All About Symbian - Symbian, Nokia and S60 unwrapped.
Symbian flagships vs the Apple iPhone 4 and HTC Desire
Published by Steve Litchfield at 10:08 UTC, June 16th 2010
Summary:
With the imminent arrival of both the Apple iPhone 4 and the Symbian-powered Nokia N8, I thought it high time to pitch the two head to head. In fact, while doing so, why not widen the comparison to include the other non-Nokia Symbian flagships, the Sony Ericsson Satio and Samsung i8910 HD, both of which have similar specifications, plus throw in the Android flagship (in the UK) as well - the HTC Desire? The result is hopefully a comprehensive cross-section of the top end smartphones of 2010.
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Symbian's three manufacturer flagships, ready to take on the world? Left to right: Samsung i8910 HD, Nokia N8, Sony Ericsson Satio
The industry does seem to be standardising, at the top end, on one-piece touchscreen tablets and this theme is represented here - despite my own belief that there are other interesting form factors - qwerty hybrids and clamshells, for example.
The inclusion of the Satio was debatable in that some might argue that the Vivaz is a better flagship, but the larger screen and higher end camera swung it for me. The i8910 HD is, of course, over a year old, but its specs were so far ahead of its time in 2009 that it now fits in well with the 2010 crop. Finally, the Desire was chosen as better-specified HTC Incredible isn't available in the UK or across much of the world.
(As usual, I've tinted the cells in each row that indicate an obvious 'winner' for that attribute, for interest sake. This was a system I believe I started and which has since been copied by others in the mobile world - ahem!)
| Apple iPhone 4 | Nokia N8 | Sony Ericsson Satio | Samsung i8910 HD | HTC Desire | |
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| OS and latest firmware | iOS 4 | Symbian^3, firmware version not known | Symbian OS 9.4, S60 5th Edition, R2AK006 firmware | Symbian OS 9.4, S60 5th Edition, HX4 (based on official firmware, but with five times the free system disk space) - up to date, but not official | Android OS 2.1 |
| Form factor, materials | Tablet, Stainless steel, tempered glass capacitive touchscreen, 137g | Tablet, Aluminium, plastics, tempered glass capacitive touchscreen, 135g | Tablet, Plastics, metal camera cover, resistive touchscreen, 126g | Tablet, Plastic, but very solid capacitive touchscreen, 148g | Tablet, metal and plastics, tempered glass capacitive touchscreen, 135g |
| Input mechanisms | On-screen virtual, multi-touch qwerty keyboard, writing aids | On-screen virtual, single-touch qwerty keyboard, plus virtual numeric and handwriting options (depending on market), writing aids | On-screen virtual, multi-touch qwerty keyboard | On-screen Virtual, single-touch qwerty keyboard (with no writing aids), plus virtual numeric and handwriting options, all with super haptic and aural feedback | On-screen virtual, multi-touch qwerty keyboard, writing aids |
| Display | 3.5" (640 x 960 pixels) IPS TFT, great colour accuracy indoors, fades and hard to read in direct sunlight | 3.5" (360 x 640 pixels) second generation AMOLED, gorgeous indoors, but hard to read in direct sunlight | 3.5" (360 x 640 pixels) transflective TFT, good enough indoors, still hard to read in sunlight because of resistive touch layer | 3.7" (360 x 640 pixels) AMOLED, gorgeous indoors, but almost impossible to read in direct sunlight | 3.7" (480 x 800 pixels) AMOLED, gorgeous indoors, but almost impossible to read in direct sunlight |
| Interface | iPhone OS with full kinetic scrolling and direct UI | Symbian^3, full kinetic scrolling, one-touch paradigm | S60 5th Edition, kinetic scrolling only in Sony Ericsson media suite layers | S60 5th Edition, full kinetic scrolling throughout | Android + Sense UI, kinetic scrolling and direct UI |
| Speed, multitasking, processor | Expected to be quick, aside from app relaunching due to partial multitasking, plenty of RAM, custom A4 processor | Quick, full multitasking, plenty of RAM, ARM 11 processor at 680MHz, plus graphics coprocessor | Quickish, full multitasking, plenty of RAM, ARM Cortex-A8 600MHz processor plus graphics coprocessor | Quickish, full multitasking, plenty of RAM, ARM Cortex-A8 600MHz processor plus graphics coprocessor. Some OS operations slower than they should be (e.g. opening the Applications folder) | Quick, full multitasking, adequate RAM, very fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor |
| Memory capacity (storage) | 16GB or 32GB integral storage. No expansion. | 135MB of (C:) system disk, plus 16GB mass memory and microSD expansion by another 32GB. Apps can be installed on any disk. USB-on-the-go lets users mount USB memory sticks and even hard disks - in theory. | 79MB of (C:) system disk, plus microSD expansion by another 32GB. Apps can be installed on any disk. | 85MB of (C:) system disk, plus 8GB (or 16GB) mass memory and microSD expansion by another 32GB. Apps can be installed on any disk. | Up to 512MB of internal flash memory, plus microSD expansion by another 32GB. Apps installed on internal only (at present) |
