Nine months ago, Steve looked at the then-new Apple iPhone, pitched against the also-new Nokia N95 8GB flagship - with the release of the iPhone 3G, it's high time for a rematch. It's evident that the iPhone 3G has closed the gap and wins in some areas, but there are still holes in its functionality that you could drive a motorhome through, leading to another overall N95 8GB victory.

Read on in the full article (http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/7457_In_depth-Apple_iPhone_3G_versu.php).

Steve, the S60 browser does NOT support Java.
It does along with the iPhone support Javascript.

"in use, requires two hands to use most of the time, proving a little restrictive. "

yes a phone is a one handed device... :-)

and bluetooth what were they thinking...

and the nokia won't be a target for muggers anymore they will be to busy stealing itouches then returning them to the owner saying get the phone...

and the battery.... don't forget the time you don't have your phone...

but then it is all hype..
http://www.wolfcat.com.au/randomrants/2008/06/postid-105/

Though I'm very content with my N95 and would have approved this conclusion for the last iPhone this simply is not true. I would choose the 3G IPhone any day...

But hey, more than one year difference in release... not too bad a feat! (So Nokia, when is that yet to be released überphone coming :-D)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphone#iPhone_3G

have a look at the dot points for what is new..
3g, different battery, gps

thats it.

Everyone can go home now... nothing to see move on.

This review is hardly impartial when it's littered with 'awesome' etc. A side by side comparison shouldn't have any subjective adjectives.

Also,
"pouched/cased by necessity" is not true

"In use, requires two hands to use most of the time, proving a little restrictive."

Not true, most of the time it requires one hand only, unless one is doing text input, say for sms or email, and fast text input on N95 would require two hands also.

"Possible target for muggers?"
C'mon?!!


Note, iphone also supports TV-OUT with widescreen on/off and PAL/NTSC options

mention should also be made of the updating facility on both devices

Nokia release firmware upgrades, but never upgrade the core OS (ie feature pack 1 to feature pack 2 etc)
Apple on the other hand, with GPS and 3G data functions aside update all existing iPhones to version 2 of the iPhone OS (also iPod Touch for a small charge of $9.95)

And anyone who has either a current iPhone or iPod touch in the UK will know that you can use the BBC catch up service the BBC iPlayer, it works superbly.

I must admit somewhat sadly that I am starting to lean towards the iPhone after years of Symbian devices, mainly because the newer devices (N96 & N78) don't really offer anything new over the N95 8GB and N82. So as I have no intention of getting an N96 I may just keep my N82 and go for an iPhone 3G.

Steve. it is just not fair to compare input options of ANY nokia s60 3rd with Iphone. There is program - voicemode- superb speech recognition that i use for more then half a year. I simply forgot about using keys. The speed of inputing text is like on fly and i am not native English speaking person(they promise support for 5 more languages).

One killer app/capability for me on the N95 8GB is the Podcasting suite - downloading podcasts (e.g. over Wi-Fi) without any need to connect to a desktop. iPhone really needs to add that functionality (I'm sure it will come from a third party source soon enough).

The video side of the N95 8GB, something entirely lacking (officially) from the iPhone, is also very very good - perfectly suitable for impromptu events you want to capture.

The 5MP stills camera is quite another thing however. Whilst the hardware is probably up to great snaps, the photo taking software in the N95 8GB is so slow and unintuitive I hardly bother using it. A quick example: I can't even set my own preferred user setting to default. Every time I want to take a quick snap I have to wait for the camera to load (it's quite slow), then change all the settings, then take the picture. By which time the moment has invariably passed. Furthermore, there is such large amounts of jpeg compression applied, it may as well be a 2MP camera!

Despite the absolute powerhouse features of the N95 8GB I still can't help but feel it is an incredible chore to use. I mean just the way you write a text message prevents me from bothering half the time (I believe they need to at least get messaging on the N95 8GB up their with SE's implementation) - it is SOOOO long winded. Internet browsing is a similar case for me. The capability is there, just not the will to suffer using it. Sure it's great that it can do all these things - but all these things, even though not quite as good/powerful on the iPhone actually get used on that device because it's simple to do so.

www.benfrain.com (http://www.benfrain.com)

This review is hardly impartial when it's littered with 'awesome' etc. A side by side comparison shouldn't have any subjective adjectives.

Also,
"pouched/cased by necessity" is not true

"In use, requires two hands to use most of the time, proving a little restrictive."

Not true, most of the time it requires one hand only, unless one is doing text input, say for sms or email, and fast text input on N95 would require two hands also.

"Possible target for muggers?"
C'mon?!!


Note, iphone also supports TV-OUT with widescreen on/off and PAL/NTSC options

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1454

Awesome Comparison Steve,

N95 is still streets ahead of the iphone.

Apple has always been just hype and hot air, extremely outrageous headlines like 'Apple killed Windows Mobile etc' not withstanding, this comparison really puts the iphone in its place. They still have a lot more work to do before they can compete with a seasoned mobile manufacturer like Nokia. :icon14:

iPhone uses the MBX lite and the N95 8gb wastes the MBX within the OMAP2420

It is true that neither device supports Java, only javascript - yes, BOTH support javascript.

Nokia devices support flash, true, but after waiting since last October for the release of FL3.0 I am sorely disappointed with the quality and usability of it. Going on the fact that I generally only need flash for Youtube I am here drawn more to The Iphone with its OFFICIAL high-quality Youtube client (and unofficial downloader) than the Symbian Flashlite capability which is SEVERELY handicapped - it doesn't work at all on most of my favourite flash sites.
Mobitubia (the Youtube client) is garish, clunky and unsatisfactory in my eyes.

COME BACK EMTUBE!!!!!

There is a huge amount of development for the Iphone and obvious support from Google and the BBC. I don't doubt that Channel 4 will release a 4od client soon and there's already a DEDICATED ORB client and a superbly slick Fring client - all of which sit happily in the background while you run other applications.
Coreplayer is in development for the Iphone meaning that soon Iphone users will be able to view almost any video format without conversion.

There is no reason why both the Iphone 3g and standard Iphone can't be updated to support any bluetooth profile (when they finally decide that this will be a worthwhile exercise!). Apple seem to like to hold things back until they've got them dusted.

Currently I'm happy with my N95 - it's still a damn good device; but perhaps therein lies the problem. It's now over a year since my N95-1 was released and there is nothing better out there yet: no Touchcreen, no higher-resolution screen, nothing to get excited about. Sure there was an 8gb version with extra RAM and a slightly bigger screen (with resultant lower ppi count)

but is this an exciting upgrade?


