Nokia N8 vs the Apple iPhone 4 – Preview

Nokia wouldn’t be surprised that even before its latest full touchscreen N8 could hit the streets, the iPhone 4 has come out and is wowing us. Trying their best to counter the iPhone 4 hype, Nokia has its N8 video editing clip out on the web, however we can’t resist saying – its not really as cool as the iOS. The Nokia N8 packs in a powerful spec sheet with a 680MHz processor + dedicated GPU that runs over a Symbian 3 OS. A 12MP camera (Carl Zesis) and Capacitive touchscreen impresses us and we can be certain that the still images from the N8 would beat the iPhone 4’s 5MP anyday (though Jobs has his argument of a backside-illuminated camera sensor that gives better quality specially in low light conditions is yet to be put to test). Both these devices do a 720p video and guess we will have to wait till August (N8 launch) to figure out who wins.

In most of the features like HSUPA speeds, fps in video recording, screen resolution etc the iPhone 4 beats the Nokia N8 easily. We can also be certain that the Apple A4 CPU/GPU with the new gyro axis will deliver better gaming experience and the App Store love still remains with Apple. However the openness (bluetooth file trf, mass storage, memory card addon), FM Radio and multiple carrier choices still gives the N8 an edge.

Apple iPhone 4 – Nokia N8 Feature comparison

Feature iPhone 4 Nokia N8
Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 2100 /1900
OS iOS 4.0 Symbian ^3 OS
Display 3.5″ Retina Display960x640 – 326 ppiMulti touch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen16M colors 360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches
Camera 5MP camera, LED FlashHD video recording720p (@30fps)
FaceTime video calling over WiFi
12 MP, 4000×3000 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics,autofocus, Xenon flash720p at 25fps with continuous LED flash
VGA videocall camera
EDGE HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2.0 Mbps
Internet Browser Mobile Safari(more via App Store) WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML,RSS feeds, Flash Lite v4.0
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email SMS(threaded view), MMS,Email, Push Email, IM
FM no Stereo FM radio with RDS; Transmitter
Processor Apple A4, 1GHz 680 MHz + GPU
GPS AGPS, Google Maps A-GPS, Ovi Maps 3.0
Battery unknown Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-4D)
Colours Black / White Dark Grey, Silver White,Green, Blue, Orange
Connectivity Bluetooth AD2P (no trf)WiFi b/g/n Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DPWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Memory 16GB / 32GB internal 512 MB ROM, 256MB RAM,16 GB internal storage,expandable upto 32GB
Weight 137 gms
135 gms
Others
  • Accelerometer
  • Digital Compass
  • Gyro Axis
  • Proximity Sensor
  • App Store via iTunes
  • Noice cancelation Mic
  • MicroSIM only
  • Scrach resistant front / back glass
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • Digital compass
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Video/photo editor
  • Anodized aluminum casing
  • Document viewer
  • Dolby Digital Plus