Head To Head Review: Touch Pro 2 Versus Nokia N97
By Simon Sage on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 4:39 PM PST In Devices, HTC, Haptic feedback, Hottest Hardware, NSeries, New Hardware, Nokia, Reviews, Rumors, Symbian, Windows Mobile
Hardware
Construction – Decision: Nokia
HTC Touch Pro2 (Will’s take)
The HTC Touch Pro2 feels as solid as it looks. True, the Pro2 may look like a “brick,” but it also feels just as solid. One place that many smartphones, nay, mobile phones skimp is the quality of the battery cover/door. Many battery covers tend to feel flimsy and hollow, but the Touch Pro2’s battery door is as solid as they come.
Overall build quality is superb. My somewhat obsessive “rattle test” showed that the Pro2’s fit and material quality is top-notch. There’s a slight rattle when tapping the upper backside of the device, but I’ll give HTC a pass on that one. Even Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s iPhone 3GS yielded some annoying rattles during my “rattle test.” Given Apple’s reputation for building seriously solid hardware, the fact that the iPhone 3GS rattles just as badly as the HTC Touch Pro2 (with far more moving parts) should be a testament to the Pro2’s build quality.
The Pro2’s slide-and-tilt mechanism is fun to use, if a bit loose-feeling. Simon mentions that he played with the slide mechanism for several minutes before even powering on the N97 – I did the same with the Pro2. The N97’s tilt mechanism struck me as a little flimsy, but Simon is convinced that it is actually quite solid. The Touch Pro2, on the other hand, initially feels more solid than the N97, but has proven to be more wobbly when in the tilt-up position. The hinge mechanism appears to be some sort of friction hinge. It employs tiny powerful magnets to secure the screen in the non-tilted (flat) position, relying on friction to keep maintain the tilt angle. Unfortunately, when you tilt the screen all the way up, there’s a bit of wobble/play that annoys obsessive types like myself. If niggling problems like this don’t bother you, just ignore this paragraph.
Nokia N97 (Simon’s take)
One of my first thoughts when taking the N97 out of the box was that the battery door felt super cheap – mainly because it sounded hollow, but something about the texture felt off, too. Regardless, that issue quickly dissolved after playing around on the N97 for awhile. The proper chrome bezel on the front face is a great addition for both style and durability. The silver paint job around the rim of BlackBerrys I’ve used in the past always felt a bit phoney.
One of my favorite things about the N97 was the slide action. It opens smoothly and locks into its 35° angle solidly. When checking out the mechanism from the side, it does seem a little flimsy, with only three supports a couple millimeters wide and a circuit ribbon keeping the two parts connected, but you get no sense of fragility from actually opening and closing it. I spent a good ten minutes just flipping it back and forth before even turning the N97 on. Versus the Touch Pro 2, I didn’t find the flip remotely wobbly, even after a good two weeks of use.
Aesthetics/Ergonomics – Decision: HTC
HTC Touch Pro2 (Will’s take)
The Pro2 looks classy and refined, owing to HTC’s years of experience in the Windows Mobile smartphone segment. The large 3.6-inch touchscreen dominates the front face of the device, which is framed by a metallic bezel. I love that look. The all-screen look is the “hotness” right now, and the Pro2 is all about matching beauty with brains. Navigation buttons line the lower face of the device.
The Pro2 sports clean, curved lines. You won’t find any harsh angles or sharp edges on the HTC Touch Pro2. That may or may not fit your style, but it certainly makes for a quality-looking smartphone. Unfortunately, that also means the buttons are nearly flush with the device (like the call, end, start menu, and back navigation buttons), which makes for a great game of “Where is that button?” followed by a suspenseful bet on “Did I actually press that button?” Suffice it to say that the HTC Touch Pro2’s navigation, volume and power buttons lack tactile feedback.
And, speaking of button ergonomics, the power button (which resides on the top-left corner of the device) gets in the way of two-handed typing. I noticed that the power button is perfectly placed to get in the way of my left index finger while typing on the keyboard. Why does that suck? Because I’ll accidentally press the power button with the side of my finger at least three times during a web browsing/email writing/tweeting session. The power button on the Pro2 is a classic example of a minor oversight turning into a significant problem.