And what will the N96 offer us? QVGA screen (again) same camera, 16gb of storage (I don't even use all my 8gb) and a tv service which doesn't work in the Uk and will be of limited appeal beyond the novelty factor.

What does the Iphone 3g potentially offer me that I don't have?

A much more enjoyable browsing experience. So enjoyable in fact that the first time I tried the browser on a Touch was like the first day I got broadband.

The best mobile Email client ever. Period.

GPS with a responsive, accelerometer-driven screen (roll on Tomtom) and the best Googlemaps client available for mobiles.

A music player with no match, which actually plays album art.

Great battery life.

Support from the BBC and google for apps such as the Iplayer and Youtube . Popular sites will invariably release Iphone applications, negating the need for Flashlite for most people.

Orb client which is easier to use than a browser based app, and which allows audio and video streaming WHILST multitasking. Strange that the N95 is unable to offer this feature without pausing and re-buffering every time.


I wish Nokia would use a little more imagination. If the Iphone 3g comes out on T-Mobile in the next 6 months I have no doubt that I'll be getting one.

I'd like to see this revisited when verison 2.0 of the iPhone software is available please.

A lot of the article appears to be based on known hardware specs of iPhone 3g but current software specs.

iPhone 1 doesn't interest me but the new one does pending the improvements delivered in the new software release combined with 3G.

Most of Steve's negatives would appear to be software related. The whole one handed/two handed thing is a personal preferance too. I wouldn't see this as a pro for one and a con for the other.

It doesn't need to be in a pouch or case, check this video out:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=czCCavcnNd8

I have to say leoni1980, I think I'm with you. I'm finding myself more and more tempted by the new iPhone.

I make a lot of long journeys by train and sometimes at work I'm sat around for literally hours with nothing to do. I quite fancy the idea of being able to watch movies or episodes of my favorite shows while I'm doing it. It's just not practical on the N95. The ease of syncing this content with the iPhone is another big draw for me as a past iPod owner.

The browser too. The N95 one is good, but sometimes I think to myself I just can't be bothered starting it up and waiting ages for it to render a page, and then having to tedously scroll around to find the text I want. Then sometimes it doesn't resize it right and I have to scroll left and right. It's just a chore sometimes.

Then I look at all the apps which are either coming or are available 'unofficially' like the NES emulator. The port of Super Mario Bros 3 looks amazing! And a lot of the shortcomings of the device which people complain about have already been resolved in these apps, i.e. the lack of video recording. I'm sure bluetooth will only be a matter of time.

To my mind one of the big factors (that doesn't get mentioned much) is the different form factors (i.e. tablet style, versus slider phone). When it comes down to it a lot of people still want a phone first and other bits later. I think a lot of iPhone users would agree that the actual phone experience is not optimal. Given this (form factor especially) the iPhone has a more limited addressable market that Nseries I'd say.

These comparisons, by necessity, are from one view point. Each point can also be taken a different way. Camera - e.g. it's slow - yes it is, but then do you want pictures usable off the device? Depends on the person? The good enough debate goes both way too (amount of functions vs usability of functions).

Personally I think most people reading this would be better off with an N95 because it can do more (and they're capable of getting round the foibles). The iPhone might appeal more to the less technical... but of course the less technical are probably less phone obsessed and may be happier with a cut down S60 phone or feature phone.

Also an isolated comparison of the devices doesn't tell the whole story - Nokia offers other Nseries devices, other S60 devices and other phone devices. Just as Apple offers iPods. Saying one device is better than another is fine (and clearly healthy debate on this), but the conclusions you can draw are limited - a sense of overall perspective is required.

Ultimately I think the competition can only be good for consumers. Nokia has had its own way with Nseries for too long really!

And I guess the fact we're talking about it at all says a lot about Apple's marketing / ability to attract attention and conversation!

When it comes down to it a lot of people still want a phone first and other bits later. I think a lot of iPhone users would agree that the actual phone experience is not optimal. Given this (form factor especially) the iPhone has a more limited addressable market that Nseries I'd say.

I know people who won't buy the iPhone purely because it's too wide, but it has to be that wide for the browser to work effectively. Apple have to make a different kind of phone if they want to win these kinds of sceptics over.

The phone market is so large (1 billion devices a year, practically every kind of person uses mobiles, every age, every income, every nationality) that tastes and needs are incredibly diverse.

It would be commercial suicide for a large phone company to stick to just one form factor. A few years ago Nokia's market share suffered apparently because they were putting too much emphasis on monoblock/candybar phones, people wanted the choice of flip phones and sliders too. When Nokia added more of these form factor options to their lineup, their market share went back up again.

Even among expensive models, look at all the different shapes of phone which have been successful: N95, Blackberry, RAZR etc. They don't have anything in common because different people have different tastes, there's room for all these form factors.

If Apple is serious about market share in the phone world, they will have to get over this idea that there's just one way of doing things, because that will only get them one kind of customer.

Large clothing companies would never try to sell one kind of garment, large car makers would never try to sell one kind of car, and large phone manufacturers cannot make just one kind of phone. Trying to make a single perfect phone is pure folly, it might go down well with hardcore fans but not with the wider market.

I guess I ought to respond to some of the above comments!

"pouched" - yes, there's is no WAY I'd stick an iPhone in a general pocket.
"muggers" - you'll notice that I inlcluded this comment for both! 8-)
"OS upgrades" - Apple's updates have been no more dramatic than many Nokia firmware updates, I'd say the two devices were on a par here
"awesome" - I didn't use many superlatives, but the N95's camera vs the iPhone needs *some* kind of emphasis
"voice input"? - Seriously? You're kidding, right?
"5MP might as well be 2MP" - Sorry, you're just plain wrong here. I've done a few articles on this in my time....
"camera speed" - a fair comment, although the N95 devices have been getting faster and they're quite good enough for most people, most of the time
"Java" - by this I meant that you can install Java apps
"Mobitubia clunky" - NO - Mobitubia is superb in its latest version. And silky smooth
"Imagination" - seconded, Nokia do seem to need a little more in their designs of late
"NES emulator" - don't forget there are LOADS of emulators available for S60 3rd Edition

the S60 browser does NOT support Java? thats funny, I've been visiting all kinds of java based websites lastnight on my n95, I must have been dreaming?

I was actually more under the impression that iphone is the one that doesn't support java.

