Nokia N97 survives 4 feet fall to concrete, don’t try this at home
I was hesitant to say anything on Twitter about what happened to my Nokia N97 two days ago because I wasn’t sure if I was keeping my white N97 or not and didn’t want to raise any undue concerns for the integrity of the device. I was getting out of my Jeep Grand Cherokee to go into Starbucks for breakfast on Sunday morning when my reached over on the dashboard to grab the N97 and it slipped through my fingers. It bumped into the carpet on the floor of the driver’s side and then out of the Jeep and onto the pavement, landing under the Jeep. I looked down in horror and quickly recovered my poor N97.
I took this photo with the HTC Touch Pro2 (only other phone I have with me that takes a fairly decent macro shot) and you can just barely see the extremely small scratch just to the right of center adjacent to the reflection. It really is very small.
Thankfully, everything was in one piece and there are only two very minor scuff marks on the silver metal bezel around the device. NOTHING was shaken loose or affected in any other way, including the super cool hinge, display, etc. I actually still have the factory screen cover on the screen as I look for an alternative, like BodyGuardz to protect my display. You can’t imagine how relieved I was after seeing nothing wrong with the N97 and I have been testing it extensively the past two days with no issues at all.
I would say the Nokia N97 is one durable device and highly recommend you DO NOT try this out on your device. I will continue to baby my N97 as I do with all my devices, but sometimes things happen accidentally and it sure is a relief to know we can count on quality Nokia products to keep us in touch.
I guess this means I will have a tough time reselling this device, huh? The truth is I always disclose any damage or drops that may have occurred on my device and have to say this is only the 2nd or 3rd dropped device I have had in over 100 mobile devices in my 12 year history of usage.
22 Comments to Nokia N97 survives 4 feet fall to concrete, don’t try this at home
That must have brought the shakes when that happened. I would have been sizing up ways I could get myself a new one, I would have probably insured it with Orange first 
jsoncvJune 16, 2009
So what’s happening with the N97? You gonna keep it? I’m curious if it meets all the standards to someone like yourself, your knowledge, all the phones at your call. I’m really considering this device
Egads man ! That must have scared the **** out of you, when it fell lol. Gotta love good ol’ Nokia quality though.
jsconcv, I am KEEPING the N97! I may not have been overly impressed the first day, but after some REAL world usage the last several days it is becoming my main workhorse and performing very well. I am working on a longer, more detailed post to go live later tonight/early in the morning that covers what I have been doing with the device and how it meets my needs.
FrankieJune 16, 2009
I would be like 
EricHJune 16, 2009
Glad to hear you’re keeping the phone! I’ve had mine since last Friday and can’t imagine using something else right now. The build quality is great, and the keyboard, as many people have mentioned, is something that gets easier as you get used to it (something I can’t say about the E75 – you either have the right sized fingers for it or you don’t).
Congrats! Looking forward to Pre comparisons
PS: Check out Clarivue for screen protectors – It fits pretty well, though I have a couple air bubbles around the edges that I don’t usually experience with Martin Fields, but nothing bad – definitely tolerable.
JasonJune 16, 2009
It’s a phone, not a condor egg. Don’t worry so much.
I’ve used BodyGuardz and Invisible Shield before, but there are no N97 versions available yet.
The Palm Pre is going back to Sprint this week. I am not going to add a 3rd carrier for the device, even if it is pretty slick. My T-Mobile G1 with Android is more refined and gives me more than the Palm Pre. I’ll take a look if/when it comes to a GSM carrier in the future.
Jason, yeah you are right. However, as a phone reviewer and enthusiast I turn them around quite often and the only way to keep buying the latest and greatest to test for you all is to sell the older ones I buy. Their retail value holds pretty good if I keep them in pristine condition. That said, I don’t see anything rumored coming from Nokia anytime soon that should knock the N97 out of my hands (like my Starbucks breakfast visit did).
Ouch.! Heart stopping stuff. Glad the N97 fared well though. Not bad at all considering its form-factor.
June 21, 2009
[...] N97 falls 4 feet, survives virtually unscathed [...]
MikeJune 22, 2009
Things happen to phones, that’s just a fact of life. If that’s a major concern, you bought on that’s too expensive for your budget…
June 22, 2009
[...] N97 falls 4 feet, survives virtually unscathed [...]
[...] no odd gaps where the two halves meet and it is consistent and perfect all around (even after my big 4 feet drop). I honestly think this is one Nseries device that has an outstanding build quality similar to an [...]
[...] the sun and in the dark, and the entire device is quite indestructible as tested in my accidental 4 foot fall to concrete a couple weeks [...]
July 11, 2009
[...] the sun and in the dark, and the entire device is quite indestructible as tested in my accidental 4 foot fall to concrete a couple weeks [...]
[...] a screen only solution for the N97, but if I would have had the full body set on my device when I dropped it the first week I owned it then I wouldn’t have that one scratch on the silver frame. The [...]
August 10, 2009
[...] a screen only solution for the N97, but if I would have had the full body set on my device when I dropped it the first week I owned it then I wouldn’t have that one scratch on the silver frame. The plastic [...]
August 10, 2009
[...] a screen only solution for the N97, but if I would have had the full body set on my device when I dropped it the first week I owned it then I wouldn’t have that one scratch on the silver frame. The plastic [...]
August 10, 2009
[...] a screen only solution for the N97, but if I would have had the full body set on my device when I dropped it the first week I owned it then I wouldn’t have that one scratch on the silver frame. The plastic [...]
big deal. it wasn’t a real 4-foot drop as it hit the car first, then tumbled. I’ll drop my black berry from 5 ft with no interruptions and nothing will happen to it either.
September 29, 2009
[...] N97 falls 4 feet, survives virtually unscathed [...]
June 16, 2009