A few weeks ago, pre-iPhone 5 availability, I put up a detailed comparison of the flagships from the main four mobile operating systems, based partly on specifications and partly on experience. The iPhone 5 was the former, obviously, but now that I've had a full week of day to day use with the Apple iPhone 5 and with my trusty Nokia 808 by my side as well, now running Belle FP2 officially, I thought a more detailed comparison, with real world observations, might be appropriate. And yes, my informal scoring system tries its best to pick a winner...!
This is going to sound somewhat trivial, but I was struck today by the reality of NFC (Near Field Communications - what do you mean, you haven't read my NFC primer?) antenna position and how many manufacturers are missing a trick. Nokia got it right for the C7/701 and 700 but got it wrong (in my opinion) for the 808 PureView, while almost every single Android phone maker hasn't even considered the issue.
Guest writer Mark Johnson has been deep in real world test territory, trying out the Symbian and Windows Phone versions of Nokia Drive, both in planning, execution and on the road over an identical 110 mile journey. Here's his report. Although the latter version ends up a little less mature than its predecessor, it's worth noting that Nokia Drive and Maps and set for a big overhaul for Windows Phone 8, due out in a month's time. It'll be interesting to see Mark revisit his article in the New Year, perhaps?
Now, there's an element of guesswork in what follows, but I did want to address the issue of camera phone design, specifically the use of PureView 'phase 2' for the new Nokia Lumia 920, using Optical Image Stabilisation, large F2.0 lens and faster, brighter LED flash instead of simply using a proper 'Xenon' flash. Using back of envelope-style calculations, I try to draw some conclusions, though one thought keeps popping up in my head: if I was heading to a party or down the pub, I think I'd get better snaps from my 2007 Nokia N82 than the (late) 2012 Nokia Lumia 920. Controversial, me?
Supersizing is the new trend in the mobile world. The adage of 'bigger is better' seems to be the guiding principle in this era of phone design. The Android market has seen larger and larger devices, resulting in the likes of the Dell Streak and Samsung Galaxy Note. Apple isn't immune either; with the release of its iPhone 5, we see the familiar iPhone 4 design stretched to accommodate a four inch screen. The current crop of Windows Phone 8 announcements have all been four inch or greater displays too. Isn't there a need for smaller devices too?
Battery technology underpins all of our mobile devices, yet we take it for granted. Matters are made worse for the curious souls who try to find out more because the information available online about Lithium Ion based batteries is vague at best. If you're curious about Lithium Ion batteries and the difference between them and Lithium Polymer, here's our guide on how they work and how they differ.
OK, there's a slight element of interpolation in this head to head in that one of the devices (the Lumia 920) isn't publicly available yet, but the press has had hands-on time, at least. In any case, with the iPhone 5 now available across the world, it's the perfect time to produce a full head-to-head, trying to assess areas of each smartphone, with one flagship from each of the four major mobile operating systems, which win out.
Looking at the Nokia 808 PureView in my hand and writing up a big multi-platform comparison piece for next week, it struck me that the look and dimensions (camera hump aside) of the 808 and iPhone 5's hardware aren't that far apart, in comparison to the jump to the 4.8"-screened Android flagships. In this feature, I look at what the 808 and iPhone 5 have in common, provide an honest appraisal of how they differ and explain why, against conventional High Street wisdom, I'd pick the 808 over the iPhone 5 even if prices were identical (they're not - the Apple phone is quite a bit more expensive)....
I've been over Nokia's greatest mistakes before, but there's another elephant in the room that needs addressing. It was a hot topic of debate back in the early days of Symbian and the ramifications of what was decided then worked themselves out in the following twelve or so years. Branding. I contend that Symbian as an OS has always been fighting a massive rearguard action - if the name itself had been allowed as much prominence as Android and iOS and Windows Phone have now, I suspect that Symbian's trajectory might have risen a lot higher and extended further.
I didn't have to think too hard about how to apostrophise the headline - after all, Nokia was using the term smartphone for its Symbian-powered devices a full five years before Apple and Android came along and the American tech press decided that the word needed reimagining. However, both approaches - which I've commented on before - are valid, and I thought it worth assessing where we've got to as we head towards the end of 2012. Was Nokia's definition right all along? Or is a modern 'smartphone' much smarter after all? I look at the two ultimate exponents of the two definitions, the Nokia 808 PureView and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
