Nokia N97 Eco Cell Phone [Smaller Box, No Charger, Slap on Eco Tag - Sorted]

Only yesterday we covered Nokia’s new iteration of its N97 having been given a particular heath inspired twist – namely the Nokia N97 Active – and today we follow on with news that Nokia’s N97 is to be offered in yet another version, the Nokia N97 Eco.

From the outset, if you’re expecting a cell phone that gives the previously featured Motorola MOTO W233 Renew a run for its money in terms of eco-goodness then you’ll be disappointed as, in comparison with the MOTO W233 Renew Nokia’s N97 Eco is so way behind that the W233 Renew’s positively over the horizon. The two really do not compare. That said, anything a manufacturer does to help from an ecologically aware standpoint is surely to be welcomed regardless of the fact that the Eco tag will naturally draw a particular market segment to a provider’s products (let us not forget here that companies have a vested interest and profits to make).

No, the N97 Eco is not made of recycled plastic bottles, unlike the MOTO W233 Renew, and, in fact, in terms of manufacture, unless we’ve seriously missed something, it’s in essence absolutely no different to the plain vanilla N97 except that it’ll be shipped without a charger (you can use your old one, if you happen to have an old Nokia charger laying around) in a smaller box. Oh, and Nokia will donate £4 for each N97 Eco sold to the WWF (best mention that).

Admittedly, when you’re dealing with a company the size of Nokia, smaller packaging is going to reduce waste considerably over the availability lifecycle of N97 Eco but, really, couldn’t Nokia have gone a little further before slapping on the Eco tag? Perhaps making the casing, at least, from recycled materials?

Also – and I really must add this – it’s noteworthy that the Nokia N97 Eco product page at the time of writing makes mention of the fact that the handset comes with three free Xpress-on smart covers.

Smart move Nokia – having reduced the packaging you then add three sets of additional plastic covers to the equation hence adding to the resulting waste once they’re no longer required.

A genuine attempt to help save the planet or a thinly veiled attempt to cash in on the increasingly eco-aware and increasingly lucrative consumer market? You decide. And then, when you’re decided – and realised that it’s quite possibly the latter – go and get the Motorola MOTO W233 Renew if you want a phone that offers considerably more green credentials (which, incidentally comes with recycled packaging and a slip for you to return your previous handset for recycling).