On Sunday I was happier than a fat kid in a candy store. I got to spend some hands-on time with the upcoming phones, Nokia N97 and Nokia E75. Those who followed @thenokiablog on Twitter had a preview by viewing the live photos as I played with the gadgets. What’s the verdict? I’m in love with the N97!

Nokia N97

I’ve handled the Nokia N97 before, but it was such a very buggy prototype that I was limited to only playing with the hardware and the main menu. The one I played with on Sunday was still a prototype, but I was able to test out the web browser, video player, camera, and basic typing for messaging.

The hardware was solid as I remembered and the slider was still amazing. Having a physical keyboard/touchscreen combination was great for web browsing. I used the keyboard to type addresses and filled out forms for logins. I used the touchscreen to click on links and scroll through pages. A problem I noticed right away was the long delay in transitioning websites from landscape to portrait mode. Since it was a prototype, I expect it to get better when it comes out.

The Nokia N97 features a 3.5 inch widescreen display that tilts forward when the phone is slid open. This makes it very convenient to leave the phone on a flat surface while watching videos or slideshows. The N97 I played with had a few clips in the gallery. Take a look at the photo below from a clip of the movie, Unleashed. That’s a major difference from the 2.4 inch display on the E75 hiding behind the N97.

The camera software was pretty nifty on the Nokia N97. I loved how easy it was to play around with settings like the white balance, flash, among others using the touch screen. This was faster than going through menus using a d-pad on a non-touch phone. I couldn’t judge the quality of the photos I took and wasn’t allowed to bluetooth the photos over to bring home. I hope they turn out well in the final product.

Nokia E75

It’s really unfair to have these two devices next to each other. To be honest, I only gave the E75 10% of my attention while the 90% went to the N97. I’ll try to spend more time with the Nokia E75 later on, but I have some first impressions.

The Nokia E75 felt like it had too many buttons. I am not a fan of the design. It’s a little ugly in my opinion, especially when it is slid open. It is a thin smartphone, however it felt big in my hands. If I still had the Nokia E71, I wouldn’t replace it with the E75 based solely on the form factor.

Final Thoughts

Nokia N97 will be mine! Check out Omio, one of our sponsors, for Nokia N97 deals.