Review: Casing the Nokia N97: review round-up
In another of our periodic case roundups, Steve Litchfield explores some of the most common options for the Nokia N97...
As you might expect, the cantilevered keyboard on the Nokia N97 adds its own twist (ahem, its own slide) on the concept of casing the device, as you'll see below. Plus there are the usual sleeve/holster designs. If you have a favourite N97 case that's not featured here, then please drop me a line at slitchfield@gmail.com and I'll see if I can get a sample in here for review.
Krusell Orbit Flex with Multidapt
I'm convinced that Krusell's case designers don't actually work from real phones - they create balsa wood mockups and then create cases to fit these. Trying to fit the Orbit Flex onto the N97 is an exercise in frustration, since the fit is very, very tight. And even once installed, it still doesn't seem as if it fits properly - the 3.5mm audio jack is partially obscured and the design of the case side ridge means that it's hard to get to the N97's keylock switch. But the overall design is flawed in a more major way, with a reliance on covering the qwerty keyboard with a layer of thick transparent plastic. When the aforementioned keyboard is itself right on the edge of usability, in terms of mechanical feedback, adding this plastic makes using the N97's keyboard a really, really horrible experience. There's got to be a better way.... Overall build quality of the case is otherwise good enough, though the swivelling belt clip was bulky and rather ugly.
Style: 6 Protection: 7 Usability: 3 Total: 16
Tuff Luv Leather
Designed along similar lines to the Krusell Orbit case above but with lower grade leather, the Tuff Luv improves slightly by being a better fit - it's much easier to get the N97 in and out when needed, the 3.5mm jack is clear and you can get to the keylock switch. However, the sheet of plastic over the keyboard again ruins the whole experience the moment you slide the keyboard open, there's simply way too little feedback. It's partly the N97's fault, of course, but in my view it means that case designers should just not go down this route at all, for this particular device. Again there's a swivelling belt clip that's bulbous and ugly, this time with the added twist (ha!) that if you swivel the case in one direction, the clip can unscrew from the case, rather unfortunately. So, better overall than the appalling Krusell effort, but still very undesirable.
Style: 5 Protection: 7 Usability: 5 Total: 17
Noreve N97 Tradition
Now this is more like it. Taking the same concept as the previous two cases, but engineering things to eliminate the plastic keyboard cover, the Noreve case takes thing to a whole new level of usability. The leather is gorgeous, the fit is perfect, the cutouts immaculate, right down to those for the 3.5mm jack, microphone and main earpiece (though I'm not sure of the point of the latter, given that the case has to be opened to take a call etc). Even the supplied swivelling belt clip works well and is about as slim as it's possible to get. Full marks in all these departments. The 'claws' at the two front corners help hold the N97 in place when the device is 'closed' and work well. In 'open' mode they don't do the same job and slightly get in the way of your two thumbs - more worryingly, without their restraint, it's easy for the N97 to fall out of the case if you're prone to waving it around when open. Normally, your stance and two thumbs will suffice to keep it in place though, I'm being picky here. Using the camera is a little fiddly, in that you have to hold the main case flap out of the way with your right hand, though you do get used to it. Oh, and don't get hung up on the colour, by the way, this striking red is just one of a dozen options.
Style: 9 Protection: 7 Usability: 8 Total: 24
Nokia N97 Carry Case CP-382
The official Nokia solution, and extremely minimalist. Still, it's cheap. Envisioned as a simple pouch, it's nicely and stylishly finished in textured leather. There's even a small hole for you to 'attach your stylus' (eh? What?). There's a huge problem here though, in that the CP-382 just doesn't fit. I don't want to have to pile drive my delicate N97 into a sleeve this tight. Despite assurances that it will 'loosen up', and despite trying to stretch the material by hand, it's still far too tight a fit on my N97 and I struggle to get the device out again each time. The front and back 'slits' are purely cosmetic, by the way - I'd been hoping that they contained an elastic component to help the case stretch.... There's also no belt loop of any kind. So.... simple but unuseable, in my opinion.
Style: 6 Protection: 7 Usability: 1 Total: 14
Proporta Maya II (iPhone case)
Intended principally for the Apple iPhone, the Proporta Maya II is also a 100% perfect fit for the Nokia N97, curiously enough, as shown here. Made in an 'alternative' to leather and padded, the Maya case fits like a glove and provides basic in-pocket protection. The top is nicely open for you to plug in headphones for music, obviously, this being a pouch design rather than an in-situ one. Extracting the N97 is easy enough, since the case is soft enough at the bottom to be able to 'squeeze' gently with one hand while extracting the device with the other. There's no belt loop, but there is a lanyard mounting on the back, so you could hang this around your neck, I guess. As with the Noreve case, there are a variety of colours and designs to choose from.
