Nokia, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones, is launching a new phone next year that is designed to compete with Apple’s iPhone and Research In Motion BlackBerrys at the high end of the market.
The N97 will feature a 3.5-inch touch screen with 50 percent greater resolution than the iPhone. It will also have a slide-out alphabetic keyboard, making it similar in overall design to the Xperia X1 recently launched by competitor Sony Ericsson.
Nokia announced the phone at its Nokia World conference in Barcelona, Spain. It said it would cost around 550 euros ($1080), or about $US700, before taxes or carrier subsidies when it launches next year. It will probably be compatible with AT&T’s high-speed data network in the US.
The phone will also have camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels, higher than most competing models.
The phone will run Symbian software, the standard for Nokia phones.
Analysts have noted that sales of high-end phones are, somewhat surprisingly, holding up the best in the economic downturn.
