GSMArena and All About Symbian liked the more compact body, steel rear cover and improved physical keyboard, while criticising the inconsistent touch interface and video quality. AAS also criticised the limited RAM. Both found useful still-camera detail, but GSMArena reported warm colour and clipped highlights; AAS highlighted flare from the exposed camera glass. Their display and GPS findings differed: GSMArena found excellent sunlight legibility and an eight-to-ten-minute standalone GPS cold start, while AAS found the screen harder to read outdoors than N97 and praised GPS sensitivity. GSMArena reported responsive operation, though theme transitions could lag. AAS preferred the larger system partition and revised keyboard but did not consider it a compelling replacement for an N97 already updated and repaired. Both praised headphone audio; AAS criticised the treble-heavy built-in speakers.
3.2-inch TFT LCD, 640 × 360, up to 16 million colours; resistive touchscreen. No maker refresh-rate or brightness figure published.
Performance
Chip
ARM11 434 MHz (GSMArena)
Memory
128 MB
Storage
8 GB
Memory
8 GB on-board mass storage from maker sheet. 128 MB installed RAM and 434 MHz ARM11 processor from GSMArena’s full production review. All About Symbian distinguishes the larger C: system flash partition from RAM and mass storage; its reported extra 256 MB of system flash is not additional RAM.
Storage type
microSD expansion up to 16 GB from maker sheet. Up-to-24 GB marketing capacity includes an optional memory card, not 24 GB built-in storage. Slot behind removable rear cover.
Cameras
Main camera
5 MP
Ultra wide camera
None
Telephoto camera
None
Optical zoom
None
Main camera
5 MP autofocus Carl Zeiss Tessar, F2.8, physical focal length 5.4 mm, dual LED flash/video light; no sliding lens cover. Maker launch sheet gives 2584 × 1938 still matrix, while exact issue 1.0 owner guide and GSMArena specify 2592 × 1944; source difference retained.
Front camera
Front video-call camera confirmed by exact owner guide and production review; no megapixel value inferred.
Video recording
Maker sheet: MPEG-4 VGA 640 × 480 at up to 30 fps. GSMArena also tests nHD 640 × 360 at 30 fps. All About Symbian distinguishes its widescreen default from full VGA; no HD recording claimed.
Camera features
Two-stage capture key, autofocus, geotagging, scene settings, white balance, ISO and exposure compensation. No optical zoom or transferred N86 mechanical-shutter/variable-aperture claim.
Battery and charging
Battery
1,200 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)
Up to 3.5 hours
Wireless charging
None
Battery life detail
Removable BL-4D, 1200 mAh. Maker sheet and exact guide specify up to 240 minutes WCDMA or 430 minutes GSM talk; up to 310 hours WCDMA or 320 hours GSM standby. Up to 210 minutes nHD 30 fps offline video or 28 hours offline music. GSMArena’s 6-hour UMTS talk claim differs from maker’s 240 minutes; headline/details retain maker figures.
Wired charging
Micro-USB charging and simultaneous data transfer confirmed by issue 1.0 guide. No maker charging wattage published.
Design
Type
Standard
Weight
138 g
Thickness
14.2 mm
Height × width
113 × 52.5 mm
Weight detail
Maker body dimensions 113 × 52.5 × 14.2 mm; camera area reaches 16.4 mm. Headline thickness retains main body value. 138 g maker weight.
Buttons
Three-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard with four directional arrow keys rather than original N97’s D-pad. Physical menu, capture, volume and power keys, touch call/end controls and lock slider. No stylus included in GSMArena’s tested retail package.
Speakers
Built-in stereo speakers and FM receiver with RDS; compatible wired headset acts as the radio aerial. No FM transmitter, confirmed by both full reviews.
Software
Operating system
Symbian
Software features
Symbian OS 9.4/S60 5th Edition with homescreen widgets, kinetic scrolling and original Ovi services. Supplied Quickoffice is a viewer; editing/upgrades and original PDF trial conditions vary by software package. No current availability of original app-store/services assumed.
Release detail
Announced 2 September 2009 as a smaller companion to N97, with October shipping planned. Maker 28 October article says it reaches worldwide shelves that week and directs readers to shops; October retained without inventing an exact worldwide day. No explicit maker predecessor wording, so no direct replaces link.
Connectivity
Mobile network
Maker sheet: WCDMA 900/1900/2100 with HSDPA, EGSM 850/900/1800/1900. European RM-555 identified by exact owner guide. GSMArena’s connectivity paragraph incorrectly calls 3G quad-band; its opening table and maker sheet list three WCDMA bands.
Wi-Fi
IEEE 802.11b/g without UPnP support, explicitly stated by maker launch sheet. GSMArena’s connectivity paragraph claims UPnP, so that conflicting secondary claim is not transferred to the headline.
Micro-USB Hi-Speed USB 2.0 data/charging and 3.5 mm stereo Nokia AV socket with PAL/NTSC TV-out support.
Positioning
GPS, assisted GPS and electronic compass; original Ovi Maps supports walking/driving navigation. Launch services and licences may require purchase or upgrade; GSMArena’s test has a region-dependent ten-day voice-navigation trial. Historical services are not promised usable today.
Storage options
Storage
8 GB
Pros and cons
Pros
+Tilting touchscreen and physical QWERTY keyboard
+8 GB storage with microSD expansion
+GPS, digital compass and 3.5 mm audio/TV output
Cons
−No HD video recording
−No FM transmitter or camera lens cover
−Supplied office software views documents without editing
