The N97 – Nokia’s new flagship handset – has barely been available in the UK, but Vodafone has hinted that a second version of the touchscreen handset has been designed.

In response to a customer’s question about whether the N97 and Palm Pré will being available on Vodafone, the operator announced on its official blog recently that it “will be launching the N97 Mini later this year”.

Vodafone didn’t reveal any of the N97 Mini's technical specifications, so whether Mini means a physically smaller version of the device or one with fewer features remains to be seen.

However, the blog added that “due to the N97 Mini’s competitive pricing, we feel that it will appeal to a wider segment of consumers” than, presumably, the standard N97.

We’ll bring you more news as we have it. And if you’re left wondering about Vodafone’s Palm Pré status, the blog stated that because another operator – thought to be O2 – has UK exclusivity, Vodafone won’t be able to sell the Palm smartphone. ®