Nokia has long slapped our wrist for not calling its phones 'multimedia computers', but for the N97 we might actually oblige. As you can see, the screen slides out above the QWERTY keyboard (early verdict: very nice) at such an angle that it morphs into a mini laptop.
The N97's other big claim to fame is that it's the first N Series (and only the second Nokia phone) with a touchscreen. Thankfully, our early play suggests that this is much more responsive than the 5800 XpressMusic's smaller display, which wasn't always in the mood to respond to our prods.
As Nokia's flagship phone, the N97 has a mighty long specs list too. Here's a quick recap: 32GB internal memory (plus microSD slot), 5MP camera (with autofocus, dual LED flash and geotagging), HSDPA, GPS (with digital compass) and a web browser with flash support. The only thing that seems to be missing is an FM radio.
We've posted some comparison shots with its closest rivals, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and T-Mobile G1, below – we'll let you know how it fares against them in a full review very soon.
Nokia N97 (top) vs Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (middle) vs T-Mobile G1 (bottom)
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (left) vs Nokia N97 (right)
Nokia N97 vs Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (middle) vs T-Mobile G1 (right)
