The legendary Nokia N97 is revived, but not as a smartphone

The Nokia N97 was Nokia's first attempt to capture the emerging smartphone market. This unique slider phone featured a touchscreen, a full QWERTY keyboard, 32GB of internal memory, and a 5MP camera. Although it was not as successful as expected, the Nokia N97 still has a loyal fan base.

To help people reminisce, a gaming company called Sugar Cubes is trying to rekindle the nostalgia of the Nokia N97 with a new product called the N97 Elite. This handheld gaming console has many similarities to the original N97 but is designed specifically for gaming. The N97 Elite's slider mechanism is the highlight, with a 4.7-inch screen that can slide up for a better viewing angle. However, instead of a physical keyboard, users will find a controller layout with a D-pad and buttons, sadly there are no analog sticks.

Although Sugar Cubes chose the name N97 to recall the sliding mechanism of the Nokia N97, the display of the N97 Elite has more similarities with the Nokia Lumia 920.

Technically, the product is equipped with a Snapdragon 855+ chip from 2019, which is no longer a powerful machine but still powerful enough to run classic emulators and some modern games. The N97 Elite is equipped with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal memory, providing a smooth user experience.

Sugar Cubes has been teasing the N97 Elite prototype on Chinese social media for months now, and consumers in China can now purchase the device for 1,499 CNY (about 5.25 million VND), along with some special Gundam and Dragon Ball-themed versions for anime fans.

However, it should be noted that initial reviews of the N97 Elite have not been very positive, so if you are not a big fan of the N97 design, you may want to think twice before buying this product.

The Nokia N97 was considered one of Nokia's first attempts at a touchscreen smartphone. However, with its resistive touchscreen, slow Symbian OS, and disappointing performance, the N97 failed to compete with modern iPhones and Android devices. This marked the beginning of Nokia's decline in the mobile industry as the company struggled to keep up with its competitors.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 18 February 2025