Steve. i am not kidding. Just go download and see by yourself. Sometimes it works better then famous Dragon software for PC. You can use it in ANY program of phone, but there is one small thing. The program once upon a time sends MMS to company abroad and it is costly. I just set up in mms settings so it will ask before sending anything for my approval. In fact i am surprised you din't know about that. Mike

Sorry, i have spoken about voicemode - speech recognition program. Mike

And the winner is... The Nokia N810!

It would be easy to always plug the N95 ahead of the iPhone. But the overall compelling experience is created by the design of the UI and software. And this is where things can and most probably will change.

The number of N95's sold will be huge...especially as you can get the phone free on contract. But I wonder how many people web browse etc.?

Not many! Where as I buy into reports of experiences from the iPhone world where the design of the device has encouraged people to use features they may not otherwise use.

And in the case of the Apps store, this is where Apple may well have the heads up.

Let's face it. Look at Symbian third party software downloads on Handango - given the millions of devices out there, its scary to see decent applications with 1000 downloads...and you know the conversion to "buy" will be so so so much smaller.

But I will bet my life on Apple reporting in a few months staggering downloads of third party software from their Apps store.

Because what Apple are good at doing is aiming at the masses and creating brand loyalty. The overall compelling experience of using an iPhone if you look at it from the standpoint of Mr. and Mrs. Average is much higher than an N95.

For us tech heads, there is nothing difficult about the N95. Where as my 65 year old father can open a web page on my iPhone but I would have zero chance of getting him to do the same on my N95.

And that's the difference.

Yes - there is a lot of iPhone hype. But with good reason. The 3G version is really the beginning. The first iteration was the testing ground. And they will only get better.

Compelling experience is mostly created by software. And the Apps store could be the one thing that truly puts Apple ahead of the rest. And with their new pricing point, they are much more likely to capture a greater share of the market.

In theory, I agree that the N95 is a better phone, though the iPhone wins in some key areas. As a US buyer, there is one wrinkle, though: the price comparison you list does not apply here. The N95-8GB is $750 (at Nokia's site, though currently out of stock), more than triple the iPhone's $199 up front cost, and then the data plans are more expensive for the N95. AT&T, the only national option for 3G on the N95, has a standard data plan for $35, but the iPhone plan is $30 (they can choose from the same voice plans).

Admittedly, you get an unlocked N95, and no contract commitment, but since AT&T is the only source for 3G, what difference does that really make? That being the case, over the course of two years, the Nokia costs $670 more. No matter how much I like the N95, that is a big plus in the other column.

Jack

The N95 may be the clear winner in terms of raw features but using a Symbian phone and using all its features requires a lot of patience. Who had the idea of configuring the items on the main screen as "Standby items" in some 2nd level sub menu? You may think that S60 Nokia phones have a UI but actually they don't. It is more a collection of random apps which aren't working well together. Its a collection of things which gets a geek and some experts excited but finding all the functions is a pain in the butt. I had my fair share by trying to configure WLAN on an E61 yesterday. Mind you that we're writing software for mobile phones incl. S60 so I have some idea about mobile phones.

Apple has a clear UI and it works well. That's their strong point. It may not have all the bells and whistles but at least you can find and use them.

Just my $0.02
Frank

The arguments are biased towards nokia as they would be but from the feedback a lot of nokia users on this site appear to now consider an iPhone . The argument based on lists of features and specs does not work anymore as people see the user experience that apple provide from the desktop to the phone, nokia are nowhere near with their media offerings. Now tempted to move from from s60 to iPhone after Reading all the press coverage over the last few days. Nothing stands out in the new nokia line up to tempt me back to s60.

Am I missing something? Do people really have a phone to enjoy using it? I am sure there are plenty of better things to be doing with our time than using the features of an OS? Jeez, what have we become when something like that is important to us?

"Ooh look my phone has slidey pictures on it when I poke it!"

Get some friends.

The N95 may be the clear winner in terms of raw features but using a Symbian phone and using all its features requires a lot of patience. Who had the idea of configuring the items on the main screen as "Standby items" in some 2nd level sub menu? You may think that S60 Nokia phones have a UI but actually they don't. It is more a collection of random apps which aren't working well together. Its a collection of things which gets a geek and some experts excited but finding all the functions is a pain in the butt. I had my fair share by trying to configure WLAN on an E61 yesterday. Mind you that we're writing software for mobile phones incl. S60 so I have some idea about mobile phones.

Apple has a clear UI and it works well. That's their strong point. It may not have all the bells and whistles but at least you can find and use them.

Just my $0.02
Frank

I think you make a fair point about settings complexity, but then I'd also say at least I can configure this stuff / have decent personalisation etc. Complexity and hard to find stuff is partly a by product of more functionality surely? Though I think S60 could improve here.

S60 does have a UI and its efficient for a softkey driven UI (all the phone manufacturers use something like this in the basic design), but it does not have the slickness / coolness of touch. I actually think real world usability is much better on softkey phones than people realise - though that's another debate.

Plus bringing the E61 is a bit unfair - its 2 year old device after all.

The really interesting comparisons happen when we have Nokia touch devices to talk about.

To the last commenter - yeah there's some bias, but this is among the more informative and fact based discussion I've seen.

In theory, I agree that the N95 is a better phone, though the iPhone wins in some key areas. As a US buyer, there is one wrinkle, though: the price comparison you list does not apply here. The N95-8GB is $750 (at Nokia's site, though currently out of stock), more than triple the iPhone's $199 up front cost, and then the data plans are more expensive for the N95. AT&T, the only national option for 3G on the N95, has a standard data plan for $35, but the iPhone plan is $30 (they can choose from the same voice plans).

Admittedly, you get an unlocked N95, and no contract commitment, but since AT&T is the only source for 3G, what difference does that really make? That being the case, over the course of two years, the Nokia costs $670 more. No matter how much I like the N95, that is a big plus in the other column.

Jack

That's exactly the position I'm in. Living in the US and given the price point, it seems that the N95, nor the N82, N81, or N78 can even compete with the iPhone 3G. And as much as I hate to think of myself as someone who would carry around an iPhone, at this point it would be pure stupidity on my part to pay more than half a grand more for the N95.

the S60 browser does NOT support Java? thats funny, I've been visiting all kinds of java based websites lastnight on my n95, I must have been dreaming?

I was actually more under the impression that iphone is the one that doesn't support java.

no you have been visiting javascript based sites not java.
Javascript and Java are not the same they are both programming languages but that is all they have in common.
Both the iPhone and N95 browsers support javascript neither support Java in the browser.

I guess I ought to respond to some of the above comments!