The HTC Touch Pro2 may not have all the sliding lens covers and device-lock switches of the Nokia N97, but the Pro2 most definitely 
outshines the N97 in one critical area – the QWERTY keyboard. HTC’s experience with side-sliding QWERTY keyboard really shows in the Pro2’s keyboard. The keys are laid out in an offset fashion and are raised and separated enough to make touch-typing possible (with enough practice). The keyboard keys have enough travel and enough “click” to provide tactile feedback, but not so much that you feel that each key press is slowing down your typing session. One aspect of the keyboard that I took for granted was the dedicated comma and period keys. The N97 requires that you press the “function” (FN) key to type a simple punctuation – that’s downright unacceptable. The space bar? You’ll find it sitting in the middle of the bottom keyboard row. Overall, the keyboard on the Pro2 rocks!
The Zoom Bar. I mentioned the Zoom Bar’s awesomeness in my Touch Diamond2 review, and the same applies to the Touch Pro2. It’s an intuitive way to quickly zoom in and out of webpages, documents and pictures. I’d like to have pinch-to-zoom functionality on all touchscreen smartphones, but the Zoom Bar is a great alternative.
Nokia N97 (Simon’s take)
Aside from sheer build quality, the flip is pretty stylish, too. The angle seems just a tad too shallow to be able to watch anything while reclining and having the handset on a table, but if you’re sitting upright, it works fine. Stefan thought that the angle was too sharp to be able to see the keyboard and screen at the same time while standing, but I didn’t find it that bad at all, and the mechanism makes a hell of a lot more sense than the dinky kickstand that a lot of similar Nokia phones use.
Aside from that, all of the outer keys make plenty of sense – the lock switch is snappy and intuitive, the camera cover is easy to slide open and shut, 3.5mm headphone jack is always nice, and the front soft keys do their job. I’ll hold off on most of the keyboard talk for the messaging section, but I found the shallow travel not much of a problem. It has to be said that the overall size is pretty big, which isn’t helped by its unflattering, brickish lines when compared to the smooth curves of the Touch Pro 2.
Media - Decision: Nokia
HTC Touch Pro2 (Will’s take)
The HTC Touch Pro2 lacks a real headphone jack. A little birdie let me know that standard 3.5mm headphone jacks will become the norm for HTC in future handsets. But, for the Pro2, I’m left wishing the extUSB port (which triples as a charging port, data port, and headphone port) was just a plain 3.5mm headphone jack (what I would do for charging and data transfers, I don’t know – haven’t thought that far ahead). All I know is that I haven’t yet listened to a single song on the Touch Pro2 – mostly because I wouldn’t be caught dead using the black foam-covered ear buds that come with the Pro2.
The display is another story altogether. With an expansive 3.6-inches of touchscreen real estate, the Pro2 boasts the largest touchscreen in its class. And, it throws pixels out at WVGA resolutions (800×480). What is all that high-resolution goodness good for? Watching videos! It’s awesome, especially with the screen tilted up.
As for the squishy resistive touchscreen, the HTC Touch Pro2 sports a revised touchscreen design that does away with much of the touchscreen “squish” that plagues most resistive (pressure-sensitive) touchscreens. Still, there’s still a bit of touchscreen vagueness and squishiness.
Nokia N97 (Simon’s take)
The 640 x 360 screen is crisp and bright, and plays videos hunky dory. There are a few formats it has trouble recognizing, but it certainly handles more than my BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold did. The built-in Podcasts application was a welcome addition, though – I found most of my shows without a problem in the catalog, but for those I couldn’t, it was possible to just plop in the podcast’s RSS feed and it was ready to go. It’s really nice to be able to get right into the podcasts without having to poke around for a third-party solution like I had to with BlackBerry and Podtrapper.
Using the N97 as a music player certainly does the job, although I think I would prefer using the BlackBerry. Sure, the N97 has 32 GB of on-board memory, but needing to unlock the phone in order to change tracks (even if those controls are on the home screen in a convenient widget) has become a bit of a deal-breaker for me. On the Bold, you just hold the volume key in either direction to change tracks, and the mute key to play or pause – this level of convenience is something I’ve missed since picking up the Magic two weeks ago. Lacking a little bit of intuition is an ongoing problem with the N97, as you’ll see.
Still, the Nokia N97’s 32GB of on-board memory and standard 3.5mm headphone jack makes the Finn-isher much more usable and flexible than the HTC Touch Pro2.
Note: Use a screen protector! Don’t question it. Just do it.
Why the hell do you need so much RAM/ROM and a faster processor, when you can multitask smoothly on any S60 device? Is the extra RAM really necessary? Or is it purely for precautionary purposes? Faster processor? Just an illusion for faster speeds, period.
