Nokia's N97 gets a little brother, the N97 mini

Another key announcement to emerge from Nokia World in Stuttgart was a new version of their flagship N-series multimedia device, the N97 mini. The N97 mini owes its diminutive size to a reduction in the overall keyboard size made possible by removing the D-pad and adding navigation keys to a slightly redesigned keyboard. All other stats appear to remain the same.

Nokia has decided to price the mini with an MSRP of Euro450, which is a steep reduction compared to the N97 which still in excess of Euro500. Additionally, Nokia made it clear that they expect the N97 mini to be free with a contract in many markets, signaling that they've been cutting deals with carriers to fully subsidize the mini.

Expect the N97 mini to ship Q4 2009.