The Nokia N97 is Nokia’s flagship handset and, on paper at least, it has an enviable set of specs that push the boundaries of smartphone tech. But Apple’s iPhone is still the touchscreen handset to beat. How does the N97 match up against the latest iPhone 3GS?
- Size & weight
The iPhone 3GS and the N97 are roughly the same size when you hold them in the palm of your hand (give or take a millimetre). But the N97 carries a little more plastic fat around the waist – the 3GS is 4mm thinner and 15g lighter than Nokia’s phone.
Nokia N97 0 – 1 iPhone 3GS
- Talk time & battery life
Ok, so measuring talktime and battery life isn’t an exact science… But Apple boasts 12 hours of talktime for the iPhone 3GS, compared to 10 hours for the N97. In terms of standby time, the roles are reversed and the 3GS loses out to the N97 by 432 hours to 300 hours. A point each.
Nokia N97 1 – 2 iPhone 3GS
- Connectivity
Both phones feature fast 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity as standard. The iPhone range did lack the A2DP protocol as part of its Bluetooth package, but this has since been remedied with the iPhone 3.0 software upgrade. Another tie.
Nokia N97 2 – 3 iPhone 3GS
- Digital camera
Although Apple has upgraded the digital camera in the 3GS, it wasn’t as bold an improvement as many people hoped for. The iPhone’s 3 Megapixel lens (with autofocus) is decent enough and is also capable of capturing VGA-quality video at speeds up to 30 fps. In comparison, the N97 features a 5MP Carl Zeiss lens with autofocus and LED flash. Video resolution is also maxed out at a 640?480 VGA resolution.
Nokia N97 3 – 3 iPhone 3GS
- Storage
The Nokia N97 matches the top-of-the-range iPhone Gigabyte for Gigabyte – both pack 32GB of internal storage. But the N97 also features a microSD expansion slot, enabling users to boost the overall memory by up to 16GB. This gives the N97 a maximum storage capacity of 48GB. Nice.
Nokia N97 4 – 3 iPhone 3GS
- Screen/Keyboard
Both the N97 and the 3GS feature 3.5-inch touch-sensitive displays with accelerometer technology. The N97 boasts a higher resolution display too – 640?360 pixels compared to the 480?320 pixels on the 3GS. And let’s not forget the N97′s QWERTY keyboard. But, as nice as the N97′s screen is, it uses old-fangled ‘resistive’ technology and lacks the responsiveness of the ‘capacative’ multi-touch display on the iPhone.
Nokia N97 5 – 4 iPhone 3GS
- Other features
The N97 features a customisable homescreen (with user-definable web widgetry), a built-in FM radio, N-Gage friendliness and the Symbian OS supports downloadable apps and games. But the iPhone is probably the most customisable smartphone currently available, thanks to the thousands of apps, games and utilities available on the iTunes App Store. The 3GS also features PowerVR SGX graphics technology for enhanced multimedia speed.
Nokia N97 5 – 5 iPhone 3GS
- Verdict: Draw
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For the iphone review category
Reviewing iPhone 4 vs iPhone 3GS is especially important for those who probably own the earlier handset. Nonetheless for a first time buyer it is a must read too. The latest version offers major upgrades over the 3GS in terms of screen display, speed, camera, multi tasking, battery and audio. If you don’t yet own an iPhone, or have the original iPhone or iPhone 3G, the 4th generation, apple phone is probably a must have upgrade. It is also because it operates with iOS 4 and takes advantage of its many of the superb features.
However, if you already have bought a 3GS, then you can continue use it. After all, 3g does not come cheap when compared to the 4G either. I love to stay updated with the latest phones. So I loved buying this the great gadget. But if you are like me, who is a passionate lover of hi-tech gadgets, then you simply don’t have an alternative. You may follow suit. The 3GS runs iOS 4, too, so you are not devoid of those benefits. If you want to see a clearer screen and have a knack for mobile videos, then you must definitely upgrade your phone. The tremendous first-weekend sales proved that Apple rules the roost, no matter what. And people love their gadgets.
As for speed, the iPhone 4 is faster. It’s often difficult to differentiate the speed between an iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, but you can trust me, its definitely speedier almost at par with the iPad. I wrote in one of my earlier reviews, that at times you wont even feel the need for an iPad. It is so powerful. Some of the hottest gadget review sites online have said the following,
Gizmodo: “As a person who never really liked the round mound of a back in the 3GS, the sleeker, flatter, squarer design is super welcome.The metal buttons give it a heftier feel-less of a toy-than all previous generations. It feels sturdier than the 3GS, and much less plasticky. The closest analog to it would be the original iPhone, which is more square and heavy than its newer brothers.”
Engadget: “We’ll hand it to Apple, the phone is so thin it’s kind of mind-boggling. The 3GS by comparison looks bloated.”
Seven-sided Cube one of the top technology blogs on the internet has compared the Apple iPhone 4G with HTC EVO 4G.
Although EVO has a 8-megapixel camera, iphone is not far behind with 5 megapixels one. So come to think of it, this phone will also give you the mobile experience of an iPad as a bonus. Hope this review answers your question, why should you must upgrade to 4G.
If we go by the rumour that is taking round in the mobile phone industry, Apple iPhone 4G HD is going to be announced soon. It is expected that the mobile phone will be launched in end-May or early-June period. The device will be based on the iPhone operating system, which is the Mac OS and it is going to provide tough competition to all the leading smart phone of the present time.
Some of the basic highlights of Apple iPhone 4G includes dual core processor, OLED touchscreen, 5 mega pixel camera with LED flash and HD video recording, video calling, double storage capacity at 64 GB and 32 GB and removable battery.
The mobile phone is supportive to GPS with A GPS support. Apple 4G HD iPhone comes with Google maps, TV out, digital compass, and active noise cancellation with dedicated microphone.
The biggest highlight of the new Apple device called 4G HD is its immaculate touch screen display. The screen size of the phone is 3.5 inches and it is a TFT capacitive touch screen. The display features 16 million colours and a resolution of 640 x 960 pixels. Some of the major highlights of the touch screen are inclusive of proximity sensor for auto turn off, accelerometer sensor for auto rotate, scratch resistant surface, and multi touch input method.
Apple 4G HD iPhone will be supportive to both 2G and 3G networks. The users of the 2G network will get the support of quad band GSM 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900; while the 3G users will get the network coverage of tri band HSDPA 850/ 1900/ 2100.
The mobile phone is quite big in size and that is why there might be some sort of criticism. Some section of mobile phone users does not like the big factor and want to stick to the palm-friendly devices. Apple iPhone 4G HD measures 114.3 x 58.7 x 9.4 mm and it weighs 140 grams. Therefore, it is definitely not pocket friendly handset.
Among the biggest highlights, the camera feature of Apple iPhone 4G is very prominent. The mobile phone is expected to bring a 5 mega pixel snapper with some immaculate features LED flash, auto focus, geo tagging and touch focus. The image resolution is 2592 x 1944 pixels. Other entertainment features of the mobile phone include built in audio and video player and gaming applications.
Apple iPhone 4G HD will be powered by Li-Ion battery.