IMO, USABLE specs are the 3.5mm jack, the 32GB flash memory, better camera, FM transmitter, and PROBABLY USABLE SPECS IN THE CASE OF EXTREME POWER USERS WHO CLOG UP THEIR PHONE WITH 20 APPS AT THE SAME TIME HENCE REQUIRING MUCH MORE RAM are the extra RAM ROM and faster processor. Seriously, you CAN beef up performance of S60s through firmwares to free up more RAM and such, but you CANT replace the lack of 3.5mm jack, the camera etc.
Hence, fallacies on your part:
1. why the hell are UNNECESSARY extra RAM/ROM faster processor usable specs and why is the camera/3.5mm jack/3G bands not as important? (i.e. how did you set your criteria for usability of specs?)
2. the lack of RAM processor speed can be solved or at least eased with software upgrades, the lack of hardware features can never be solved without the introduction of the HTC Touch Pro III. (i.e. whether the lack of features can be eventually solved)
Please address the two points I have brought up.
Louis said: Why the hell do you need so much RAM/ROM?
Louis, any person with even a kindergarten computer intellect knows that you can never have enough “Ram/Rom”.
The newer apps eat up more and more resources.
It’s the “RAM/ROM” one of the many improvements over the TP1 (HTC Fuze) that makes the TP2 so very attractive.
IF AT&T had it’s version called the “Tilt2″ available now, I’d already have it. There’s nothing wrong with my HTC Fuze; BUT, it’s my shared belief that the HTC TP2 is the single best smart touch phone available anywhere in the world – bar none.
Shared belief with 13 Best Buiy & T-Mobile store managers.
I hope that your computer intellect and logic someday evolves beyond that of a nursary school level.
Me?
I have a doctorate in Cellular Terminology and Technology; so I have a tiny little bit of knowledge of the industry that I’ve been involved with, since before the FCC had issued a type approval for the cellular radio service.
Cliffy44
Either one has got a nerve calling itself a smartphone when neither has User Selectable Fonts. RIM set the store with smartphone and everyone has jumped at the idea leaving the most important feature out.
AFAIK, there definitely exists font changing applications for S60 V3, which would logically be ported to the fifth edition if they haven’t been done so already.
Louis, sure the N97’s performance can be improved by firmware updates, but so can the Touch Pro 2’s. On a relative basis, they cancel each other out since the same difference in ceilings exists.
No phone with Windows Mobile should win over Symbian (as bad as S60 is!). WiMo is just a horrible OS.
hy the hell do u talk all this sh*t??? i mean n97 belong to HIGHEND phones so if we use 20 apps at the same time is OK. u get it?
Why is the resistive screen a big drawback? The main reason that I haven’t chosen an iPhone or any of HTC (or Samsung)’s Android offerings is because of its capacitive screen. Granted, being Asian and requiring a stylus might have something to do with it, but have you even tried using those screens? It just feels so inaccurate using a capacitive touchscreen, especially when it comes down to texting, compared with using a Nokia 5800XM.
Oh, and please don’t forget to mention that WM mobiles are limited to 65K colour screens – I believe the Nokia screen displays 16M colours.
[...] IntoMobile has done the now classic face-off between these two smartphone titans again, and unsurprisingly, again came down on the side of the Nokia N97. [...]
great post, thank you
How can the lack of HARDWARE features on the Touch Pro 2 be improved on by firmware updates? Kind to enlighten me how a firmware update over the air can drill a 3.5mm jack on your dear HTC, or bring miracles to the tiny camera sensor? Firmware updates solve firmware problems (N97 have ‘em), they don’t solve hardware ones (Pro2 has them).
Your opinion. I like Winmo, it gives you options no other mobile OS gives you. I have big fingers but have no issues with any buttons at any level within touchflo/winmo standard. After 7 symbians the last being the N95 8GB i switched to an HTC Touch HD and never regretted it for a second. The 6.5 energyROM i run is lightening fast compared to the standard, so ROM updates can make a huge difference.
Louis, firmware certainly can’t change the jack or the camera, that’s why the N97 won the media category. Performance improvements will happen just as much on the Pro2 through firmware updates, however, so the performance gap between these two will remain.
afntay, handwriting support tends to be a dealbreaker when it comes to choosing between resistive and capacitive. Personally, I find having to use a stylus pretty awkward, especially when you’ve got a full keypad you’ll be using in between – a smart UI will be able to compensate for precision. Good call on the colours, though the Pro2 still wins out on resolution and a bunch of other hardware specs.