"OS upgrades" - Apple's updates have been no more dramatic than many Nokia firmware updates, I'd say the two devices were on a par here
"Java" - by this I meant that you can install Java apps



OS Upgrades, except that the N95 8GB doesn't preseve data (unlike the N82) and there is no way Nokia will ever upgrade a Feature Pack 1 device like the N95 to Feature pack 2.

Java, no what you said under Web Browsing was and I quote

"A similarly good experience, this time limited by screen real estate and not bandwidth, with very similar browser code (both based on the same open source Web modules). Flash and Java support, including full Flash video."

which is just plain wrong the S60 browser does not support Java only Javascript the same as the iPhone.

Perhaps this draws a clear line which can never be compromised.

Theres those that want to be able to do everything, and theres those that want a nice, pretty and easy to use UI.

No-one has managed to combine both yet, and to be quite honest I dont think its possible.

How can you possibly get all the options you have on the current nokias into a UI like the iphone? I just dont think you can do it.

You want all those features for your 5MP camera? That requires submenus Im afraid.

The main difference I see is that with the original Apple gave people the bare minimum but made it GOOD. The focus was on those three things we kept reading iPod, Phone, Web. They've been busy filling in the missing bits with the software updates and the new 3G hardware update but they know they have a long way to go. They have a plan!

Nokia, on the other hand, have got so many devices and so many different markets to look at, they keep loosing focus. They have the most feature rich hardware and one of the best software platforms - but guess what - barely any of their customers use the phones to their full potential. They have E series devices with features the N series buyer want - but isn't allowed to have!! (And the same on the other side). I can imagine why they'de like to keep N-Gage to a specific set of devices - the hardware has top be there, but why would they keep software features locked to a small set of devices without a real world purpose?

I think Symbian is the most advanced mobile os in the world (to coin a phrase) but Nokia, SE and others have never used it's full potential because they've restricted themselves to specific criteria - which is fine when you need to grow your feature set but lacks foresight.

"5MP might as well be 2MP" - Sorry, you're just plain wrong here. I've done a few articles on this in my time....

Yup, no use to compare the iPhone camera to that of the N95 or even the, in this regard, somewhat (compared to the N95 / N82) inferior N95 8GB. The Nokia has waaaaaaaaaay better camera - not to mention video recording.

"Java" - by this I meant that you can install Java apps


1. You might want to dedicate an entire row to this as MIDP (MIDlet) support has nothing to do with the built-in browser. Putting "Java" in a web browser evaluation rows either refers to Java applets or, if you don't take into account the difference, JavaScript. (Also see my multiplatform W3C speech on these issues if interested.)

(2. Sun promises a MIDlet environment for iPhone. It;s, however, still not known if and when it becomes available.)


"Mobitubia clunky" - NO - Mobitubia is superb in its latest version. And silky smooth


Well, Mobitubia DOES have problems with SOME (about 10%) of videos. It's only CorePlayer that plays everything w/o problems - at least in FLV (QVGA) mode. (When it receives H.264 hardware acceleration support, it hopefully will play back H.264 videos too with all its advantages; most importantly, 44 kHz stereo sound).

Make sure you all read my YouTube Bible (in the N95 forum here); in there, I've elaborated on ALL these questions.

The 5MP stills camera is quite another thing however. Whilst the hardware is probably up to great snaps, the photo taking software in the N95 8GB is so slow and unintuitive I hardly bother using it. A quick example: I can't even set my own preferred user setting to default. Every time I want to take a quick snap I have to wait for the camera to load (it's quite slow), then change all the settings, then take the picture. By which time the moment has invariably passed. Furthermore, there is such large amounts of jpeg compression applied, it may as well be a 2MP camera!


While I don't really know the camera app in the N95 8GB, the one in the v21 N95 is excellent. Also, the JPEG compression isn't THAT big. Are you sure you've left the app in its default parameters? then, it won't use much compression. (At least not on the N95. I don't know if the 8GB is different in this respect.)

BTW, a completely unrelated remark: many of us consider the N95 superior to the 8GB. Even Steve (if it was him that published the "which is the best: N82, N95, N95 8GB" some months ago). Why don't compare the N95 - instead of the N95 8GB - to the non-Symbian alternatives?

I have an n95-3, which I love. But I cant help but feel that nobody give the iPhone's Durability a fair judgement. it IS one of the most durable phones, (that is not designed to be a brick), where as my n95 started showing signs of paint chips on the buttons after 2 months.

metal and tempered glass is what all high class electronics should be made out of... I don't why the Eseries phones get special treatment.

In fact it is such a WRONG comparison...

First you are comparing with OLD Nokia.... Lets talk iPhone 2 vs N96 ... then we good to go!..lol do you have any doubt who is going to WIN.... even the meticore N82 is leap and bound ahead of iPhone...

The fact remains... no matter what iPhone still is and will always be a money minting machine for Apple....

In comparison Nokia brings up INNOVATION and EXCELLENT Products.... ... true no touch screen (yet) BUT.... there is NO comparison...

the N82 EASILY beats iPhone2 in ALL Aspects .....

Let's talk about MONEY .... the $200 iPhone.... HOLD ON WAIT A MINUTE... you have to SIGN a CONTRACTTTTTTTTTTTtttt.....

So $70 * $24 + $200 ... that's Freaking $1880...$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and for a NETWORK LOCKED....

HAVE you guys thought about YOUR OWN PRIVACY?

DO YOU KNOW APPLE IS GOING TO CAPTURE PHOTOGRAPHS AND FINGER PRINTS.... THAT's why NO ONLINE SALES!.........

Yeah, but it's still glass, however well treated. Compared to the plastic of the N95's display. I know which I'd rather bet on when dropped onto the supermarket floor or pavement.

[BTW, thanks guys for the Java comments - I don't know what I was thinking and I've removed the offending couple of words in the article.]

I have plenty of Japanese friends and from what I understand there will be a Japanese input option for use within the iPhone, that'll seal the deal for me sadly. I say sadly cause I really want a 5mp camera in my phone so I don't need two devices.

I'm with Frank completely.
Sure, Symbian smartphones have more features, but those are 'geek-only' features. Not many people are eager to use them. And finding 'normal audience' really usable features can be quite painful. The default menu setup is a mess.
iPhone has less features but completely visible (not hidden in Submenus/MORE buttons/Options buttons) and accessible (all on the standby screen).
Heck, just the Access Point selection between WiFi/Cell in every application drives me crazy!
Now, to solve those craziness, they have not fixed the OS (which could have had an AP Prefs list) but started to introduce Default/Standby AP concept in every 'new' app, like E-Mail, Mail for Exchange, N-Gage etc. Now if I get home I still need to change settings, but now it's more difficult (I have to go to Options).
What a mess! And for how long...