| Camera (stills) | Good 5 megapixel sensor, LED flash, exposed camera glass | Superb 12 megapixel sensor (largest ever put into a phone by far), X enon flash, exposed camera glass | Good 12 megapixel sensor, Xenon flash | 8 megapixel stills, but only LED flash. Exposed (but recessed) camera glass | Average 5 megapixel sensor, LED flash, exposed camera glass |
| Camera (video) | Adjustable focus 720p recording, with on-board editing, great audio | High depth of field 720p recording, with on-board editing, great audio | WVGA recording, poor audio capture | Initial focus 720p recording, though audio is either noisy or slightly choppy (depending on configuration) | Initial focus WVGA recording at jerky 15fps, poor audio capture |
| GPS and navigation | GPS and digital compass. Third party software needed for real time navigation | GPS and digital compass. Ovi Maps Navigation built-in | GPS only. Wisepilot trial version, have to pay afterwards | GPS and digital compass. Poor support of the initially-offered Route 66 software. Most users resort to Google Maps. Or to modified (ahem) Ovi Maps 3.3. | GPS and digital compass. Google Maps Navigation now in many Euro countries. |
| Audio out | Loud mono speaker, 3.5mm jack | Loud mono speaker, 3.5mm jack, plus HDMI audio out to compatible equipment | Average mono speaker, proprietary audio out cable | Very loud stereo speakers, 5.1 channel simulation(!), 3.5mm jack | Average mono speaker, 3.5mm jack |
| Web browsing | Responsive browser with kinetics and reflow, no Flash | Adequate browser with kinetics and Flash support | Adequate browser and Flash support | Adequate browser and Flash support | Responsive browser with kinetics and reflow, plus Flash support |
| Youtube and video playback | Dedicated YouTube client, plus movies loaded via iTunes | YouTube client a free download, uses low resolution streams currently. General video playback of MP4 good, HDMI output of video to HD equipment with surround sound. | YouTube client built-in, uses low resolution streams currently. General video playback of MP4 good | YouTube client a free download, uses low resolution streams currently. General video playback good, including DivX and XviD | Dedicated YouTube client with HQ stream support, plus average MP4 playback |
| Application store and ecosystem | iPhone App Store now legendary - tremendous selection | Ovi Store reasonably stocked, though weak in some areas (e.g. quality games) | PlayNow app store small by modern standards | No on-device store, but many S60 5th Edition apps will work fine. Some trial and error needed. See also our freeware guide | Android Market reasonably stocked, lots of free apps, though weak in some areas (e.g. quality games) |
| Battery | Estimated at 1600mAh (Apple won't say), not user changeable | 1200mAh, not user changeable | 1000mAh, via proprietary charger, user swappable battery | 1500mAh, microUSB charging, user swappable battery | 1400mAh, microUSB charging, user swappable battery |
| Ongoing firmware support and updates | Regular updates by Apple are expected, applied through iTunes on a Mac or PC. | True over the air and Ovi Suite updates should be fairly regular. | Via Sony Ericsson Update Service utility only. Official updates are infrequent and development seems to have stopped. | Via PC Studio only. Samsung updates have been profligate with C: disk space, so I recommend sticking with the modified HX versions, also applied via a PC utility through Samsung's built-in bootloader. | Some (minor) over the air updates, plus PC-driven major updates. Android 2.2 expected shortly. |
| Price (SIM-free, including local taxes in the UK, as at June 2010) | From £499 | £399 expected | Around £380 | Around £350 | Around £399 |
Looking at the blue 'wins' gives:
- 7 pts - Nokia N8
- 4 pts - Apple iPhone 4
- 3 pts - HTC Desire
- 2 pts - Samsung i8910 HD
- 0 pts - Sony Ericsson Satio
Interestingly, the N8's dominance when pitched head to head against all the competition was also borne out by Engadget's roundup from a week or so ago, faced with similarly-specified competition. Of course, despite my attempt to put real world observations and subjectivity into the table cell comments above, there is, ultimately, more to a successful smartphone than beating off newcomers with raw functions and specifications. The iPhone has been successful in the past at producing a holistic device, something which seems complete and satisfying within its own boundaries - those of Nokia's N8 are only a little wider and it would be nice to think that Symbian^3 will produce as many warm thoughts in the minds of buyers.