Really cool compare mate! But .. what about the FaceBook status in N97 screenshot? ahahah .. LOL!!!
Usable specs? Seriously? Hand in your mobile blogger card sir
I find this review quite… strange
Maybe it is there But I could not find info about 64 Gbytes memory available for applications on N97 (internal + card) which to me makes big difference
also comparison of UI is… strange
the system which has lags and delays and you have to constantly take out styllus… wins Vs, one that is just… not nice…
and the fact that “As long as you remember to close applications as you move from Google Maps to YouTube to your Twitter client” still does not prevent touch pro 2 to be a winner (imagine that on your PC you need to close an app to run the orther)
It looks like to me that reviewer just “slightly” unfamiliar with the UI on N97(i.e. asking about connections can be easily switch off in many if not in all applications) – so I advice to learn a bit more about reviewed device before start a review
ps. about the blackberry OS being so smart – before taking N97 into my hands I played with one of the new blackberry devices – I put it away after 5 minuts – it was so unintuitive and not “smart” at all Vs any Nokia N60 I had in my hand previously, so I changed to N97
Uh, Name, what do you now about blackberry in 5 minutes? About which two phone should be on top, well looks to me HTC Touch Pro 2 looks clear to me. Oh by the way I did this in l minute. Just because you own a Nokia doesn’t mean it better than….. Look at me I own a Storm and I love it, but the new HTC Touch Pro 2 came too late.
some additioal comments to this… strange review
how the hell the reviewer could give “hardwere” win to HTC when it is not powerful enough to run the system properly (delays and lags) “As long as you remember to close applications as you move from Google Maps to YouTube to your Twitter client”
evluation of hardware has only sens if you compare it with system requiurement and,in the end, user experience. HTC has just not enough power for the system while Nokia does
it is like saying that 700BHP heavy truck has better engine than Ferrari cos it has more power – what is inportant in not power but use of this power
and another fact about the reviw..
no mention of fabulous sound guality of attached headphones with remote control (by the way SIGNIFFICANTLY better than any walkmen, ipod, and i phone I have Used)
etc. etc…
This is either a very biast review or otherwise, just very poor. From the spec test the N97 should’ve clearly won hands down on “usable” specs. I refuse to believe that those who wrote this review has used any S60 Nokia in their lives long enough to say they are familiar with what it has to offer. The lack of multitasking on the HTC again having to close applications down before using the next?? The N97 allows clear multitasking and doesn’t slow the phone down dramatically. Poor poor review… I’m heading back over to allaboutsymbian.com
Seriously guys… and I suppose the Iphone 3GS is better than N97 because it has a virtual keyboard lol!
I’ve been using HTC for over 2 years and couldnt do without a slide out qwerty keyboard now, any app i’ve every wanted hasn’t been a problem finding for Windows Mobile. Before HTC I would only ever buy Nokia and now they have brought out the N97 I thought it was time to come back to them but i don’t think i can miss out on the Pro Touch 2.
If i was younger and used the phone for more music and video the N97 might be the way but to lose so many great apps just so i can be with the in crowd and have the sexy N97 i’m not gonna do it.
HTC is the only option and with T-Mobile UK not offering it at the moment it looks like i’m gonna have to knock them on the head after 18 years and move over to Vodafone!
I have just replaced my TytnII with the Touch Pro 2 – great device!! I also had a Nokia N95 but I was not satisfied with Symbian
As mentioned earlier in an another thread, the version of the TP2 that Telus will be receiving will included a 3.5mm headphones jack, which is craze news.
Nothing had been said about the US version, but it now seems that the devices to be sold trough carriers in the states will also get the version with the standard jack. That’s some crazy great news, and in my opinion is ample justification for having the TP2 released in North America a few months later than it was in Europe. Woot!
More at http://www.AllTouchPro2.com
I for one think this is a good review. I have been waiting for the TP2’s release since I first caught wind of it several months ago. For those of you whining about not being able to multitask on the WinMo platform, try it. I do it everyday on my my Touch Pro. I dont experience the crashing or lagging as described. And bitching because you have to close an app? You eventually need to close apps on every phone or you will run out of memory. Thats where the REAL “usable” specs come into play. Like faster processor and more RAM. Not a better camera and headphone jack. Remember, these are phones first. If I want to take some super high quality pics, ill use my digital camera because thats what its made to do. The WinMo platform is a bit old, I agree. But, there is still a LOT that it can do.
