Home > Nokia N97 v Apple iPhone 3G S – the Nokia view
Nokia N97 v Apple iPhone 3G S - the Nokia view
By Mike Browne on July 8,
 2009 at 00:00,

The Nokia N97 and the Apple iPhone 3G S launched on the same day and are both flagship devices for their respective companies. Other than these facts, that's where the similarities end. After all, the iPhone 3G S  is nothing but 'an evolution, not a revolution', while 'anyone looking for the latest innovation, with industry leading product specs and the ultimate combination of touch screen and QWERTY keyboard will opt for the Nokia N97'.

These are not our words but those of  Nokia UK's Managing Director, find out what else he had to say about the differences between the Nokia N97 and Apple iPhone 3G S....

Mark Loughran is Nokia’s UK Managing Director and he has recently been speaking out about the differences, as he sees it, between the Nokia N97 smartphone and the Apple iPhone 3G S. It's the blending of screen and innovative keyboard that Mark Loughran sees as being the most compelling aspects of the Nokia N97, as he says 'The Nokia N97 is a beautiful device that’s not only touchscreen but has a QWERTY keyboard as well and instant access to all the parts of the internet you love. You make the Homescreen your own by picking the things most important to you - I have Facebook, BBC iPlayer and my work email set up as the things I use the most.'

It's this innovation that keeps the Nokia range fresh and marks it out as truly different from Apple, who are clearly updating rather than innovating. 'The new iPhone is an evolution rather than a revolution' says Loughran, 'and for people trying to decide whether to get a Nokia N97 or an iPhone, it comes down to a decision on performance and value for money. Anyone looking for the latest innovation, with industry leading product specs and the ultimate combination of touch screen and QWERTY keyboard will opt for the Nokia N97.'

'The new iPhone seems to have the same design and colour, upgrading from a sub-standard 2-Megapixel camera to a still low 3.2-Megapixel camera and is probably a disappointment for many people given the high tariff and lifetime ownership costs. Adding MMS (which has been available for many years) and video recording capabilities brings it up to industry standard. Adding voice-guidance and compass to GPS functionality also brings it up to what is currently available. Without a contract, the 32GB version sells for over £540, which seems to me like a high premium to pay for mature technology.'

It's not only the Nokia N97 that is making great inroads in the UK, as Mark pointed out that 'We don't believe that one device is right for everyone so in June we also launched the Nokia N86 8MP - our 8-Megapixel slide Nseries device - and the Nokia 6700 Classic, which is an update of best selling mobile in the UK for the last 10 years, the Nokia 6300. Ultimately, there are over one billion people using Nokia's all around the world so we're delighted with the response that people continue to have to our brand.'

We've been testing out all three devices Mark mentioned and we've found them all to be striking different. It's this breadth of devices that really appeals to us, as every use gets the device they want, rather than a standard model. What do you think of the Nokia N97 v Apple iPhone 3G S, who is winning the battle, or is there even a battle to be fought as they are clearly very different devices with completely different usage models? Let us know in the Comments below...

Tags: 3G S 6700 classic Apple N86 N97 Nokia Nseries
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  • http://www.pricelooker.co.uk price comparison

    I had an iphone, but yesterday I swapped it foe the Nokia N97. Having had the pleasure to play with both the devices, I will not hastate to recommend the Nokia N97 to anybody. The N97 is far more superior and technologically advanced then the iphone.

  • Nixxon

    You\’re also unable to spell \"hesitate\" even with the help of a spell check.

    Managing director Mark Loughran is foolish and single-handedly making Nokia look stupid.

  • Pakks

    \"hastate\" and \"is far more superior\" make me question your opinion.

    Nokia is trying to sell their phone based on specs, screen resolution, bashing the iphone camera, etc.

    The iPhone offers use friendliness that surpasses any phone. Phones have had calenders/organize for years for example but no one used them because it was an inconvenience.

    Nokia is not in a position to compete head to head with the iPhone.

    Garmin and Nokia are both desperate and failing.

    TomTom on the other hand will successfully gain market by being aware of its current state.

  • MoMo

    Glad I bumped in to this post as i decided to get an iphone 3gs after years of using the n95gb and recently upgrading to N97.

    I was so surprising how much I missed Nokia over the last week, the things that frustrated me with the iphone are below:

    · The level of restriction

    · Gimped Bluetooth (eg no tethering for free over bluetoth)

    · Bad camera and video quality with no flash (it is not just about the nokia 5mp it is the quality of the camera)

    · Lack of flash support in the browser

    · Quality loud speaker

    · Option of physical keys

    · Options in map software and current inability for turn by turn although it is coming soon at a price, I had Nokia maps goggle maps and Garmin on my nokias

    · When I travel abroad I am restricted to AT&T sim

    · Industry-Standard USB Port

    · Removable Battery (so annoying when phone crashes)

    · User-Configurable Equalizer

    · User-Accessible File System

    · After cracking screen I missed the durability of Nokia devices.

    Luckily I was still able to sell the device and hook back up my N97 on to at&t with a $15 data plan.

