Nokia says its Nokia N97 mini, the smaller version of the N97 handset, will hit stores this week, but there was no word on when the phone would arrive in U.S. stores.

The N97 mini features a tilting 3.2-inch touch display, qwerty keyboard, metal exterior accents and a fully customizable homescreen. It has the same software as its larger brethren, the N97, and is retailing for EUR 450, or about $665.

Last summer, the N97 went on sale in the United States through Nokia flagship stores, online and various independent retailers and e-tailers for about $699. Since then, the full-size N97 has been discounted to $571 on Nokia’s U.S. retail site. The N97 mini is not yet listed on Nokia’s U.S. site; however, it’s listed on the manufacturer’s regional European Web site.

“In September 2009, we exceeded 2 million Nokia N97 devices sold, and now introduce the Nokia N97 mini, underscoring the success of the design,” said Jose-Luis Martinez, vice president, Nokia Nseries, in a statement.

Nokia also released a software update for the N97 in response to “consumer feedback about the performance of the device.” The free Nokia N97 software update 2.0 adds new features and functions to the device.

According to Nokia, the update adds flip scrolling to the entire user interface, shortcuts to personalized homescreen, Ovi Maps 3.1 with 3-D maps, Nokia e-mail, Ovi Contacts and the Ovi store.