A new smartphone in the Nokia N-series will be coming out in January '09, the Nokia N97, and already all the buzz is whether or not this will be the iPhone Killer that's been prophesied for so long. Here is a heads-up on how the two devices stack up.
On the face of it, the Nokia N97 looks more like the iPhone than any other Nokia to date. It's got the slender candybar shape (more slender than the iPhone's, in fact) the minimalist buttons (two instead of one) and the 3.5" touchscreen occupying the bulk of the face. In the hand, you come to realize that, while slimmer, the N97 is also thicker and heavier than the iPhone.
While possessing the same size touchscreen as the iPhone, the N97's screen resolution puts the iPhone's to shame, with 16:9 true widescreen (640 x 360 pixels) to the iPhone's 3:2 (320 x 480). So for multimedia and video playback, gaming, and photo managing, the N97 comes out well on top of the iPhone.
And whereas both the iPhone and the N97 support most audio and video formats, the N97 has the added advantage of supporting Flash Lite, Flash Video and Windows Media 9. This Flash support is not to be undervalued, as it will allow N97 users to render web pages a lot more completely than the iPhone 3G is currently able. The iPhone also lacks browser-based Java support; the N97 may or may not, it is still unclear.
The digital camera on the Nokia N97 is also far superior to the iPhone's (and to those of most other smartphones currently on the market) with 5-megapixels, Carl Zeiss optics, an LED flash, and DVD-quality video recording with built-in video lighting. The iPhone still has that meager 2-megapixel relic with neither a built-in flash nor manual focus.
The N97 also beats the iPhone in memory - both in the way of onboard storage (32 GB vs. 8 GB or 16 GB) and expandable memory (up to the 16 GB extra vs. none at all).
The most noticeable difference between the N97 and the iPhone is that the Nokia has a slideout QWERTY keyboard in addition to its Apple-comparable touchscreen keypad.
Both the iPhone and the Nokia N97 have built-in GPSs (the iPhone's including 3rd party geo-location apps and GoogleMaps, the N97's including an electronic compass and NokiaMaps). Both have HSDPA, Bluetooth, and WiFi connectivity.
No one can expect, however, that the Nokia store will ever be able to offer N97 users the range and variety of smartphone apps that the iTunes App Store offer iPhone users.
Though prices have yet to be released, particularly in US dollars, it seems clear at least that the Nokia N97, with all its advantages over the iPhone, will also cost more to purchase than the iPhone.
Corey Bruhn is the owner of iPhone Mobile Mob, http://www.iphonemobilemob.com, who specializes in reporting news, updates and unique features of the Apple iPhone. Download our FREE iPhone Ebook to find out more about your iPhone.
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