UK mobile phone reviews - Nokia N97 Review

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Reviewer: Hd - London, UK
Date: 20th Aug 2010

The phone isn't bad, I bought the phone on Vodafone for an 18 month contract but the only downside is that phone is a little hard to use but once you get the hang of it then you'll start enjoying this phone.

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Reviewer: David - UK
Date: 19th Jun 2010

Only one more year to go before I can get rid of it, A DIRE phone that crashes, says I have no memory when I have loads, scratchy camera lens NO FREE FLASH or ADOBE, the list goes on & on & on. Like my others I was persuaded by Vodafone that it was better than the iPhone which (for all its faults, no Bluetooth etc) I SO WISH I had taken up.

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Reviewer: Anon - London, UK
Date: 10th Jun 2010

I've always had a few problems with the N97 but more seems to be going wrong with it every day now. When I flip my screen out it would freeze or reboot itself, which can get annoying as I do text & email often. It decides to switch itself off when I am on my contact list, it wouldn't let me add updates onto the phone, my emails won't delete, my pictures on my phone just go missing. The list goes on.

It's such a waste of money, much better off with a BlackBerry!

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Reviewer: Scott - Southampton, UK
Date: 2nd Jun 2010

I have had one of these phones for about 8 months & had been fairly excited about getting it. Initially I was quite impressed. This lasted about a day. I am utterly disgusted in Nokia for releasing such an appalling phone & am finding it difficult to summarise this in this review.

Firstly. The software used in this phone is dreadful. It is old, clunky & not designed to be used with all the applications on the phone. You WILL find it slowing down & freezing frequently for no apparent reason.

The call quality is reasonable but kept dropping out even though I was showing as full bars.

Memory is good for the hard drive but the tiny amount to run the phone is not enough & unless you know how to change locations for some of the software, you will end up with the phone telling you to close applications before you can do something else. This still happens afterwards but not as much & despite the supposedly awesome software upgrade.

I, personally find it very annoying that I have to keep going to a second menu to ensure once I have closed a piece of software it actually closes.

The touch screen is abysmal & I do not understand why Nokia has gone for the TFT rather than the iPod version. It is glitchy, temperamental & annoying. I have an iPod touch & find the screen far more user friendly. Using the touch screen for messages is rubbish & I find myself bringing out the fairly good keyboard to use.

The camera is reasonable for quality & I had no real problems with it.

The GPS is quite good especially with the upgraded ovi maps.

Please do not bother with this phone. Even Nokia have admitted flaws in its release. For a supposed top of the range, Nokia should be ashamed of themselves. I have now gone to a supposedly inferior phone which is working far better. I am stuck on a long term contract with this. Please don't make the same mistake.

For me to EVER use Nokia again they are going to have to get their act in gear.

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Reviewer: Sodge - UK
Date: 16th May 2010

Absolutely rubbish phone. I could write a book on its problems. But to summarise, it freezes, wipes my text & email data, battery dies very quickly, takes ages to connect to facebook, Internet, touch screen is hard work (not sensitive & quick like the iPhone) & scrolling is very difficult. Answering an incoming call is not easy & means I have cut people off.

Do not buy this phone, have now had it 8 months & as I am on a 2 year contract, I am literally counting down the days until I get an iPhone. I have always been a loyal Nokia customer, but this is the end of the road. What an expensive load of rubbish. Ovi apps are rubbish too. Not a patch on Apple.

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Reviewer: Steve Quin - Leeds, UK
Date: 5th Feb 2010

Hi, had N97 for 6 months now & just updated software to V2.1. Has been hard work to get running well (but you get that with new Nokia handsets, & they improve with software updates N95!) Main unsolvable (but manageable) problem is phone memory C, it's too small. However once you get used to phone & set it up properly it works well & gives great variety in use. You can get loads of music & video on the phone which all works well. The screen is great as is QWERTY. The guy who moaned about phone running out of space due to apps & messages should do a little research, you can set your Ovi account to install apps on the 32 gig E drive as you can with your messages (so loads of space there. It's fabulous for web browsing, it works fine for normal phone functions, & now has free sat nav, I use the phone heavily on a daily basis, browsing the web, watch video for half an hour at lunchtime every day, have over 2500 tracks, with album art, installed, & if people do a little research & set it up properly it's a really good phone. At launch it was probably hard work for a novice, but with the latest software improvements & memory management it's a good & versatile smart phone.

