The CPU specs of Nokia’s flagship N97 have been revealed and we now know  that the device will have a single ARM 11 processor running at 434 MHz, 65MHz more than 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia’s other S60 5th edition device. There has been a lot of talk about this subject with many pointing out that this CPU certainly isn’t enough for a flagship device.

If we take a look at the CPU of other high-end devices it certainly looks like it (Thanks to The Boy Genius report) :

But is this truly the case?

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, considered by many as a Nokia N97 without the hardware QWERTY keyboard,  has 1.8 Megapixels less than the N97, no Widget-based Home screen and built-in 32GB. A few differences here and there, but pretty close. The 5800 XpressMusic with it’s single ARM 11 CPU running at 369 MHz, just 65MHz less than the N97 doesn’t have a CPU clock speed in the 500-600MHz, but after using the device for months now, I would definitely categorize the overall operating speed as snappy, that with the latest V21 firmware only seems to work faster. The E71, a totally different device, but a good example nonetheless, is also equipped with a single single ARM 11 CPU running at 369 MHz.  The E71 again is also praised for its speedy and stable operation. The argument that N97’s performance might be held back by a “slow” CPU doesn’t seem to hold true if we take a look at E71 or even the 5800 XpressMusic, a device quite similar to the N97.

Another argument against the supposedly slow CPU are the countless walk-through/review videos of prototype models that seem to show a pretty fast N97, even with all those fancy transition effects. The final product, should be more stable and of course faster once all the bugs are ironed out. Many who have been lucky enough to use the prototype N97, also seem to indicate its smooth and fast operation.

Last but not least, I can point out that it shouldn’t matter what at what frequency a CPU operates, but rather that device runs smoothly and fast. This isn’t something that can be judged by sheer numbers, but by actually holding the device in your hands and suing it in the real world. Using a lower clocked CPU, is also one way of conserving power. It’s all about finding the right balance between fast enough operation and battery power.

I for one think we should wait untill we have the final device in hands. But judging by similar devices like the 5800 XpressMusic it looks like the N97 will do just fine. What do you think?