Review: Nokia N97 mini case roundup
The latest roundup in a long series, Steve Litchfield looks at a number of commercial case designs for the Nokia N97 mini? Can any of them please the undisputed case-meister of the Symbian world?
You'll remember that I produced a similar case roundup for the Nokia N97 classic a while ago. The in situ cases obviously won't fit the smaller N97 mini, though the sleeve and pouch designs do work, albeit with a little 'rattling around'.
However, what I'm looking at here are cases designed specifically for the N97 mini. And there's at least one surprise (which I'll save until the end)...
Bugatti Leather Case with Belt Loop
Distributed by AX-ALEX, well known to readers of this site, the Bugatti cases also have a great reputation. This sample is certainly well finished, with a powerful belt clip and a magnetic/press-stud closure that works well. Fit and styling are both superb, but there's a design flaw here that should have been caught by the makers. When actually in-situ on a belt, the bottom of the clip presses slightly through the thin leather back. If the Nokia had straight front or back faces then this wouldn't be a problem. Alas, the N97 mini's bottom ledge 'catches' on the clip intrusion - turn the device round and the bottom stabilising mound catches on the intrusion. Invert the phone and it's the camera mound and top ledge that catch. And so on.
A great case that needs a rigid insert in its back to stop this problem. As it stands, while on the belt it's very tricky indeed to get the N97 mini out.
Protection: 8, Style: 10, Usability: 4. Overall: 22/30
AX-ALEX Leather case
AX-ALEX again, this time with their signature flapped leather case - interestingly, the white version was sent over for review, though I suspect most AAS readers would opt for the black version! It's built like a tank, as usual, arriving in a wax-sealed deluxe box and velvet bag inlay. The belt loop is beautifully low profile and the fit is perfect. The only minor downside here is that gripping the N97 mini to extract it from the case isn't trivial - cutouts along the sides would have aided getting a grip, at the expense of not quite all-round protection.
It's a bulky solution overall, but feels very secure on the hip and will last a lifetime.
Protection: 10, Style: 8, Usability: 7. Overall: 25/30
Nokia CP-390 Carry Pouch
Styled in low profile leather as an in-situ design, the N97 mini is held in place by four thin clamps which fit over the edge of the phone's keyboard. Used in-place, the design works well and the case cover can be folded over and press-studded into place easily and quickly. Thankfully, releasing the clamps is also easy, making removal for battery, SIM or memory card changing quick.
Where the CP-390 falls down is its mounting. A big non-removable stud protrudes from the case's rear, to be matched up to a bulky and stiff belt clip. In practice this means that wrestling your N97 mini from your belt is a tough job, even with two hands. Quick on the draw this 'aint.
Protection: 6, Style: 7, Usability: 3. Overall: 16/30
Proporta Maya case
Is there a phone out there that Proporta's Maya iPhone case doesn't fit? I can't think of many! It also turns out to be just about perfect for casing the N97 mini, a simple padded leather sleeve. Available in other colours, of course.
Protection: 7, Style: 9, Usability: 7. Overall: 23/30
ToughGuard Shell
Supplied as a pair of tough plastic frames, coated in a rubberised finish, the idea here is to clip each to each 'half' of the N97 mini using four sharp little claws. Getting the bottom half on is easy, getting the top half hooked in place was harder. But I got there eventually. Then I needed to swap my memory card out. Umm.... unhooking the bottom half from the shell proved very tricky, I ended up having to prise it off with a sharp jewellers screwdriver - not a good state of affairs when we're taking about a relatively delicate £400 smartphone.
In addition, the most fragile part of the N97 mini - its touchscreen - is the one bit not protected at all by the ToughGuard. A big fat fail on nearly all fronts, I'm afraid.
Protection: 5, Style: 4, Usability: 1. Overall: 10/30
N97 mini Carry Pouch
A no-name, no-frills horizontal belt pouch, this is quite well made, with large front flap including a magnetic closure. The fit is good, too, although there's a design issue here in that the front flap gets in the way when it's time to take the phone out. There's a cutout on the case bottom so that you can push up with your fingers, but you're always battling that big flap, which doesn't seem to be hinged properly and which intrudes into the phone's exit route. The battle is trying to get your fingers in behind it in order to grip the N97 mini properly.
Protection: 9, Style: 8, Usability: 5. Overall: 22/30
PDair Handmade Leather Pouch
And so we come to the surprise - for me, at least: for the first time ever, a horizontally-aligned case has won a round-up! Beautifully crafted in padded leather and tastefully embossed with the PDair logo, there's a very sturdy (yet fairly low profile) belt clip, a magnetic/press-stud closure, a cutout on the bottom for fingers and, crucially, a closing flap that's minimalist (so protection does, admittedly, get lost a little here, compared to the no-name case above) and which gets right out of the way so that you can instantly grip the emerging phone. Good, if not earth shatteringly new, design all round.
Protection: 8, Style: 8, Usability: 10. Overall: 26/30
Congratulations to the PDair team for this product, a deserving winner. And, just behind it in the scoring, is the AX-ALEX in-house Leather Case - just make sure you get the black one, unless you want it to show off at the night club!
Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian, 26 January 2010
Reviewed by Steve Litchfield at