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Reviewer: Alan - Hastings, UK
Date: 1st Feb 2010

Great phone, I have had mine for over 2 months now & found it to be great, only a 5MP camera (who needs more unless you are going to create high street placards!) I have an A3 printer & the print quality from the N97 is great. The only problem that I am having is with the compass in maps, I just can't seem to get the compass to turn green! But apart from that everything works & it hasn't crashed yet (fingers crossed). I have downloaded lots of apps from the Ovi store with no problem at all (got them to go to the mass memory, no problem) & as for email etc, no problems! (I receive & send about 30 to 40 a day). So apart from the compass thing, great phone.

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Reviewer: Kashat - Israel
Date: 21st Jan 2010

Hi bought the Nokia N97 back in May 2009. I have been using the phone very intensively, like all my phones. I have been a fervent & loyal Nokia user for the last 15 years. Now that we got the introduction out of the way, here come the disappointments.

- I have had some problems of the outgoing mail server password changing automatically without me wanting or doing this.
- I have a 10 character password for my mails & when sending emails or responding through the N97, it changes it automatically to a 4 character password.
- Even when deleting the whole mailbox & making a brand new one, it has the same problem.
- I haven't had any problems with the phone freezing or being slow at all.
- I do have a problem with the 'voice system error', can't make voice dialling work.

I still use the Nokia N97 today but this is the very last Nokia phone I have ever bought. I like the design, the touch screen, the user friendliness & everything BUT, for someone who spends $700 for a mobile phone in the midst of a world crisis, Nokia should GIVE out Adobe Acrobat reader FOR FREE, not charge them another $15 to activate the program & not give the possibility to remove it from the phone once the 15 days trial period expires.

I have written several emails about it to Nokia Care & never received response whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed from Nokia just because of these cheap tricks. If someone from Nokia reads these reviews, they should consider opening all the small apps they have installed for free on the next software upgrade or at least let the users delete the programs without problems. I have read a lot of blogs about the N97 & 60% of the users have decided the N97 is the last Nokia phone they have bought, just because of the same reason. I think it is funny that the Flagship of Nokia will become the reason they will lose a lot of customers.

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Reviewer: Alistair - Bristol, UK
Date: 6th Jan 2010

The phone looks and feels amazing, the touch screen is delightful, the flip out keyboard is impressive, if a little small for regular full use. That said, everything afterwards is downhill. This is far and away the worst mobile phone I have ever owned! The software is absolutely abysmal! Any apps downloaded from the laughably pathetic Ovi store all get saved to the phones memory instead of the huge 32gb drive, this means that after about 2 apps and 10 texts, it gets full, meaning that the phone wont function, won't allow anymore texts to be received and has cheek not to bother telling. Now, I guess you're thinking "well, install the apps on the 32gb drive", unfortunately for many you can't, unless you're a person who knows his way around mobile phone software. For the average user this is a stupid work around! As has been mentioned, be prepared to constantly switch the phone on and off, take the battery out and replace on a near hourly basis just to get the thing working. Also, be prepared to feel the frustration of trying to get something that should be simple (i.e. setting up the inbuilt email client) to work, getting angry that it doesn't, giving up on the idea, then getting confused when it decides that it will actually work after all months later, then being hurt as just as you start to trust the phone to be able to do the things that you bought it for, it decides to just stop doing what it was that it was doing, just because! It's a simple decision, if you want a phone that looks cool, has apps, wifi and is an iPhone killer, buy an iPhone 3G S!

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Reviewer: Pamela - Bridlington, UK
Date: 19th Nov 2009

Had this phone 2 months now, & love it, I have had no problems with it & although its Vodafone branded, you wouldn't know, its SIM free & runs brilliantly. I

n my opinion, its been my favourite Nokia. The 5800 comes a close second, as its much cheaper but runs pretty much the same.

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Reviewer: Ellis - London, UK
Date: 3rd Nov 2009

I've had the phone a few months now, it is a brilliant phone but it has its bad side!

The phone freezes sometimes, switches itself off & doesn't work sometimes when I try to send messages! I have heard a few people have had the same problems too! But if you want a flash phone, this is the one to get!

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Reviewer: Ollie - UK
Date: 22nd Oct 2009

I saved up months for this phone & it worth it, 100% all across, one of the best phones I have ever had.

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Reviewer: Mandy - UK
Date: 23rd Sep 2009

I have had this phone for three months now & it is absolutely rubbish, this is the worst phone ever. It is very slow, the touch screen take ages to respond if it responds at all, it freezes all the time & to get it working again I have to keep taking the battery out & it also shuts itself down turning the phone off when you are in the middles of a text message, browsing the Internet or listening to music. It takes forever to delete anything & it takes forever to open features especially music & I only have about 400 songs on it, it's supposed to hold up to 8000. I have even sent the phone away for a software upgrade but it's still rubbish unfortunately. I would never recommend this phone to anyone.