    I am an apple man as I am a video editor by trade, I own tens of thousands of dollars worth of apple product, I love the software on the I phone but it is too restrictive. If you have used symbian devices for a long time, you just know how to do stuff and you get so much out of your device. It seems weird for first time users but there is just so much you can get out of a top Nokia phone its hard to explain, it is defintley not for those that like idiot prof devices, its more for those that want more from their device.

    Its great market competition. I had to see what the I phone was all about, but I just cant justify leaving Nokia.

  • chrisN97winner

    its gettin a bit silly now all these ‘iphone’ comparisons. in apples defence, they hav pretty much nailed it on their first attempt at making a phone. the iphone is a pleasure to use, no question, in terms of ease of use and how responsive the screen is. people moan about the n97 not bein as responsive – it isnt meant to be. they should get their facts right. its always people wiv iphones in their pocket who mock Nokias – no question that nokia are smart in the way they build up to the release of their devices, but for me i think the majority of people who dont either iphone or N97 would choose nokia. simply because nokia know exactly what to put into a handset for different users – iphone seems to appeal to people wiv wide hands,……………………………………………………………. n97 is beautiful…………

  • DT

    I have had the N97 (well, actually, I’m on my third one) for about three weeks now and I can honestly say: this phone is a piece of crap! I love Nokias. I’ve only ever had Nokias. I was so looking forward to this phone I was actually dreaming about it (I know, I’m a loser). I finally got it on June 29th. I knew there were bugs, but I was prepared to overlook them. By the end of the day on June 30th, the phone was dead. Blue screen, empty widgets, non-functioning lock key. I called Amazon, they sent out a replacement the next day. I decided it must have been the firmware. Good old Nokia, came out with new firmware July 1. I loaded it up before I did anything else. Even made a special trip home at lunch from the office since I couldn’t do the update over the air. (That’s ok, Nokia, you’re worth it). Phone number 2 worked pretty well for about two weeks. I put up with the quirks (double tapping or single tapping (you decide Nokia), reverting to default ringtone (nauseating Brokeback Mountain-Nokia tune), even when I had assigned a different one, FM transmitter that has a range of about 3 inches (that’s ok Nokia, I don’t need to listen to music over my car stereo, I’ll just rest my phone ON TOP of my radio and listen that way). And I love the way kinetic scrolling is available some places but not others, I’ll just make a mental note of where it can and cannot be used, so I don’t feel like a fool when I’m showing off my new phone to my friends. And that compass, wow what a useful tool. I love sitting in my car while driving, waving my new phone in a figure-8 pattern for ten minutes to “calibrate” the compass, only to have it turn red a mnute later. Why bother Nokia, really, if I need a compass I can just stop at REI and pick one up.
    Then I woke up yesterday morning and turned my fully charged phone on and presto…nothing. Completely dead! It eventually came back after multiple attempts to charge it. But I had already called Amazon and they already sent out a replacement which I received this morning. And this third one is a real prize. Loaded the new firmware (another special trip home at lunch), tried to set up my email accounts and the phone just hung. I’ve already had to restart the phone about six times just to get the touch screen to respond. Bottom line: it’s going back. I tried, I really tried to love this phone. I actually do love the keyboard and the slick way the screen pops up and tilts. The blue arrow button doesn’t have much travel so it’s almost impossible to tell whehter you’ve pushed it or not. And the camera takes pretty good photos and decent videos. But that’s it. I’ve had several calls disconnect. You actually have to unlock the phone to answer it (great idea Nokia). I GIVE UP. I didn’t want to, had lots of reasons not to, but I’m getting an iphone. I always said I don’t want an iphone because EVERYBODY has an iphone. I wanted to be different. If the N97 worked like it should, I would keep it. I don’t want a contract. I want to be able to go to Europe and pop a sim card in and use it there. I want to have a really cool phone that nobody else has and makes others envious. But the N97 is not that phone. That really cool phone is the iphone. I’m not going to be the only one who has one (by a longshot), but thats just too f-ing bad. I tried really hard, but Nokia let me down. I think this phone will be looked back on as a punchline. It’s that bad. Sorry Nokia.

  • http://noknok.tv wellgate187

    i ve had both n97 and the iphone i would reccomend the n97 becausethe sounds great on it he sound on the iphone its absolutely shit the camera is the best on n97 if i had all the money in the world i would get millions millions of nokia n97

  • Khurram

    @DT: I have seen on many forums that ppl are having trouble with their Nokia N97 similar to yours. I have one for the past two months and I am very much happy with it. It has never given me any problems. What I think might be the case, IF it is the case, the problem lies in the firmware version.

    My Nokia N97 is type RM-505 and the firmware version is 12.0.026.C01.01.

    Right now what I believe, after reading numerous blogs, is if I update my firmware version, my phone might act buggy and all that.

    I have no evidence to support my theory and I am definitely not going to experiment since I lack the technical knowledge to handle such.

    As for the Apple Iphone comparison, I think for entertainment iphone might be better but when it comes to communication, internet surfing and picture taking, N97 is way ahead. Its like having a digital cam in your pocket that lets you talk with other ppl as well.

    As for the entertainment factor, I will get a PSP to cover the gap :)