Style: 6 Protection: 6 Usability: 8 Total: 20
Noreve N97 Tradition C
Despite the similar name, the 'C' case is a very different design to the case above. This is a well-crafted sleeve design and fits perfectly. All four sides are fairly solid and provide good protection and the N97 is easy to remove because of the side panels, which have cutouts at top and bottom. Interestingly, there's (again) a stylus hold built-in - I thought we'd seen the back of stylii with the advent of finger-friendly touch interfaces? Unused, the empty silo does look a little strange.
Style: 7 Protection: 8 Usability: 8 Total: 23
AX-ALEX Leather Case for Nokia N97
The ultimate in belt case protection for any phone, this case generally follows the AX-ALEX style: thick leather, quality stitching, tight-integrated belt loop to keep the phone snug at your side and a simple flap closure so that there's nothing to break, mechanically. So far so good, but one problem with pouch cases is that it's sometimes hard to 'pinch' the phone out of the opening without risking dropping it. AX-ALEX has solved the problem with a hinged leather strap that sits inside the case and which 'lifts' the phone by 3cm or so when you open the main flap, making it far easier to grab. It's a simple system and implemented superbly. (Incidentally, the review case was sent with an apology that it's only a prototype - I'm tempted to say that AX-ALEX's prototypes are better built than many companies' production accessories...)
If you hate belt cases then you'll hate this. If, like me, you love having your smartphone on-the-hip for much of the year and don't care too much about the physical size, then this is THE design to go for. Really.
AX-ALEX main web site (note that this N97 case's product page hasn't gone up at the time of writing and note that the intention is apparently to also offer a white leather version)
Style: 6 Protection: 9 Usability: 9 Total: 24
Krusell LUNA Large
When Krusell go simple they often seem to do better than when they go complex... Their simple LUNA Large case is a good example, being almost perfect for the Nokia N97. As with the Maya case above, it's padded, and it's real leather this time, plus stylish metal badge on the front. There's a lanyard hook on the back, plus a metal belt hook to go with it if needed, but no belt loop, sadly. As with the Maya case, there's a range of colours to choose from. The fit is a little tight, but on the other hand the phone's not going to fall out by mistake. Again, squeezing gently from the bottom aids removal of the phone.
Style: 7 Protection: 7 Usability: 7 Total: 21
Proporta Alu-Leather Edge case
Sumptuously finished in leather, this is a padded metal shell in which the N97 is cradled. The feel in the hand is sublime, with cutouts for everything you might want in daily life and with aluminium protection of screen and steel protection of the rear of the phone. Laid down on the desk in opened mode, the padded finish gives extra grip too and adds to the N97 'experience'. The magic of retention happens thanks to the system of six padded metal claws that grip the N97's base. Three of them extend far enough to provide plastic 'hooks' over the edge of the base, providing a very secure hold and making sure that there's simply no way your phone will go flying.
But - and isn't there always a 'but'? - the closure of the Edge case is by using a sprung aluminium claw. While secure enough, you have to use significant force to release its hold on your N97's top - simply trying to slide it over the top results in a lot of one-sided stress being placed on the N97's screen hinge and I, for one, was worried that something might break. I was also a little concerned about how tricky it is to get the N97 out of the case - those strong little claws don't give up the phone easily and getting the N97 out requires a certain knack! Still, as long as you don't need to swap batteries or SIM cards, simply leaving the N97 in situ most of the time may not be a problem for you.
There's also no belt mounting option, though understandable given the nature of the case.
Style: 8 Protection: 9 Usability: 6 Total: 23
Summary
Case reviews are always a little artificial, in terms of scores, because there's a huge degree of personal preference. For example, business types will scoff at anyone with a belt holster, while sports types will point out the practicality of the idea of something that's always to hand, without worrying about 'leaving your phone in the wrong garment's pockets'.
Looking at the scores, things are even closer:
24 points: AX-ALEX Leather Case (belt-mounted pouch/holster)
24 points: Noreve Tradition (in-situ design, with optional belt clip/swivel)
23 points: Noreve Tradition C (pouch)
23 points: Proporta Alu-Leather Edge (in-situ design)
In short, there's little to choose in terms of overall score between, essentially, four different form factors/use cases. So you simply ask yourself whether you want to use the Nokia N97 in a case or pick it out from one. And then you decide whether you need the result to be belt-mounted or simply pocketed. The case to go for is then hopefully obvious!
Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian, 29th September 2009
Reviewed by Steve Litchfield at