Louis- You sound like youre upset because your phone wasnt choosen as the winner. Get over it and grow up. If your phone suites your needs you should be happy. Choosing fonts a winning/required feature? Get real. By the way, my Sprint Touch Pro 2 will have a 3.5mm jack
Louis – “Why the hell do you need so much RAM/ROM and a faster processor, when you can multitask smoothly on any S60 device? Is the extra RAM really necessary? Or is it purely for precautionary purposes? Faster processor? Just an illusion for faster speeds, period.”
As an after thought, would you buy a computer that only has the minimum hardware to meet the minimum requirements of your programs? Doubtful. Same applies here.
Dont say that htc tp2 lacks a 3.5mm audio jack. A converter is more than enough!! u can keep it plugged in our headset. that is wht i do. And Win mo is more like a PC not a mobile. but symb. is more like an ordinary mobile. so winmo needs more powerful processor and ram and i have experienced with nokia already and planned not to buy nokia at any cost.
What would you buy a car with better speed or car with lower speed?
And user interface is unmatchable. Touch flo 3d is a generation ahead of nokia
upto how many mb expansion does the htc touchpro2 support ?
im usin an 8gb card at the moment..upto how many can i increase it WITHOUT affecting the phones performance ?
Come On. WHO KNOWS SYMBYAN OS? who knows windows OS? Most People Use windows… and windows mobile will get better on the version 7. and HTC and windows APPS …. tons and tons of apps for windows mobile… i dont See NADDA for SYmbian compared to windows…..touch pro all the way
U can extend upto 16gb without affecting the performance in HTC tytn 2 itself. So i think u can use 32 gb without any drop performance in your touch pro 2 i guess.(remember tytn2 was 2007 release it supports till 32gb and its running superbly with 16gb card and i didnt try 32gb )HTC miles ahead of Nokia(fact).
HTC for me but opinions are like ***holes…everyone have one and most stink…
Two questions, anyone can help ?
1. I have over 3k contacts on my e90 now (some with pictures) hanging once a day, is N97 or HTC P2 storing contacts on external memory ? If not which one will perform better ?
2. Video calls with Skype, would be supported earlier on P2 or N97…or N900 ?
I was a little disappointed at the review, personally. Nokia N97 is a great phone, it is currently in need of a few bug fixes from nokia, but they’ve already released news about a firmware 2.0 for the N97 due next month.
I can run more than 7 applications at the same time on the n97 without any of them slowing down on performance. The phone does great even with the little RAM that it has. The battery will last for two days with internet running all the time, and minimal calls, moderate use.
The keyboard was a disappointment initially, but I got over it in 2 days, and learned quickly enough to adapt to the layout of the keys. And I think, everyone will take a while to adapt to a new keyboard layout within a few uses, and that is not a reason to discredit a phone.
The phone responds quick to almost everything you expect from it, except for the occasional crashes. When setup properly, the N97 runs great. I am a sound engineer and musician, and the sound quality of the provided headphones are great, the usability is excellent, with the controls on the headset, etc.
The only drawback currently in my book for the N97 would be the lack of proper cut and paste support from the web browser. Nokia and Symbian are driving me nuts with that. I had the E90 prior to the N97 and same problem. Ridiculous!! And now Nokia’s picked up Maemo and Linux with the N900, no idea where they’re going with that. Are they going to drop Symbian??
One warning however, and this may go for all touchscreen phones. The N97 is useless without the touchscreen as in it won’t even answer a call, cos that’s touchscreen. Mine mysteriously broke even after being perfectly cared for. I noticed a very tiny crack under the screen, and I have no idea how it got there. So I don’t know about the build quality of the touchscreen on the Nokia N97, and this is not a comparison, however, this is something companies should think about with touchscreen phones. How do you make them strong, durable and able to withstand significant amounts of pressure?
Personally I wish phone companies would learn from the Apple example. Make one product, focus on making it perfect and keep it stable. This way app developers can continue making apps that will certainly be compatible. This also allows for good support, less confusion among users, and way less expense in terms of production.
Ram and faster processor is very important!!!! Louis what kind of idiot are you not wanting more!
I mean when look how Windows Vista takes advantage of way more Gigabytes of RAM!!!
I laugh at those people running Linux smoothly with terribly inferior processors and ram. My Vista uses 6Gb of ram currently and a quad core still is not as fast opening windows but I can always add more ram.
Leave the OP alone with his God given right to have more processor speed and ram with his Windows Mobile device.
Voleure