The Iphone's ability to sync beautifully with iTunes is it's main advantage. It's inability(legally) to do multi-tasking makes me consider the stability/security of OSX on the Iphone. Programing in C objective alone aren't going to give programmers enough power.
The Iphone has an advantage of getting free marketing on every media. Certainly the marketing budget for the Iphone must be minimal.

While I don't really know the camera app in the N95 8GB, the one in the v21 N95 is excellent. Also, the JPEG compression isn't THAT big. Are you sure you've left the app in its default parameters? then, it won't use much compression. (At least not on the N95. I don't know if the 8GB is different in this respect.)


You're kidding right? Using the default parameters a 5MP image from the N95 8GB is saved on the N95 8GB at around 500-900K? I don't know what you define as 'big' amounts of compression but if you are happy with that you may want to get down to specsavers...

I have a compact 3.2MP Pentax that produces images around 3-4MB and my SLR's start with JPEGS around the 6MP mark. 500-900K is unusable for any serious work. Which therefore relegates it to being 'just for kicks' like the iPhones. I'm not defending the iPhone camera because it is pants. I'm just saying the N95 8GB implementation needs a lot of work.

Sorry, but that's rubbish. A lot depends on the quality of the JPG compression - a well crafted 1MB image might be far better than a badly crafted 5MB one. Size isn't, contrary to the spam I get each day in my email inbox, everything.

Neither are megapixels everything. There are many, many factors involved in producing a good and useable image. I'll admit that the N95's images might not satisfy a full-time professional photographer, but they're a whole generation better than the miserable images from the iPhone - I've tested each in identical conditions.

Sorry, but that's rubbish. A lot depends on the quality of the JPG compression - a well crafted 1MB image might be far better than a badly crafted 5MB one. Size isn't, contrary to the spam I get each day in my email inbox, everything.

Neither are megapixels everything. There are many, many factors involved in producing a good and useable image. I'll admit that the N95's images might not satisfy a full-time professional photographer, but they're a whole generation better than the miserable images from the iPhone - I've tested each in identical conditions.

Steve I have also tested both at length and, as already stated, I don't argue that the images produced by the iPhone are risible and the N95 8GB's are better. But a 'whole generation better'? I would strongly argue that claim.

The facts speak for themselves: the still images produced by the N95 8GB are not only poor, especially given the lip-service paid to it's technical specs - they are also slow to capture and store. Whether this is due to CPU intensive compression algorithms/writing to the on board memory etc I would think only a Nokia engineer could tell you for sure. However...

Steve, are you seriously trying to argue that the N95 8GB is employing an incredibly sophisticated JPEG compressor that can crunch an image to that size (500-900K) without compromising quality? If so I suggest they outsource it to Canon and Nikon...

If this is your hypothesis, and it is correct (the compression technique does this without sacrificing image quality) then the N95 8GB truly has got an awful camera!

It simply isn't a realistically sized file for a photo of any quality of that pixel dimension (5MP).

The Iphones build quality is streets ahead, as is the screen, and whats this bumpf about a "professional lens" ?. Only the BT and camera are huge advantages in the n95 8gb's favour.

Steve, are you seriously trying to argue that the N95 8GB is employing an incredibly sophisticated JPEG compressor that can crunch an image to that size (500-900K) without compromising quality? If so I suggest they outsource it to Canon and Nikon...

You're right - I've thoroughly scrutinized the output of the JPEG encoder, the (lack of) different quality settings. It indeed uses pretty much compression.

I haven't really noticed this before because I didn't look at the results on the pixel level - when printed as a 4x6 pic, the output of the N95 is still excellent and the heavy JPEG compression, IMHO, is barely visible (if at all). The N95 is the first phone I can really depend on and don't feel I need to take my IXUS 960 IS (SD950 IS) with me everywhere.

I hope Nokia comes up with an additional quality level setting - or a third-party camera app is released, with an alternative JPEG encoder. (Which was, BTW, the case with Windows Mobile and CECam - see http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=212709 if interested for more info on the very similar problems plaguing some past WinMo models.)

You're kidding right? Using the default parameters a 5MP image from the N95 8GB is saved on the N95 8GB at around 500-900K? I don't know what you define as 'big' amounts of compression but if you are happy with that you may want to get down to specsavers...

I have a compact 3.2MP Pentax that produces images around 3-4MB and my SLR's start with JPEGS around the 6MP mark. 500-900K is unusable for any serious work. Which therefore relegates it to being 'just for kicks' like the iPhones. I'm not defending the iPhone camera because it is pants. I'm just saying the N95 8GB implementation needs a lot of work.

You're right - I haven't really checked the output filesizes of the camera.

you are incorrect. on ATT the n95 is considered a regular phone, which only needs the 15 dollar unlimited data plan. i've been using it forever along with everyone else with an n95. and the n95 is not subsidized like the new iphone. so its not a comparison you should make. i can go to los angeles and find an import shop, get an n95 for 150USD with new ATT service. so now how does that stack up against the new iphone in terms of price?

As a long time Nokia phone user and one of the first owners of a N95 in Finland, I have to agree with some of the above comments that the Apple iPhone is the better overall device when it comes to sheer joy of simply USING the damn thing.

Especially the comment above of "random applications that don't really work together" is spot on! Symbian on N and E series is a nightmare to navigate. Incredibly clumsy.

The devil is in the details. How fast applications load and how smooth really does matter when you consider the overall experience! There are NO glitches when switching apps in the iPhone, compared to N95 for instance which reminds me of old computers where screens "glitch" and show random colors when starting applications.

However, I was severely disappointed by the incredibly bad camera on the iPhone 3G. I use the camera and especially the video recording functions on the N95 all the time. Every single day! They are very important to me as I do not want to carry an extra camera with me all the time. The N95 picture/video quality is enough for every day snapshots that you even dare to publish online and in print!

Bottom line for me: When apple makes an iPhone with a good camera/video recording at 30fps, 640x480, then I'll buy, immediately and never look back! However, for the time being, I will have to make do with the N95.

Cheers!
ns

Just thought of a big one in favour of the N95 8GB if you have any concerns over long term radiation and cell damage from phones: SAR rating. Whilst the N95 8GB is something like 0.79, the iPhone 3G is 1.4! Very high in comparison (yes, I know that isn't a perfect measurement of likely radiation absorption but it is the only comparable data we have at present)

I had a E-61 and I had no trouble configuring it. Anyway the bottom line is taht the N95 8GB is far more better, very manly and a hardy phone than the iphone. My wife uses an iphone and yes it looks good but thats about it. I find the iphone to be very inpractical and ladylike, I use almost all the features on my N95 8GB appart from GPS on a daily basis and I don't have a sigle complain appart from the batteryy life.