Will we see Symbian^3 designs from Sony Ericsson and Samsung? I'm pretty sure the answer there is 'Yes', though each does of course have more than one mobile OS on the go, so they won't be able to put the resources into products that, say, Nokia can afford to, with its heavy Symbian focus.
Of more significance than the differences above are the similarities - from form factor to functions, there's a lot of common ground in this market and a real danger that all devices will end up looking alike and doing much the same job. Again, the ex-Psioneer in me yearns for more interesting form factors, bringing in non-compromised physical qwerty keyboards.
Until then, though, the N8 is the Symbian^3 flag-bearer. Although noone in the world has yet played with production software, Rafe and I were quite impressed by how complete the device is currently. And judging from the table above, despite its lower price, the N8 should still manage to take the fight to the iPhone 4s and Desires of this world....
Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian, 16 June 2010
Discussion
malerocks
Nice comparison Steve. But I don't see how you can put comments like 'Superb', 'great', 'amazing' for the N8 features when (AFAIK) you have handled the phone just once and even that on the pre-production firmware.
Apologies if my assumption is wrong.
Apologies if my assumption is wrong.
Hardeep1singh
Finally I've found one negative in N8, a mono speaker. Its not really a deal breaker though.
Unregistered
and the amazing flagship n97?
Unregistered
Quote:
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Originally Posted by malerocks
Nice comparison Steve. But I don't see how you can put comments like 'Superb', 'great', 'amazing' for the N8 features when (AFAIK) you have handled the phone just once and even that on the pre-production firmware.
Apologies if my assumption is wrong. |
The web is dripping with professional reviewers who've never seen an iPhone 4, or a particular Android phone, and yet don't hold back from liberally spraying praise all over these devices. At least Steve (and Rafe) have played with the N8, and what's more it's only going to improve.
> Apologies if my assumption is wrong
Time to apologise :) We never see comments from you that do not have some biased anti-Nokia slant. Isn't it about time you forked out many hundreds of pounds for and iPhone or Android device and found peace at last? :)
clonmult
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Hardeep1singh
Finally I've found one negative in N8, a mono speaker. Its not really a deal breaker though.
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Unregistered
What is the difference with the second generation screen of N8 and does it use the pentile matrix?
jb8967
Steve: Excellent review but I would not give Nokia the lead for processor (CPU/GPU). That should go either to iPhone 4's A4 w/integrated CPU(ARM Cortex A9?) and GPU...or HTC Desire's Snapdragon w/out GPU. Yes, the N8 GPU co-processor is best in class, but it's right-sized ARM 11Mhz is good but not great. I think it's a smart move by Nokia, don't get me wrong. The right balance for performance/power consumption and a solid platform...but it cannot be a +1 for the N8. IMO its +1 for iPhone 4.
I think there should be a separate category for gaming. Here. Apple should take it with its Gyro plus quantity/quality of games. N8 a close second based on hardware.
Pricing was a bit of a surprise to me too. I thought the N8 basis was estimated at Euro 370 (~ GBP 307.25) pre-tax/pre-subsidy...why buy it in the UK if it's priced at GBP 399? Another +1 for N8 IMO.
So, I get +7 for N8, +6 for Iphone 4 and the rest the same.
JMO.
PS: Why SAMSUNG i8910 HD and not the Galaxy S? I think the Galaxy would take +1 away from iPhone 4 with its Super AMOLED.
I think there should be a separate category for gaming. Here. Apple should take it with its Gyro plus quantity/quality of games. N8 a close second based on hardware.
Pricing was a bit of a surprise to me too. I thought the N8 basis was estimated at Euro 370 (~ GBP 307.25) pre-tax/pre-subsidy...why buy it in the UK if it's priced at GBP 399? Another +1 for N8 IMO.
So, I get +7 for N8, +6 for Iphone 4 and the rest the same.
JMO.
PS: Why SAMSUNG i8910 HD and not the Galaxy S? I think the Galaxy would take +1 away from iPhone 4 with its Super AMOLED.
froschy
These sorts of comparisons are meaningless as the specs are mostly not comparable which leads to subjective assessments like the 12 mp camera sensor over the 5mp one even when the camera industry is moving away from just packing more and more pixels on small sensors due to the issue with increasing digital noise (and anyway how many people print larger than A4 which a 5mp camera is more than capable of doing), the N8 winning a point for video playback due to the HDMI out even though it only has the low res YouTube, or the N8 winning on the updates due to "true" OTA, etc...