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Reviewer: Issac - US
Date: 31st Aug 2009

This phone is good but it freezes a lot so I have to take off the battery to resolve it. The lens cover keep scratching the lens because sliding the cover to take pictures is not very flexible.

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Reviewer: Kayce - Zambia
Date: 29th Aug 2009

Great phone. Another good phone from Nokia. But the camera is not so impressive & the phone is very difficult to use, not so user friendly.

But otherwise it's a good phone.

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Reviewer: Aaron - UK
Date: 24th Aug 2009

Got some cracking A level results so got the parents to buy me N97 as a reward. Super Smartphone, little difficult to use initially, camera spot on & a good reward all in all.

N97 & I off to Uni, happy times.

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Reviewer: Nikhil Tivari - Bangalore, India
Date: 19th Aug 2009

There is still some refining to be done. If you use a Bluetooth headset while driving, the battery goes dead within 4 hours.

Be prepared to restart the phone at least twice a day. The phone goes into a hang mood when you need it the most.

The key guard lock needs to be activated to answer a call. Sometimes it just doesn't open up & we end up having to call back the people trying our number.

Otherwise the handset is good. I am the guinea pig & future buyers may benefit.

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Reviewer: Frazer - UK
Date: 30th Jul 2009

Yes this is the phone of 2009.

A typical N-Series phone, Yes, but improved in all areas.

Many will complain for the sake of complaining, but I have used the N97 for 2 weeks now & have previously used N96 & N82 & the N97 is definitely the phone of the year.

Got together with friends down the local, we compared phones, iPhone 3G s, N97, N96 & Sony Ericsson Experian - no competition.

Go get the N97, better than the BEST.

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Reviewer: Issac - US
Date: 29th Jul 2009

I have gone through two N97 in a month mainly hardware issues. Battery cover will not close firmly by the camera angle because the two small brackets were broken & phone cannot be used while charging it because it will not stay firmly when charging cable is inserted into the phone. I have to spend additional $20 to buy phone lock from OVI store! The only advantage N97 has is the memory so if you don't need lots of memory please check out other phones.

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Reviewer: Sabeel - Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Date: 24th Jul 2009

I have had this phone for a week now & I love it as I can watch you tube, you can browse the Internet fast but make sure that you transfer the installed application from c memory to phone memory just mark all & move to phone memory or memory card.

You can get all the application in OVI store there are free application, you can have yahoo messenger as well, video streaming is good as I watch BBC an some TV channels on my N97, I have a Facebook which I love it & I am on line all the time. Friendly user, camera is good as well.

There are many features. Not compatible to flash player & Divx but you can watch you tube. I love N97.

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Reviewer: Harun - Manchester, UK
Date: 19th Jul 2009

Had it since Friday & it is amazing!

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Reviewer: Ken - UK
Date: 29th Jun 2009

I have had this phone for a week now & I love it as I can watch you tube, you can browse the Internet fast but make sure that you transfer the installed application from c memory to phone memory just mark all & move to phone memory or memory card.

You can get all the application in ovi store there are free application, you can have yahoo messenger as well, video streaming is good as I watch bbc an some tv channels on my N97, I have a facebook which I love it & I am on line all the time. Friendly user, camera is good as well.

There are many features.

Not compatible to flash player & divx but you can watch you tube.

I love N97.

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Reviewer: Dave H - Chester, UK
Date: 23rd Jun 2009

Its almost here! Only time will tell if all the hype was justified.

My only hope it that Nokia have ironed out all bugs before releasing this super phone, unlike so many of the N90 predecessors

I've been waiting for this phone since December, seeing the Nokia promos & various other demos this phone looks the daddy! Who wants an iPhone when you could have one of these!

When I get my hands on one I'll be letting you know how I get on.

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Reviewer: Andrew Shaw - UK
Date: 22nd Jun 2009

I have had my N97 now since Friday & I am loving it. It does the lot & with mail on 3 that pushes my email to my phone so I can then see it with the email widget is brilliant. Not to mention FaceBook being updated without having to enter it.

All I can say is I am simply loving it what mobile phone makers in the future can do to top this I have no idea.

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Reviewer: Sam - Chester, UK
Date: 21st Jun 2009

Received it on Friday, swapping it monday! Very disappointed, mainly because of the interface, maybe Nokia designed it way to early? Going to get the Touch Pro 2 which in my mind blows it out of the water.