Frank stop writing programmes especially for mobile phones, sorry mate I don't think you're any good at it as I had no trouble configuring mine at all as I mentioned earlier.

you are incorrect. on ATT the n95 is considered a regular phone, which only needs the 15 dollar unlimited data plan. i've been using it forever along with everyone else with an n95. and the n95 is not subsidized like the new iphone. so its not a comparison you should make. i can go to los angeles and find an import shop, get an n95 for 150USD with new ATT service. so now how does that stack up against the new iphone in terms of price?

While you are right, the N95 is not subsidized, that is the point. The original article compared the subsidized prices in Europe, but the N95 is far more expensive in the US. Sadly, your idea for an import still falls short, because the import N95 do not have US 3G. I am not going to bother with a smart phone if it means going back to Edge. I liked my 9300, but the speed was an issue.

I used to have the same $15 data plan, when I had my 9300. It's a nice deal. Unfortunately, when I tried to get another smart phone last weekend, I found that it is no longer available. You can keep it if you already have it, but getting a data plan now your only options are a regular data plan for $30 or one with tethering for $60.

I should note the original post about the price differences was wrong about the data plan prices. The plan for non-iphones is listed as $35, but that is without a voice plan. With a voice plan, it is $30, same as the iPhone. So, the price difference is ONLY $550 more for the n95-8GB.

Jack

I definately won't be buying a 3G iphone, and it's partly because of specs, but mainly because of restrictions.
i) I don't want to use iTunes as my music library
ii) I don't want to be tied to one network operator
iii) I don't want to be tied to a long contract
iv) I don't want to buy a bluetooth device only to find it's functions have been crippled

I know some of these things can be fixed by jailbreaking, but who wants a very expensive device with no warranty?
As long as Jobs keeps trying to force me to do things his way, he won't make a penny out of me. Apple seem to have very little regard for their customers (charging for firmware updates?) while Nokia with their Comes With Music have found a great marketing tool as well as a way of rewarding loyalty. Can anyone imagine Apple giving a year's free iTunes downloads with every iPhone/iPod? It'll never happen...

did you find out how many times a N95 crashes compared to an iphone?

Im about 4 seconds faster than my N95 8Gb, its so annoying.

Nokia arent innovating, i see a new N-series phone, try it out, oh wait, its EXACTLY the same phone but in a different shell, i liked sony ericsson because every new k-series phone you got some great new stuff.

Jesus christ nokia maps is really bad compared to google mobile maps. i dont know how google can make a better java app then nokia but they have done it

And what is the point of the flick out music bit? By the time i go from looking at a picture to trying to play a track ive lost interest

First, I have to agree with all Iphone defenders – phone’s interface, speed, multitouch are incredible comparing to all devices we have on market. Not by chance, WM users try to mimic, Linux users try to mimic and eventually everyone will get there. BUT I just can’t (even on a new Iphone) do things, which I do on my n95. Therefore, I do not care about interface. In addition, here is the catch. As was said before, many people get Smartphones with contract for free and even don’t know what they have in their hands. So, I meet those on work, among relatives, in friends circle. Occasionally they see as I literally speak sms to my phone or by using fring my bills are much, much smaller then theirs, etc, etc. At the end they ask – “how is that, I want it, teach me, send me etc, etc”. I repeat, most of those things you just cannot do even on hacked Iphone, so the verdict is obvious. Mike

I think the iPhone 3G is more of a software play than a hardware one. Nokia is selling the N95 based on features which is the traditional way of doing it, Apple iPhone markets the 3G iPhone by selling the user-experience. Quantitative vs. qualitative.
I see the 3G iPhone as being more of being an anti-RIM than an anti-Nokia because its aiming at the corporate users.

-- Igor Roth

I don't have an iPhone, but I do have an iPod Touch, and en E90. The interface on the Touch is streets ahead of anything else I have used, but the Touch (and therefore the iPhone) is limited by the many things that it can't do.

Someone referred to the iPhone's fast switching between apps. While that is also true of the Touch, it is hardly multi-tasking when many, if not most, apps shut when they are sent to the background. An example; you start editing a contact, switch to another app, come back to Contacts, and the edit screen has closed. This is exactly how UIQ2 used to work, and it's a pain in the ****. If I do the same thing on my E90, wheneverI go back into an app, it's usually (not always, I grant you that) as I left it; much more user-friendly.

Another issue which apple have not yet sorted out is the random date/time bug. Connect an iPhone/iPT to a Windows PC which has come out of hibernation, and just watch iTunes change the date and time on your device change to something random. I don't use my iPT as a PDA, so it's not a problem for me (just very irritating), but if you do intend to use your shiny apple hardware as your main agenda, this bug becomes fairly serious.

I personally think the iPhone is a great piece of hardware, and apple have got many things right with it, but they have got some way to go before they catch up with the likes of Nokia in the all-round smartphone stakes. Maybe that's not what apple intend to do, which is fine, but comparing an iPhone with an N95 is like comparing apples with pears (no pun intended!!)....

"Because what Apple are good at doing is aiming at the masses and creating brand loyalty. The overall compelling experience of using an iPhone if you look at it from the standpoint of Mr. and Mrs. Average is much higher than an N95."
No, what apple is good at is marketing. If nokia put up the same kind of money to market the n95, no one would be talking about the iphone.

Thanks for the comparison - the use of 'awesome' doesn't bother me as I have an original N95 and it would be fair to say that the camera is indeed 'awesome'. Equally though, it is fair to say that it is annoyingly slow to activate and configure to your required needs. I've loved having the N95, but in truth I've done little with it. Being able to download 3rd party apps that geotag your photos and then allow you to post directly to Flickr wasn't a selling point for me - quite simply the 5MP camera is what did it. Can you imagine how amazed and astounded I was when I got the thing home and found out how many other wonderful additional features it had that I didn't know about. I was over-the-moon - I'd struck phone gold!!

Ah, but that's not the end of the story. Browsing on the N95 really bugs the hell out of me - move right to login to a site, move left to see the side menu, move right again to see the main content - grr and argh! Frustration in the extreme. It's nice that the N95 can do these things but it doesn't do them in a way that feels like a happy experience - it feels like hard work. I work in the IT field and should be more tolerant than this and should appreciate the capabilities of the device, but I don't, I just can't be bothered most of the time - much like Ben Frain (above).