In the end the only real comparison is that of the user experience on the final products as a fancy 12mp sensor is useless if the software is rubbish, difficult to use, and keeps crashing all of the time. I hope this is not the case with the N8 and that Nokia will finally start releasing devices that have release ready firmware but after being stung by the N97 debacle I'm not holding my breath.
In the end the only real comparison is that of the user experience on the final products as a fancy 12mp sensor is useless if the software is rubbish, difficult to use, and keeps crashing all of the time. I hope this is not the case with the N8 and that Nokia will finally start releasing devices that have release ready firmware but after being stung by the N97 debacle I'm not holding my breath.
fgs
I would not say that iPhone 4 has "on-board video editing", since the iMovie software is not provided out of the box, but must be purchased from App Store at $ 4.99.
Rafe
Processors are a very difficult to judge because they do not perform the same between platforms/ devices. Symbian is less resource intensive (can do more with less). Therefore comparing Mhz etc means very little.
Steve was considering things in general sense with multi-tasking etc and trade off between power and performance (so actually I think +1 for doing the right thing, not the spec thing). Interestingly some of the early generic benchmarks suggest the N8's processor outperforms the Cortex A8 equipped i8910 (and others). But yes any of these categories and 'wins' can be argued - part of the fun :)
The pricing estimate is conservative, and clearly will go down over time.
And yes you could add in extra categories - gaming is a good thought... but what you include is necessarily subjective. And of course what one-on-one comparisons tend to do is under estimate the multiple device choice advantage of both Symbian and Android.
Steve was considering things in general sense with multi-tasking etc and trade off between power and performance (so actually I think +1 for doing the right thing, not the spec thing). Interestingly some of the early generic benchmarks suggest the N8's processor outperforms the Cortex A8 equipped i8910 (and others). But yes any of these categories and 'wins' can be argued - part of the fun :)
The pricing estimate is conservative, and clearly will go down over time.
And yes you could add in extra categories - gaming is a good thought... but what you include is necessarily subjective. And of course what one-on-one comparisons tend to do is under estimate the multiple device choice advantage of both Symbian and Android.
KPO'M
Market momentum is also another intangible that's difficult to measure, but is important to a phone's success. The iPhone 4 pre-sale sold out yesterday in the US, so clearly users see iPhone 4 as a worthy upgrade to existing iPhones. Will the N8 be compelling enough to attract switchers? Will N97/N95 owners be content to wait for the N8, or will they jump to iPhone 4 or Android devices?
KPO'M
I'll also point out that Android 2.2 is being distributed OTA, so that seems on par with what Nokia is doing with OTA updates.
Unregistered
I have been a Nokia N82 user over the past 2 years. By considering TCO (total cost of ownership = how much you spend afterwards on programs you buy for your phone, maintenance, etc) and ecosistem strength (which translates into phone added features, total lifecycle of the phone and second-hand resale price) I will surely buy an Iphone 4. You might say Nokia is better and cheaper, but not when compared to a jailbroken Iphone.
sarcen
With Pricing, doesnt the fact that the iPhone does not receive any operator subsidy, while all the others would be available for free on a monthly contract worthy of note?
malerocks
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Unregistered
Time to apologise :) We never see comments from you that do not have some biased anti-Nokia slant. Isn't it about time you forked out many hundreds of pounds for and iPhone or Android device and found peace at last? :)
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I am a hardcore Nokia user and they have been my handsets of choice for the last 5 years. I am currently on a n97mini and am very satisfied with it (contrary to what some people say about it on the net). I always thought my comments very unbiased and usually when i comment its out of curiosity or to clarify somebody's doubts. But I guess I was wrong.
Unregistered
one good point is that steve jobs in his presentation did compared iphone4 os with android , rim but he didnt mentioned symbian but he simply said others and he knows nokia and its pet need not to be cared with the horrific mistake done with n97 nokia will never make to the top three thats for sure
please dont hype the crap phones , as we have done previously with flahship n97
please dont hype the crap phones , as we have done previously with flahship n97
nstirton
As much as I want to fall in love with the N8 (and will probably still get one when the time comes), i'm not sure that Nokia have done enough to push the phone forward and better it's rivals, or it's predecessors.
eg. comparing it to my 5800- Symbian 3 doesn't seem that far from 1, input mechanisms are the same, similar display size and pixel count, interface mostly the same (but not a bad thing), C drive still not big enough, already have Ovi Maps, browser same other than adition of Flash, less impressive speaker, battery smaller capacity on N8 (really?!)..........
