When we last compared Nokia N97 with the iPhone 3G, , the 3GS was unheard off. With just rumors of an iPhone Nano coming up & many shortcomings in the existing iPhone’s standard feature sets, N97 looked like a clear winner. However to spoil Nokia’s fun at the very last moment, Apple pulled out the much expected iPhone 3G upgrade at WWDC 09. The iPhone 3G-Speed (3GS). While the N97 hardware specs are still somewhat superior to the iPhone 3GS, Apple plays a catchup with its iPhone 3.0 OS and its unique UI and multi-touch experience.
Apple now has a cut, copy, paste; MMS, Sms forwarding, Bluetooth AD2P etc in the new iPhone OS 3.0, also borrowing some iPod features like VoiceOver and Shake to change the music. Media is one place where the iPhone 3G S is inherently strong with App Store also adds some cool apps and games. However, N97 leads with some openness like USB mass storage, standard MicroUSB dock etc.
iPhone 3GS gets a 32GB version that does little to compete with the N97 that offers 32GB internal and 16GB additional memory space via Micro SDHC cards. Moreover, the N97 is priced such that a unlocked version of iPhone 3GS 32GB will cost more than the Nokia N 97.
97.
On the Design front the iPhone 3GS sticks to its 3.5″ multi-touch screen and own screen keyboard, where as Nokia goes with a Xperia style sliding QWERTY. N97′ physical keyboard is certainly an edge compared to the on screen iPhone keyboard.
Nokia N97 surprises me with the same GPU as the iPhone 3GS supporting OPENGL ES 2.0! However, the N97 is said to be powered by a 434 MHz processor and 128MB ram compared to the rumored 600Mhz 833 Mhz processor on the iPhone 3GS coupled with 256MB ram.. Both devices have a 30fps video recording but N97 obviously takes a lead with its 5MP lens and DVD quality (HD 16:9 video recording). Stills would also be of a better resolution. However, the clarity that the 2MP iPhone camera provided certainly assures us of good output. Here, is a demo image shown by Apple. (Not defending iPhone here, N97 has a better cam!). I’m not too sure if many noticed this; Nokia has a video and photo editor in the N97 already!
N97 also brings the Ovi Store integrated, but the quality of apps are far from what we have seen on the App Store. For some reason, the Ovi store has failed to make a buzz as strong as the iTunes App Store. Probably some fart apps or some developer controversies would help Nokia here :P. However, given the hardware capabilities of the N97, we should see some decent apps. But I doubt if Nokia looks to pitch this as a media / gaming device (or at least it fails to attract that charm); rather it’s a business smartphone.
I can see a clear difference in the marketing strategies here. The catch is that Nokia cleverly announced the N97 in late 2008 i.e. full 6 months in advance. Whereas Apple announced the iPhone 3GS just 2 weeks before launch (allowing dozens of rumors, speculations and boiling expectations). Both these approaches have their own benefits but somehow the situation is now such that the N97 and iPhone 3GS go on sale almost together (with the Palm Pre already making a bang). This helps Apple sustain the hype and convert it to sales, whereas for the NokiaN97 sounds like a old model, reviewed / previewed extensively.
Symbian OS vs iPhone OS is a very interesting debate. Many arguments such as ease of software development, stability, swiftness, capabilities (multitasking) etc are raised; the only point I would make is: iPhone OS is certainly much more WWW ready and ahead of its time in web usage. Everything is designed keeping in mind that today people live on the Internet. Clicking a photography and emailing the same to myself is a breeze on the iPhone compared to my E61i which isn’t that Internet ready. Configuring a new email account, emailing pictures, web browsing etc are something that makes the iPhone stand out for an Internet user. Catching up in this regard would be a challenge for the N97. While Nokia is pitching the N97 as a Internet device, I really want to see how well have the structured the Symbian OS to handle these simple tasks. Update: 3GS has been confirmed to have YouTube upload integrated and we believe video editing would also be present and video trimming is also present. Having the functionality is not the point here, but integrating it effectively is the key. iPhone OS scores really well here. Youtube already reports a 400% jump in mobile video uploads – thanks to the new iPhone Video!
The N97 as a individual model appeals more to Nokia’s existing base of communicator fans. The E90 is good but at a little over the price of a E90 you can now grab a N 97 which has a similar full QWERTY keyboard coupled with a touchscreen.
Having used the Nokia N97 keyboard, I need to say this that – NOKIA has SCREWED up big time. Firstly the keyboard layout is not consistent with its previous E90 and 9000 series communicators, its highly frustrating using the keyboard – and getting used to the same would be a real pain. Add to that the small size of the Qwerty, the space could have been used much better. Though I am not a big fan of onscreen keyboards, but Nokia needed to do better here to beat the iPhone onscreen qwerty.
While hardware is matched in the table below the real competition between the two handsets would be the Software stability and performance. Apple obviously takes a lead here with the icing on the cake called the App Store 😉 .
Where the iPhone 3G S leads N97
- Ram (256MB vs N97’s 128MB)
- Processor (600Mhz vs 434Mhz)
- Multitouch with capacitive touchscreen
- 3G HSDPA speed (7.2Mbps)
- Media (VoiceOver, Shake to change music, iTunes)
- App Store Apps
- Design, Structure / Weight (135gms vs 150gms of N97)
Where N97 wins against iPhone 3GS
- Camera / Video Recording / Flash Light
- Memory (max support)
- Connectivity – MicroSD, MicroUSB, Usb Mass Storage, Bluetooth File Transfer
- FM Radio
- Handwriting Recognition
- Multitasking on Symbian (for the same reason this is a negative aswell (IMO) as background apps make the OS slow)
- Pricing
Even points, not conclusive
- Graphics Chip (PowerVR SGX)
- Digital Compass
- accelerometer and proximity sensor
Specifications Fight – iPhone 3GS vs N97
| Feature | iPhone 3GS | Nokia N97 |
| Network | 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 | 2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G: HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 |
| OS | iPhone OS 3.0 | S60 5th Edition v9.4 |
| Display | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches | 3.5 inch TFT, 16:9 Widescreen 640×360 pixels (16 million colours) |
| Camera | 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus Video recording | 5 Megapixel – Carl Zeiss with Autofocus Dual LED flash & video light |
| EDGE | yes | Yes – Class 32 |
| Internet Browser | HTML (Safari) | WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds |
| Messaging | SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email | SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM |
| FM | no | Stereo FM radio with RDS FM transmitter |
| HSDPA Speed | 7.2 Mbps | 3.6Mbps |
| Battery | Standard battery, Li-Ion | 1500 mAh (5-7 hrs talk time) Music playback upto 37 hours Standby over 400 hours |
| Colours | Black, White | White, Brown |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 AD2P, Bluetooth P2P games AGPS | WiFi b/g Bluetooth 2.0 AD2P A-GPS |
| Memory | 16GB or 32GB (Internal) | 32GB onboard + MicroSDHC (upto 16GB) Total Capacity: 48GB |
| Weight | 135 g | 150 grams |
| Others |
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