Gallery: Nokia N97 mini

The right hand side of the device houses the volume control, and camera capture keys.

The N97 mini has the same 5 megapixel camera module (with Carl Zeiss Optics) as the N97, but the outer design is significantly different. There's no slide cover and the camera 'bump' is smaller. The N97 mini's camera is recessed, which should offer adequate day to day protection.

On the left hand side of the device you'll find the keylock slider and microUSB port (which, incidentally, is 'upside down' compared to the N97). Metallic bezel, as on the N97, does tend to attract finger prints and grime, more so than the screen in some ways.

One of the most obvious material difference on the N97 mini is found in the back cover. While the N97 has a plastic cover the N97 mini boasts a more attractive and more tactile stainless steel back cover. It also lends an extra boost to the overall feeling of better build quality in the N97 mini compared to its big sister.

The angle of the N97 mini's screen, when the device is open, is about 5 degrees less than on N97. The tilt is still very much in evidence, and this gives the N97 mini a significant advantage compared to flat vertical sliders.

The N97 mini has streamlined packaging made from recycled material. The box itself is significantly smaller than the N97 packaging, which should help cut down the fuel bills when transporting these devices around the world.

In closed mode it resembles any other slate touch phone, but the N97 mini's most impressive trick remains its transformation into keyboard mode.

Trying out the N97 mini in bright outdoor light - screen contrast isn't ideal.

Here you can see the front profile size difference between the two devices. Such images are, once again, rather deceptive. The N97 mini feels significantly smaller in the hand than this image might suggest.

The camera is accompanied by a dual LED flash, which gives decent results if the subject is a few meters away.

This image shows the reflectivity of the screen in bright light. The N97 mini has a standard TFT screen (in contrast to the N97 which has a transflective TFT screen). This means that the N97 mini is slightly brighter than the N97, but isn't quite as good in bright outside light conditions. It is the same technology / screen as found on the Nokia 5800.

Top: 3.5 mm media jack and power button.

The N97 and N97 mini are clearly sister devices. The rest of the images cover some of the external difference, but there are a few important internal differences too. The mini does not have an FM transmitter, and only has 8GB of internal flash memory. On the plus side there's a bigger C: drive at 228 MB (up from around 80 MB).

The difference in size between to two device is not immediately apparent in this image. However this is rather deceptive - not only is the N97 mini physically smaller, there are several design points (beveled edges and redesigned back cover) that make it feel even smaller in the hand.

The N97 mini opened - the keyboard has been rearranged. Incidentally it has the same key layout as the N900. For example the space bar closer to the center.

Rather than a D-Pad on the left hand side of the keyboard, the N97 mini has four directional keys on the right hand side of the keyboard. The home key (placed diagonally, on the upper part of the device) now has a rougher (grippier) feel/texture, which makes it easier to find and less prone to finger slips.

The N97 mini's keys are slightly stiffer, more prominent, and more resistance than the N97 keys. Even with a reduction in overall size there's little to choose between the two keyboards, although in our opinion the mini may have a slight advantage.

The N97 mini has the standard S60 5th Edition software suite, including the Calendar application shown above.

Here's the hinge of the N97 mini. Given the side reduction it is no surprise to find that it is slightly more cramped than the N97.

BL-4D, which has a capacity of 1200 mAh. That's 300 mAh less than the N97. The microSD memory card slot is on the top right of the device and should support cards up to 32GB in size.