Now, I love Symbian as it's (fairly) efficient and a degree of familiarity will be nice, but the question is- have Nokia done enough?
Only time will tell.
eg. comparing it to my 5800- Symbian 3 doesn't seem that far from 1, input mechanisms are the same, similar display size and pixel count, interface mostly the same (but not a bad thing), C drive still not big enough, already have Ovi Maps, browser same other than adition of Flash, less impressive speaker, battery smaller capacity on N8 (really?!)..........
Now, I love Symbian as it's (fairly) efficient and a degree of familiarity will be nice, but the question is- have Nokia done enough?
Only time will tell.
slitchfield
"Android 2.2 is being distributed OTA"
Nope. Not on the HTC Desire. You're thinking of the Nexus One etc. HTC replace the whole ROM and wipe the device for major version updates.
"I would not say that iPhone 4 has "on-board video editing"
As I understand it, there's basic merge/cut editing built-in. And iMovie in the store if you want more.
Nope. Not on the HTC Desire. You're thinking of the Nexus One etc. HTC replace the whole ROM and wipe the device for major version updates.
"I would not say that iPhone 4 has "on-board video editing"
As I understand it, there's basic merge/cut editing built-in. And iMovie in the store if you want more.
mwarner
A good roundup, as always by Steve. I would be very interested in hearing about the initial thoughts Steve and Rafe have on the second-gen AMOLED screen of the N8 in comparison to the AMOLED in the i8910 and the new Super AMOLED in the Samsung Wave / Galaxy S. I am very tempted to go for an N8 to upgrade my i8910, but I am a little worried that the screen will be a slight disappointment. It is a shame that the display isn't a little larger - a 3.7" display looks like it could have been fitted with a little rejigging!
Unregistered
Quote:
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Originally Posted by froschy
These sorts of comparisons are meaningless as the specs are mostly not comparable which leads to subjective assessments like the 12 mp camera sensor over the 5mp one even when the camera industry is moving away from just packing more and more pixels on small sensors due to the issue with increasing digital noise (and anyway how many people print larger than A4 which a 5mp camera is more than capable of doing),
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Unregistered
Quote:
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Originally Posted by sarcen
With Pricing, doesnt the fact that the iPhone does not receive any operator subsidy, while all the others would be available for free on a monthly contract worthy of note?
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Unregistered
Surely a feature when shelling out hundreds of pounds for a phone should be the ability to update the OS (not minor service packs).
You can (generally) upgrade Android.
You can (generally) go to the latest version of iPhone OS (for a price sometimes).
But Nokia have no history and there has been no mention of upgrades to the next major release of Symbian (E71 couldn't go to S60 3.2, N97 can't go to Symbian^3, etc).
Top end smartphones (in my opinion) have become too expensive to expect users to upgrade their phone every 12 months, and most subsidised phones are now on 18-24 month contracts. I hate to say it, but if I was paying for one of these phones, I'd be looking for one that could still be running the latest software in 2+ years time, and that's not Nokia.
You can (generally) upgrade Android.
You can (generally) go to the latest version of iPhone OS (for a price sometimes).
But Nokia have no history and there has been no mention of upgrades to the next major release of Symbian (E71 couldn't go to S60 3.2, N97 can't go to Symbian^3, etc).
Top end smartphones (in my opinion) have become too expensive to expect users to upgrade their phone every 12 months, and most subsidised phones are now on 18-24 month contracts. I hate to say it, but if I was paying for one of these phones, I'd be looking for one that could still be running the latest software in 2+ years time, and that's not Nokia.
paker
steve your satio has a 1500mAh battery? cool!
you have pre-production N8 or pictures are from yesterday visit in london?
you have pre-production N8 or pictures are from yesterday visit in london?
froschy
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Unregistered
The point with the N8 is that Nokia have decided to use a larger sensor size to reduce the digital noise issue. And the point about printing bigger than A4 is crap because the lenses on phones are all fixed wide angle, the only way to get decent zoom is to have more MP and crop sections, you could do more with more detail - which all early accounts and samples are suggesting the N8 gives. To suggest "how many print larger than A4" is simplistic, it's not the whole image that people will necessarily print.
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feersumenjinn
give me some good reasons why I should replace my N97Mini with any of these. Apart from to give good money after bad...
