Number screening for messaging
Distribution lists for messaging
Instant messaging client
Cell broadcast

E-mail
Supported protocols: IMAP, POP, SMTP
Support for email attachments
OMA email notification support
Nokia Email
Mail for Exchange*
* Some services may be available only by downloading or upgrading. Only devices that offer compatible multimedia message or e-mail features can receive and display multimedia messages. Content appearance may vary. Some images and ring tones can not be forwarded.

Web browsing
Supported mark-up languages: HTML, XHTML, WML
Supported protocols: HTTP, WAP, JavaScript
TCP/IP support
OSS web browser
Nokia Mobile Search

GPS and navigation
Integrated A-GPS
Ovi Maps 3.0

Image and sound
Photography
5.0 megapixel AF camera (2592 x 1944 pixels)
Image formats: JPEG/EXIF
Carl Zeiss optics
4x digital zoom
Autofocus
Dual LED flash
Flash modes: On, off, automatic, red-eye reduction
White balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Centre weighted auto exposure; exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step
Capture modes: still, sequence, self-timer, video
Scene modes: automatic, manual, portrait, landscape, night, night portrait
Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, vivid, negative
Dedicated camera key
Landscape (horizontal) orientation
Image editor on device
Direct printing to compatible picture printers
TV out (PAL)

Video
Main camera
– Video recording at up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps (TV quality), up to 640 x 352 pixels and up to 30 fps (widescreen quality), up to 320 x 240 pixels and up to 30 fps/15 fps (email high/normal quality), up to 176 x 144 and up to 15 fps (sharing quality)
– Up to 4x digital video zoom
Front camera
– Video recording at up to 176 x 144 pixels, low up to 5 fps, normal up to 10 fps, smooth up to 15 fps
Video recording file formats: MP4, 3GP
Audio recording formats: WAV (normal), AMR (MMS), AAC/MP4 (high quality)
Video white balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Scene modes: automatic, night
Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, vivid, negative
Clip length (maximum): 1 h 30 min (high or normal quality). Depending on available memory
RealPlayer
Video playback file formats: MPEG4-SP playback 30 fps VGA, MPEG4-AVC playback 30 fps QVGA, WMV9 playback 30 fps QVGA, MPEG4-SP playback 30 fps nHD
Video streaming: 3GPP, CIF
Landscape mode video playback
Video calling: up to 176 x 144 pixels, low up to 5 fps, normal up to 10 fps, smooth up to 15 fps
TV out (PAL)
Video editor on device
Video Centre service supported: download and stream video content, WMV support, video feeds

Music and audio playback
Nokia Nseries digital music player
– Playlists
– 8-band graphical equaliser
– Selection by artist, composers, album and genre
– Album graphics display
– Bass booster, stereo widening, loudness
Music playback file formats: mp3, SPMidi, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA
Dedicated volume keys and immediate access to the Music Player from the Media Bar
Stereo FM radio
3.5 mm Nokia AV connector
Nokia Music
Nokia Music Store support
Nokia Podcasting support
Ring tones: 3D stereo ring tones, 64-tone polyphonic, mp3 & video ring tones (3 videos and 9 mp3 songs built-in)
Integrated 3D sound effect stereo speakers (dedicated audio chip for crystal clear hi-fi sound quality)

Voice and audio recording
Voice commands
Speaker-independent name dialling (SIND)
Voice recorder
Audio recording formats: AMR, NB-AMR, FR, EFR
Digital stereo microphone

Personalisation: profiles, themes, ring tones
Customisable profiles
Ring tones: 3D stereo ring tones, 64-tone polyphonic, mp3 & video ring tones

Software
Software platform and user interface
S60 5th Edition
Symbian OS version 9.4
Active standby
Media Bar
Contacts Bar

Personal information management (PIM): contacts, clock, calendar etc.
Support for assigning images to contacts
Support for contact groups
Clock: analog, digital, world clock
Alarm clock
Reminders
Calculator
Calendar with week and month view
Converter
Notes
To-do list

Applications
Java™ MIDP 2.0
Flash Lite 3.0
Contacts on Ovi
OSS web browser
Switch, Say and Play
Shazam
Aircasting
Pic2Themes
Nokia Music Store
Ovi Maps 3.0
Map loader
Nokia Ovi Suite
Download!
Settings Wizard
Image editor
Video editor
Nokia Video Centre
Share on Ovi
Adding more applications:
– Over-the-air (OTA) downloads

Gaming
Included games:
– Spore
– D Mix Tour
– Asphalt4

Sales package contents
Nokia X6
Nokia Battery (BL-5J)
Nokia High Efficiency Charger (AC-8)
Nokia Connectivity Cable (CA-101)
Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-500)
User Guide
Mini DVD
Comes With Music leaflet
Accessories
Recommended accessories
Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905
Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-504
Nokia Mini Speakers MD-9

Compatible car solutions
Nokia Car Kit CK-100