The menu structure on the S60 is really, really bad - come on, lets face it, it's deep and non-intuitive and slow. Where are you going to find the calculator? - in the 'Applications' folder or the 'Office' folder? Tedium in the extreme. Just how slow is that 'Gallery' to load - even with a hotkey. Don't get me wrong - I really do love my N95. I could have gotten the original iPhone, but noone with half a brain buys a new version of Windows until SP1 is released (unless they're stuffed having to buy a new PC and Vista is already on it of course) - same principle applies here in my mind.

If I do get the iPhone 3G I think the only things that will bother me are:

1) No video recording (Could this change through software changes? idk tbh)
2) Can't link using bluetooth (but how often do you do that really anyway?)
3) Can't send MMS messages unless VGA something or other ... ( so actually, it can be done - are you sending to another person with the same quality of screen as you or is it smaller? )

Bonuses of iPhone 3G, imho:

1) O2 data plans include 'unlimited' downloads now - same for any browsing phone tbh, but not all can do YouTube, iPlayer and more in the future I'm sure.
2) Simplicity of use - this is huge!! So many more people will be able to do things they just can't be 4r53d doing on things like the N95.
3) [compared to iPhone original] - much more reasonably priced!!

Betwixed-and-between issues:

1) The battery - but then I've never needed a new battery before I've gotten a new phone, so really this issue is mute for me.
2) I like the idea of drinking coffee whilst using the phone - seriously though, while you tilt the cup to your face to take a drink, are you really raising your other arm up so you can see the screen of your N95 to make sure you're selecting the correct contact from your contacts list? A little bit of an insane point if you don't mind me saying so. I text with 2 hands on the N95 right now (for speed) - so what's the difference?

I hope I've helped others rationalise this - the iPhone 3G does sound quite good.
If you don't mind putting a bit of effort into bending things to your will then I'd say you probably still want the N95.
If you want something a little different, maybe lacking one or two things but what it does it does really well, then I'd say you probably want the iPhone 3G.

Nothing can be all things to all men (or women for that matter).

Regards,

Zanzizi

The two phone cant be really compared i Think. The iPhone just came out some years ago as Apples first phone. They are still in the middle of gettting everything onto it that people want. And they are really doing it. The Nokia has a lot slower processor then the iPhone does. I think the difference is 200Mhz. Since the iphone has a 630Mhz and the Nokia a 400Mhz processor. The iPhone has bigger screen, multi touch and a LOT of sodtware and great 3D games to come if you have seen the Keynote. The only thing the Nokia is completly better is the Camera. Thats sure. Thats only my opinion of course :]

This comparison is obviously biased.

Simply read about the features of the iPhone device at the following link:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/phone.html

...and you will understand why it is such a great handheld device.

Then if you wish, compare its features and appearance with other phones.

ciao

My problem with this debate is that that we should not be having it.

It is nothing short of shocking that apple could NOT sort out such a brilliant device with a decent camera, Video capabilities, A2DP, Multimedia messaging and flash (software and hardware 8-).

I think Mr Jobs' total omission of such things in the keynote speaks volumes.

I would imagine that this leaves some stuff to add for the next gen iPhone.

I am not likely to buy into their beautiful but lame new device.

I've used the current iPhone and N95 8GB and the iPhone is without doubt waaay more agile and tactile.

If the new one even had a decent camera and MMS I'd probably overlook it's other shortcomings but as it is I'm going to buy a Black N82 instead and suffer the (comparatively) trashy interface for the sake of functionality.


D

I've been a long time Symbian fan with SE P900, 910 and 990 and whilst the iPhone offers no more features than these phones in reality, for what I do with the phone (calls, text, music, e mail) the Apple beats the others hands down. In fact for a mobile the browser is so good I now don't fire the laptop up so often.
The N95 may have on paper have all the horsepower but the pure ease of use of the iPhone means for me I'll be sticking with the iPhone and maybe upgrading to 16gb 3G version shortly. And as a final note after a couple of months of ownership texting with one hand on the iPhone comes naturally.

I was in need of a real 30fps mpeg video recording. The Iphone is surely nicer and more user friendly, but, as someone else wrote above, the 3G is just the beginning... I've been an Apple user for more than 10 years, and I know a little bit the "Jobs policy". Next iteration, in more than one year, will be the real deal, and then I'll consider an Iphone for my "raw" needs. Right now, for me one has a sleek design, the other has the real useful software. My opinion (and I'm a real apple fanantic). And the 5mp camera is not at all bad (and I use a Eos 1 Ds mkIII for work) ;)

people are really serious bout their phones eh? imaging a world without mobiles, internet and television. we would sure to have a larger population crisis than the present.

The iPhone as a leap forward in technology? Hah. Why are you wasting time and bandwidth comparing iPhones to N95's when you should be comparing iPhones to XDA Orbit 2's (HTC Touch Cruise). The iPhone is pathetic up against the raw power of the XDA. The iphone doesnt support MMS - what moron was responsible for that? The iphone has a 'GPS'? No, it doesnt. It uses the local tower to determine position. Try using Co-Pilot on the XDA, you even get voice directions, something that the iPhone doesnt (what, something else the iphone doesnt do? No!) You are locked into an 02 contract (or AT&T), you cannot change it. If you dare to jailbreak the iPhone for use elsewhere and with 3rd party apps that make the iphone just about useable, you invalidate your warranty. That's right. If it breaks mechanically and you were stupid enough to have changed a single thing from the factory settings, they wash their hands of you - no fix mate, tough luck.

Revolutionary touch screen, so what! Lots of HTC's have touch screens which work better than an iPhone. You can sync it with iTunes? Why would you want to? It means that Apple know everything about you and your habbits. Get a free ripper and play the MP3's in the format that you want. By the way, the HTC/XDA supports up to 32gb flash drives. Knocks the iPhone into a cocked hat dont you think!

You can watch movies, yeah? So what. XDA does it too.

Did I mention that the XDA is a PDA too? The iPhone barely handles a contact list without looking stupid.

So, in summary. The N95 is a nice phone (I had one), dont get me wrong. It does all sorts of neat stuff but if you are going to compare phones, at least try to pick like for like. The N95 is in no way comparable since it doesnt work roughly like the iPhone does. However, the XDA Orbit 2 is and in my opinion is a much more worthy opponent.

