Nokia N97 Killed Nokia Flagships (Video)

When we talk about iconic Nokia devices, you can’t help but mention some of the extraordinary flagships we’ve seen from the brand over the year. You need to remember that even though Nokia had great flagships, Nokia also tried creating a device for almost every segment of the market, so they didn’t build their reputation as a high-end device manufacturer the same way Apple from the start did for example. Yet Nokia managed to create many successful flagships, and perhaps the symbol of their world dominance was in 2006 with the announcement of the Nokia N95. Everything fit into place for a device that was a worldbeater. Power, utility, features, and smarts, the N95 had everything.

Moving closer to modern-day, Nokia Mobile flagships have struggled to make an impact on the Android landscape. Now there are many reasons for this, but a big underlooked one is brand perception and what compels your average consumer to pick up a high-end phone. But when did Nokia’s fall from flagship grace happen? What kickstarted the fall, not only from the flagship segment but also the demise of Nokia’s phone business? In my opinion, it started with the Nokia N97. You can watch my thoughts below:

Despite having massive potential, the Nokia N97’s unforgivable critical flaws and user experience showcased a much deeper problem within the brand. The N97 was the accumulation of astronomical managerial blunders, stubbornness, and lack of vision mixed with inexcusable execution errors. At a time when expectations were very high on the heels of a poorly received Nokia N96. With the N97, Symbian’s reputation was lost beyond repair in my opinion. The N8 might have tried fixing it, but it didn’t do enough to save the burning ship. Yes, sales were still good and the famous burning platform memo might have accelerated the demise, but the readings were already on the wall.

The Savior That Never Was

The worst part of this saga was that Nokia actually had the solution to their own problems with their development of Maemo which late evolved to MeeGo, but that took a backseat and Nokia ended up paying the price. You can watch my thoughts on the device that Nokia should have bet on, the Nokia N900 below:

 

Which Nokia phone do you think caused the most harm to the brand’s reputation? Share your thoughts with us 🙂