What the Nokia N97 Mini Should've Had

On Technograph, my review of the N97 mini was relatively short, as the phone provides practically the same experience as the N97—with one key shortcoming. To summarize: while the mini has less built-in memory than fits predecessor, it’s better constructed, is more responsive, and easier to type on. And let’s not forget that the N97 mini is cheaper than the original N97, and is more compact.

Unfortunately, the N97 mini’s battery is simply too weak for a high-end phone. It’s nowhere near the hilariously short battery lifespan of the original N95, but the 1200mAh BL-4D simply doesn’t provide enough juice to use the phone for an appreciable amount of time. The N97 mini will require daily recharging, especially for power users. 1200mAh is plenty to be sure, but it seems like the phone is less frugal with power.

This drawback is glaring enough that I’d actually like Nokia to come out with the N97 mini 2 as soon as possible, the top priority of this desired project figuring out how to cram the N97’s 1500mAh BP-4L battery into the mini’s handier form factor—while still keeping the complete feature set that made the N97 a winner in my book, and the slight tweaks that makes the N97 mini better than the original.

As for new N97 mini owners, keep your fingers crossed. Let’s hope this phone reaches critical mass, enough for third-party suppliers or Nokia itself to come out with an extended battery kit, complete with a bulging backplate necessary to cover such a power pack’s necessarily increased thickness.

In any case, the Nokia N97 mini is available from Buy.com and NewEgg.com:

From Buy.Com ($500)

NewEgg.com ($480)