May I also point out that whilst the geeks and freaks of the world who should know better are queueing up in the cold night to hand over the best part of $700 a year to Apple, they should consider that they can get a phone that does everything an iPhone does, only better, for about $300 from ebay and best of all, they dont have to use AT&T or O2. I challenge anyone to name one single thing the iPhone does that the Orbit 2 doesnt in real terms (other than sync with iTunes)

Whaaaa??

I know Nokia n95 is 3.5 G but the iPhone 3G is just 3G or 3.5G capable??????

nokia has clearly won over the iphone and there is no denying it and iphone owners will have to accept the fact that it still isn't as good as the nokia even though its six months old and still has more features and is overall a better phone and seeing as the iphone only has a 2megapixel camera and doesnt even have mms (which even £20 phones have these days) it still has a long way to go

Seriously , I think we all knew what Steve's test was going to conclude long before the iPhone 3G was even announced

In fact lets take it further , I can tell you that the NEXT incarnation on the iPhone is going to fall "just short" of the N96 , or whatever the flagship S60 device is when the time comes

Proof of the pudding and all that , I know many people with N95 8GB's who have bought iPhones , and are absolutely blown away by them , 8GB's are relegated to the drawer (or ebay) and they are more than happy with their iPhones - pleased that they looked a little further than the spec sheet !

Ask Google: reviews + HTC Touch Cruise.
Some not great reviews out there.
Something to do with no drivers for the chips that HTC use causing the device to be slow.

In the UK you can get the N95 free for £30 a month on all networks. iphone is £59 on the cheapest plan, and it is only available on O2 (big let down) if apple were going to use only one UK network then I think they should have gone with Vodafone.

Also no MMS, are the kidding me. Thats been one of the biggest developments in mobiles over the past few years, and considering the quality of their camera is no good for anything other than MMS pix why bother.

Also a lot of people say that the N95 is a brick, I would'nt want the iphone in my pocket when I sat down.

I would also like to know what the iphone is like for gaming apps. What with the N95 running N-gage games now.

I would also just like to agree with the post about the Orbit 2, I also owned an N95 8gb, only changed it because I get bored with handsets very quickly, but I have had the Orbit 2 for a few months now and I rate this phone highly, I have it running google maps, tomtom 6 and co-pilot is installed and they all work perfectly with the built in A-Gps.

I think it's worth a mention that the iphone does not support bluetooth stereo headphones either.

Something I do use, I do think the iphone is a nice piece of kit, but is not deserving of all the praise it gets or the price they charge. I am looking at getting the new Nokia E71, and all the reviews knock it for only having a 3mp camera, yet the same sites rave about the iphone. Thats double standards in my books.

And as far as media players go, the XDA has a version of one of the longest running, windows media player.

There are plenty of examples of the iPhones gaming perfomance on youtube (look for super monkey ball , crash nitro kart etc

nGage , LOL !

One thing the N95 has going for me has to be the camera: When purchasing a new phone, one of the main features I go for is a great camera. Sure, I could just as easily purchase a higher end camera, but then that would be an additional/unecessary cost. I enjoy taking pictures on the move, and while I'm no professional photographer requiring a multitude of add-ons, I need my pictures to be sharp and clear when blown up. Carrying around an additional high end camera (such as a 10MP DSLR) is simply too much of a hassle when I can achieve the same experience with my N95 8GB.

In this regard, the iPhone is clearly on the losing end here. 2MP is ridiculously low end by today's standards. I'd say that any camera phone worth it's salt has to be at least 3.2MP. And no flash, auto-focus, or video? What gives?

Sure, Apple went all out for the UI, and the iPhone's UI is definitely prettier than the N95 8GB. But in doing so, it seems they threw funtionality out the window.

Oh, and add that to the fact that the N95 8GB is so much cheaper than the iP 3G, and that it has already been out for so much longer, and we have a clear winner as far as I'm concerned.

This comparison is obviously biased.

Simply read about the features of the iPhone device at the following link:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/phone.html

...and you will understand why it is such a great handheld device.

Then if you wish, compare its features and appearance with other phones.

ciao

Oh, this has to be the smartest post EVER. To find out why the iPhone is great, read about it on the OFFICIAL APPLE SITE.

Right.

I'm sure the OFFICIAL APPLE SITE will give an HONEST and UNBIASED review about why one of their FLAGSHIP products is deserving of your dollar.

From now on, we should all read only OFFICIAL PRODUCT SITES to make up our minds when buying new products.

I think most people are trying to compare orange with apple here.
- N95 doesn't have any full-text keyboard; mainly aimed for voice talks.
- iPhone's main aim is a computer/browser.

Nokia has long known to be the No. 1 choice for voice quality, but the lack of a QUERTY keyboard on N95 makes it almost impossible to use as an email/texting device.

iPhone's voice quality is only average. I personally own the iPhone 3G, and have used several Nokia phones before. If I rate the voice on the Nokias to be 9/10, the iPhone should get around 6/10. If you use the phone for voice talks more than half of the time, the N95 is a no-brainer. Since I don't talk on the phone too much (about 200 minutes a month), so the iPhone is fine with me. If I really need to talk a lot, I'll probably just get another $30 Nokia phone for voice calls only.

If you want to use the phone to check emails, browse the web, play games, watch movies and listen to music, and only make a few phone calls a day, iPhone is hands down the best on earth. Wonder why every other smartphone is being compared to the iPhone? Just google for "iPhone vs." and see for yourself. I'll be defacto standard for a mobile

(sorry for the slip of finger on the last post)

I think most people are trying to compare orange with apple here.
- N95 doesn't have any full-text keyboard; mainly aimed for voice talks.
- iPhone's main aim is a computer/browser.

Nokia has long known to be the No. 1 choice for voice quality, but the lack of a QUERTY keyboard on N95 makes it almost impossible to use as an email/texting device.

iPhone's voice quality is only average. I personally own the iPhone 3G, and have used several Nokia phones before. If I rate the voice on the Nokias to be 9/10, the iPhone should get around 6/10. If you use the phone for voice talks more than half of the time, the N95 is a no-brainer. Since I don't talk on the phone too much (about 200 minutes a month), so the iPhone is fine with me. If I really need to talk a lot, I'll probably just get another $30 Nokia phone for voice calls only.

If you want to use the phone to check emails, browse the web, play games, watch movies and listen to music, and only make a few phone calls a day, iPhone is hands down the best on earth. Wonder why every other smartphone is being compared to the iPhone? Just google for "iPhone vs." and see for yourself. The iPhone is becoming a defacto standard on a mobile smartphone platform, and should last for a while. It's amazing to see the number of applications (paid and free) growing everyday on Apple's App-Store.