A short while ago Nokia released the official spec of the N97, including the eagerly awaited processor details, since there has been a flurry of articles discussing whether the N97 has got enough punch to power it's software. The majority of sources believe the processor is a little lackluster, but is it really?

The processor is single ARM11 CPU with a clock speed of 434Mhz, which is to my knowledge the fastest processor in a Nokia phone to date. I truly believe Nokia when they say they've optimised the software to use less processing power.

A more powerful processor would have undoubtably given the N97 a lesser battery life as well as increase the cost of production, resulting in Nokia missing their price point and with too high a price point, it's sure to fail.

Remember the N97 has a 32GB internal hard drive, GPS chip, 5mp camera to name a few high end features, I imagine they've really pushed the boat and struggled to keep the N97 at the price they wanted.

Nokia have been in this game for a long time, they're market leaders, because they make outstanding phones. The N97 is their new flagship model, they've already invested in this phone greatly, I just refuse to believe they've made some categorical mistake with the processor.

Other handsets on the market may have faster processors, but does that mean they'll perform faster? Not at all. Many will contain bloated, un-optimised operating systems, It's likely some of them have been packed with an over powered processor to merely dazzle mobile fans with spec, while really only eating up battery life.

Question: Is an 8MP camera guaranteed to out perform a 5MP camera? No, of course not, it's just not that simple, though most end users are likely to believe the higher MegaPixel camera is guaranteed to take a better picture, and so the temptation for manufacturers to throw in faster processors is always going to be there, needed or not.

Thanks to boygenius, for the following specs: â–ª BlackBerry Bold - 624MHz â–ª HTC Magic - 528MHz â–ª HTC Touch Pro2 - 528MHz â–ª Palm Pre - est. 600MHz â–ª Samsung i8910 - 600MHz

So yeah, the N97 is lagging behind in Mhz somewhat, but as I've said before, it's not just a numbers game and I have absolute faith in Nokia, the N97 is going to perform as it should.

Ultimately the proof will be in the pudding, but I for one am not put off and refuse to get caught up in with numbers. I've not heard any real complaints from those who have been lucky enough to have first hand experience with the N97 and I'm still eagerly awaiting mine arriving late June.

The N97 is shaping up to be an impressive handset; check out more contract phones at the Dialaphone website and see what it's going up against.