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In context: Few telephones generated as a lot buzz as 2009’s Nokia N97. In any case, it was the corporate’s first true try at taking a chew out of the rising smartphone market. The quirky slider packed a touchscreen, a full QWERTY keyboard, and “cutting-edge” options like 32GB storage and a 5MP digital camera. Whereas it by no means fairly achieved a smash hit standing, it continues to carry a cult following.
Quick ahead to right now, and a gaming firm is making an attempt to rekindle that Nokia nostalgia with a brand new handheld console. Sugar Cubes has simply launched the N97 Elite, and yeah, it shares loads of vibes with the unique N97 – solely this time, it is designed for transportable gaming.
The sliding mechanism is the star of the present right here. Identical to the unique N97, the Elite’s 4.7-inch show can slide upwards, tilting the display screen for a greater viewing angle. However as an alternative of unveiling a bodily keyboard beneath, you get a controller structure with a D-pad and buttons. No analog sticks although, which is a little bit of a bummer.
Whereas Sugar Cubes clearly selected the N97 namesake as a nod to the sliding mechanism, we might argue that the show up high truly resembles the Nokia Lumia 920 extra.
The specs even have a little bit of a retro vibe, because of the Snapdragon 855+ chip from 2019 below the hood. Clearly, it is not a powerhouse, however contemplating it was a flagship processor with a extremely succesful GPU in its heyday, it ought to nonetheless have sufficient muscle to run traditional emulators and even some comparatively demanding trendy video games.
Impressively, the chip is paired with a hefty 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Sugar Cubes has been teasing prototypes of the N97 Elite on Chinese language social media for months. And in case you’re in China, you may truly purchase it proper now for CNY 1,499 (round $205 USD). It even is available in some slick particular version Gundam and Dragon Ball designs for anime followers.
That stated, there is a catch – early reviews haven’t been sort. So until you are completely in love with that N97 styling, this is perhaps one to keep away from primarily based on the unfavourable suggestions up to now.
In a means, it is nearly poetic, contemplating the N97 Elite is a microcosm of what occurred with the unique Nokia N97 over a decade in the past. That cellphone generated large hype as considered one of Nokia’s first critical touchscreen smartphone efforts. However sadly, its resistive touchscreen, sluggish Symbian OS, and general efficiency left rather a lot to be desired.
As slicker iPhones and Android gadgets emerged, the N97’s flaws grew to become too evident to miss. It marked the start of Nokia’s downward spiral in cell, as the corporate struggled to maintain up with the competitors.
Picture credit score: NITTRX
