N97 Elite Gaming Handheld From Sugar Cubes is a Retro-Fueled Blast From the Past

[GGforever]

Retro tech lovers who have a knack for gaming handhelds will likely be rather pleased with Sugar Cubes' latest creation - the N97 Elite gaming handheld. As the name suggests, the handheld draws inspiration from the Nokia N97 of '09, and all of its sliding glory. The company has already started shipping out the device to customers, although it is China-only for the foreseeable future. Despite that, there is no denying that the N97 Elite handheld is an incredibly exciting looking gadget for those who miss the good old days of smartphones - that is, before the glass-slab trend took off.

At its core, the N97 Elite handheld packs a decent amount of computing horsepower. Powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus - an SoC once found in Android flagships - paired with 12 GB of memory, the N97 Elite should be able to breeze through most emulation workloads. The compact handheld comes equipped with a 4.7-inch touch-enabled display, which slides out to reveal the controls. Speaking of which, the controls look pretty disappointing at first sight, although that would be hard to judge without trying the thing in real life. However, given the compact nature, the experience is unlikely to be a comfortable one, and the lack of an analog stick is understandable, but disappointing regardless. The system does have a built-in fan, which should help with sustained workloads.



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[Solaris17]

Iv said it before. To not kill the mood I usually only do it every few years. It also gives me time to gather data on if the situation has improved.

In 2025 the answer is still no.

Why; WHY are all leaks, teasers and new hardware taken with this:

 

[windwhirl]

Iv said it before. To not kill the mood I usually only do it every few years. It also gives me time to gather data on if the situation has improved.

In 2025 the answer is still no.

Why; WHY are all leaks, teasers and new hardware taken with this:

That's kinda similar to my pet peeve about people taking photos with fucking Whatsapp at shit resolutions like 2048x1536

 

[_JP_]

Why; WHY are all leaks, teasers and new hardware taken with this:

Regarding the other leaks, I get you, really do. About this one, I'd the say the image quality is period-correct, if it was shot on an actual N97. It adds to the nostalgia!

 

[GGforever]

Iv said it before. To not kill the mood I usually only do it every few years. It also gives me time to gather data on if the situation has improved.

In 2025 the answer is still no.

Why; WHY are all leaks, teasers and new hardware taken with this:

View attachment 384907

The first one is pretty good innit?
as for the rest, Bilibili videos were all low-res, and I had no clue how to navigate the platform... oops

 

[sethmatrix7]

It's cute!

 

[Frick]

I had the Xperia X1 for a wee bit, and that was also released earlier...

 

[Roph]

Those buttons and especially that dpad look awful. No sticks?

Archos was doing better controls well over a decade ago.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Those buttons and especially that dpad look awful. No sticks?

Archos was doing better controls well over a decade ago.
View attachment 384930

Archos GamePad2. Such a cool system!

 

[HairyLobsters]

Not the most ergonomic design.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I had the Xperia X1 for a wee bit, and that was also released earlier...

I would LOVE to see more sliding phones like this. And I would rock one to hell and back but apparently SONY (I think its Sony...) has the design patented so nobody else can use the slide out keypad design like they do. Thats why they never gained ground and died quite quickly because very few companies were making them. I think HTC might have been the last company to have a similar design with the HTC 7 Pro.

Sony positioned themselves in such a way that they suffocated the industry and they didnt really do anything much with the design going forward either other than the Xperia play/hybrid Gaming smartphones

There is definitely a market for more PDA style devices albeit slightly niche.

 

[Caring1]

I see they stole the name and design of the Nokia N97

 

[Frick]

I would LOVE to see more sliding phones like this. And I would rock one to hell and back but apparently SONY (I think its Sony...) has the design patented so nobody else can use the slide out keypad design like they do. Thats why they never gained ground and died quite quickly because very few companies were making them. I think HTC might have been the last company to have a similar design with the HTC 7 Pro.

Sony positioned themselves in such a way that they suffocated the industry and they didnt really do anything much with the design going forward either other than the Xperia play/hybrid Gaming smartphones

There is definitely a market for more PDA style devices albeit slightly niche.

Not to go totally off topic but I prefer the rotating screen. The Qtek 9000 (or HTC Universal or some other names depending on market) but modern (and with a nordic keyboard) is literally my dream device.

Spoiler

 

[lexluthermiester]

I would LOVE to see more sliding phones like this.

Right there with you. I HATE, DESPISE and LOATH touchscreen keyboards.

 

[bad1080]

is the OS going to be android?

 

[lexluthermiester]

is the OS going to be android?

That would be cool!