<< is the 3g IPhone superior in features and performance to the N95 Nokia plans to introduce in the 3rd quarter? >>
Nokia currently has 3 versions of its N95 flagship -- soon to be yesterday's flagship -- which collectively have sold over 10 million units in the global market with the newest (started shipping December) being the N95 8GB.
Nokia has no plans to introduce other variants of the N95 in Q3, but will be introducing the 16 GB N96-1 and 6 other smartphones with the newest version of the Symbian OS (v.9.3) and the newest S60 third edition (3E) Feature Pack (FP2). The 1st Nokia smartphone model with this OS rev and FP2 which supports the full range of Ovi services (Music. Mapping, Sharing, Gaming, Imaging) -- the N78 -- started shipping early this month. Eldar Murtazin provides a comprehensive overview of FP2 with numerous screen shots here ...
A year ago we looked into the major changes brought about in the Feature Pack 2, as Nokia showcased this much-hyped update at 3GSM Congress in Barcelona. Back then the company’s staff claimed first FP2-powered offerings would debut and shortly after that, being slated for spring – that’s exactly how it came to pass, although with a delay of one year. ... Such a long development time is largely due to the issues concerning the integration between certain features and making all their gears spin together. But is the final product worth all the effort they have put into it? The answer couldn't be more definitive – yes. The Feature Pack 2 continues the evolution of the S60, as it is not much of a revolution, really. On the other hand, it packs in all core features and stand-alone applications that have been popping up throughout this year, stepping up the system's basic functionality. ... The update to the S60 3rd edition in the form of the FP2 is more than just a skin-deep revamp - on the contrary, it brings about a thorough overhaul of both the interface and device philosophy. By packing in the latest versions of Maps 2.0, Search 4.0, Photos application (which is more of an add-on over the standard Gallery), providing access to OVI’s online services as well as support for the N-Gage and tacking on the multimedia menu (primarily for the NSeries), Nokia has raised the bar for similar solutions on the market. The out-of-the-box functionality of the FP2 is extremely rich and frees the user from the necessity to install extra software in order to do most things he might ever need with his phone – all relevant applications are already onboard. ... [after citing some knockoffs] ... That said, based on the FP2’s core functionality, there is no doubt that today it is one of the market’s most powerful smartphone platforms that will remain unrivaled in the near term, as no other player can offer similar punch right out of the box.
The 2.5G iPhone did what it did very well, and so did (does) the N95 which will remain a component of the broad, segmented, Nokia smartphone product range. The main difference other than the multi-touch UI, is that the N95 did considerably more than the iPhone and does considerably more than the 3G iPhone which does add some limited but important functionality that will make it more completive with NSeries products (A-GPS, geotagging, MS Exchange and VPN compatibility and support). The 3G iPhone with its 2 Mp camera remains very week on imaging -- still photography, video recording, video telephony -- which the N95 with its 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels camera, glass Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and optics. autofocus, zoom, VGA 30fps video, flash and secondary CIF videocall camera, excels at.
I've only had limited hands on with the N95 and the 2.5G iPhone but what I've personally observed (and its pretty well backed up in reviews) ...
--> The touch UI with 'gestures' aside (and I'm a one handed op nutball so I'm not crazy about the UI even though it is very impressive), the best feature of the iPhone is its 3.5" high res display. The 2.8" N95 8GB QVGA display is very good with little pixelation, but the iPhones is better and that's really a plus if your into browsing. The browsers, however, are virtually identical as the S60 browser engine shares the same code base, but no Flash support in the iPhone browser which is a rather serious knockoff.
--> Better battery life on the iPhone but seriously offset by the fact that it lacks a user replaceable battery.
--> Audio quality (music, video) is a push. Both very good.
--> Voice quality is extremely important to me. The iPhone's voice quality is rather average for a GSM phone, acceptable for many, but the N95's voice quality (incoming/out-going) is exceptional and it has a much better speakerphone.
--> The 2.5G iPhone lacked many very basic feature phone functionalities -- e.g. voice dial and voice memo record, that I personally wouldn't live without. Texting capabilities are limited, and cumbersome. Bluetooth profiles are quite limited.
We'll really have to wait for comprehensive hands on reviews of the 3G iPhone by the better reviewers (Eldar Murtazin, Michael Oryl & Brad Kellett, the GSM Arena team and the AAS trio, etc.), ideally production models on a network, to see what's been added or improved and how it performs competitively.
<< also, priced at $199 (8gb) and $299 (16gb), are they cheaper than the N95? >>
No they are not. Those are carrier subsidized prices for SIM-locked versions of the 3G iPhone with a 2 year contract that includes a mandatory data plan. We don't have an MSRP exclusive of tax and subsidies for an unlocked version. You can expect the unlocked N95 8GB to be lower priced the moment the N96-1 is introduced since N95 R&D and initial SG&A are completely amortized.
Its wise to keep in mind also that iPhone 2.0 competes with the broad segmented Nokia NSeries line, not just the N95 (or N96) and what Nokia announces between now and September that will commence shipment in Q3 and Q4 is likely to be very interesting and it is likely to include its 1st Touch-UI product -- the 5800 XpressMusic, aka 'Tube', and other models with high res screens.
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