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Reviewer: Brian Cummings - US
Date: 19th Jun 2009

How do you give a phone any kind of rating when you haven't used the phone yet? Explain this to me. Wishful thinking? the reviews I've read from people who have actually used the phone haven't been stellar. I give the phone 50's across the board because I am not informed enough to make an intelligent review.

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Reviewer: Issac - US
Date: 6th Jun 2009

So far so good but how come Nokia would not include the ability to lock applications via password protection to discouraged unauthorized user from viewing or modifying contact information or am I missing some prints?

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Reviewer: Harry - UK
Date: 25th May 2009

All cretid to Nokia for making this phone. Excellent features, increadible fast Internet. Blows HTC's push Internet away. Best smart phone designed so far. Does everything you expects it to do & more & it does it superbly. I was looking to buy the HTC Pro 2 but after I tried the prototype of this phone there was no question that this phone is the top in its class.

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Reviewer: Phillip Greene - London, UK
Date: 31st Mar 2009

The Nokia N97, good enough to become phone of the year?

Many people are excited about the upcoming release of the Nokia N97, saying it's the most powerful Nokia phone ever; but is it really good enough to become the phone of the year?

Nokia N97, what makes it so special? the Nokia N97 shocked a great many people when it was announced at the tail-end of 2008, & the main reason for the excitement it's generated is that it's the second mainstream touch screen phone Nokia have ever made (the first being, of course, the 5800). Like the 5800, the Nokia N97 uses the sleek, intuitive Symbian S60 Touch interface, making for a touch screen experience that is both simple, & entertaining. Unlike its predecessor, however, the Nokia N97 also includes a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, so that after you've navigated through the cool menus, actually typing that text message or email is going to easier than ever.

Nokia are billing the N97 as a true mobile multimedia computer, a view backed up by the keyboard & incredible interface. However, the Nokia N97 also has its fair share of features to earn that title. You get a 5 megapixel camera for pin-sharp photos, you get a superb multimedia centre, that makes music & movies so compelling, & best of all, the Nokia N97 has a massive 32Gb of built in memory, in order for you to actually store all your photos, movies & music. You also get HSDPA Internet access, at true broadband speeds, & GPS.

However, as you're about to see, if the questions whether the Nokia N97 is the best phone of the year, Sony Ericsson may have put a fly in the ointment of those aspirations.

Sony Ericsson Idou is the N97's greatest enemy. The Nokia N97 may be the most powerful phone ever made by the Finnish manufacturer, but the fact is that the upcoming Sony Ericsson Idou not only beats it in certain key areas, but absolutely trounces it in one of them. The N97 from Nokia, & the Sony Ericsson Idou both share the Symbian S60 Touch interface, but on the Sony, they've added a custom front-end, that's designed for direct multimedia interaction, combined with luscious, flowing visuals. In terms of the interface, the Sony Ericsson Idou is easily the more visually impressive of the two, & although it lacks a keyboard, it makes up for that shortcoming by being fast, compact & incredibly sleek. &, to top it off, the Sony Ericsson Idou has one feature that the Nokia can't even touch: its camera. There's a simple reason for that, as the Sony Ericsson Idou is the first UK, announced phone to have a 12 megapixel camera. One thing's for sure, though. The fight between these two heavyweights is going to be one worth watching!

Phillip Greene is considered an expert on mobile phones, having worked in the industry for over 7 years.

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Reviewer: Sisco - UK
Date: 16th Mar 2009

Well, well. This is what I've been waiting for! Haven't had a chance to try it but this is the one on my list in June. If you want an 8 megapixel camera, then the Nokia's not for you. But boy are you missing out.

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Reviewer: Jo - London, UK
Date: 20th Feb 2009

It's the best phone so far & I was lucky enough to review the prototype for Nokia! This phone is definitely worth it! It's an iPhone killer. Who cares about it missing 3 more mega pixels it's still a better camera than most. & the reason that it doesn't have 8MP is because it was developed a lot earlier & if you want an 8MP phone then get a Sony Ericsson c905!

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Reviewer: Ahmed - Tanta, Egypt
Date: 1st Jan 2009

Good phone but it is not the best. Will, I was waiting for better camera 8 MegaPixel. But Nokia done the wrong thing.

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Reviewer: Boris - Bunkersville, UK
Date: 11th Dec 2008

I've been lucky enough to have a play with the prototype of this phone last week.

Quite simply put it is awesome!

It probably won't be released until May or June 2009 so the wait is going to kill me!

It's a big phone but the extra bulk is worth it for its vast amount of features. It's a true Swiss army knife of a phone.

I am sure the spec junkies won't be happy with this phone, especially those that think more megapixels equals a better phone.



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