Edge iPhone vs Nokia N95

[bbplayer5]

My friend bought this phone and was constantly bragging about it to me. Ohhh it has 2 cameras on it, blah blah blah... So after listening to this crap for the better part of an hour, I decided to bust out my jailbroken iphone. We went over features that were important like - Bars of service, video performance, chat, music playback, etc.

After comparing phones in that aspect it appeared they were about equal. So I asked if I could see the phone. I asked "oh, this 900 dollar phone doesnt have a touch screen and its THIS thick?!?"... Followed by a moment of silence...

Then came the testing...


Websites tested - CNN, Digg, and of course, MacRumors.

Now the test wasnt fair to begin with because his phone loads up a craptastic version of every website, but I thought I'd humor myself to see how fancy this 3G is.

Not only did my iPhone load every page faster than this N95 phone, but they were obviously far far far greater in quality.

Point? iPhone is by far the best phone on the market and 3G doesnt do jack for other phones in a head to head comparison - or this Nokia phone sucks....

But... it did have GPS, which is always nice to have when you get lost walking somewhere.

 

[Ninja Dom]

Interesting...so you're saying that the iPhone using EDGE loaded up the websites faster than the Nokia N95 using 3G??

 

[0098386]

It likely depends on reception of services too. Are you both on the same network? Whilst up on the moors I (on Virgin Mobile) get a full signal whilst my friends Vodaphone gets no signal at all.

The iPhone also has a pretty fast renderer. Some guy at college had one of the first 3G phones - downloads and stuff were fast but loading up a standard page was really haulted.

Just saying theres probably reasons why 3G was so slow.

 

[SFStateStudent]

If I'm LOST in...

the desert or in the woods and unable to pick-up EDGE or WiFi signal, I'm willing to kiss my butt "good-bye!" LOL GPS is not needed by me, I'm happy with Maps on my iPhone, as long as I can find the nearest "Sonic" or "In-N-Out Burger" with the Drop Pin capability.

 

[ruinfx]

first of all the phone is ~$600, not $900. trying to compare the cost of an unbranded and unlocked phone to a carrier subsidized phone is just silly in the first place. second, i doubt you were in an area with 3.5G if you were loading pages at the same speed.

also i suggest you stick to the iphones strong points, UI and ease of use because comparing features is probably just going to leave you feeling embarrassed.

1. video recording
2. mms
3. gps
4. copy/paste
5. contact searching
6. a2dp headphone support
7. 5MP camera
8. removable battery

these are just a few features i can think of off the top of my head. the iphone has a superior UI and fun to use with its touchscreen, but feature wise its not on par with the n95.

 

[chrisparr]

Interesting...so you're saying that the iPhone using EDGE loaded up the websites faster than the Nokia N95 using 3G??

I'm sure there are many factors that influence how fast things load.

Were both phones on the same network, etc...?

The N95 falls back to a lower grade service when 3G isn't available. Now, I own a N95 and I remember sitting outside Currys looking up the price of goods on the internet to compare. Pages loaded in a reasonable time, however I don't remember the N95 indicating it was using 3G, in fact I don't think it does (I am wiling to be corrected). If there is no way of telling it isn't fair speed comparison.

If both phones were on the same network and there was a clear indication that the N95 were receiving a 3G signal, then fine, BUT at then end if the day it is a fact that 3G can deliver higher speeds than edge, but there are a number of things that can slow it down like any other comms method (including edge).

Do the same experiment on another day and the N95 may come up trumps by far. Mobile comms are fickle like that.

Just out of curiosity, in the UK how does wifi connectivity work on the cloud with the iPhone. Will it connect automatically, or do you have to log on?

At then end of the day I'm still getting an iPhone after my vodafone contract runs out

It is inferior in many ways when compared to what comes as standard on most UK mobiles, but with luck a lot of these things may have been rectified when I am ready to buy. If not then I'm willing to put up with them as it is a good design.

C

 

[ruinfx]

I'm sure there are many factors that influence how fast things load.

Were both phones on the same network, etc...?

The N95 falls back to a lower grade service when 3G isn't available. Now, I own a N95 and I remember sitting outside Currys looking up the price of goods on the internet to compare. Pages loaded in a reasonable time, however I don't remember the N95 indicating it was using 3G, in fact I don't think it does (I am wiling to be corrected). If there is no way of telling it isn't fair speed comparison.

If both phones were on the same network and there was a clear indication that the N95 were receiving a 3G signal, then fine, BUT at then end if the day it is a fact that 3G can deliver higher speeds than edge, but there are a number of things that can slow it down like any other comms method (including edge).

Do the same experiment on another day and the N95 may come up trumps by far. Mobile comms are fickle like that.

Just out of curiosity, in the UK how does wifi connectivity work on the cloud with the iPhone. Will it connect automatically, or do you have to log on?

At then end of the day I'm still getting an iPhone after my vodafone contract runs out

It is inferior in many ways when compared to what comes as standard on most UK mobiles, but with luck a lot of these things may have been rectified when I am ready to buy. If not then I'm willing to put up with them as it is a good design.

C

when you are in 3G or 3.5G coverage it is indicated underneath the service bars.

 

[DialloM]

I was wondering if the GSM 3g (hspda or w/e) was similar to EVDO and the 1x was similar to edge because I am new to this GSM data speed and what not. But if it is then 3G is sooooooo much faster than edge or 1X. It also depends on area, I live in DC so I have all the services and what not like 3G and Vcast.

 

[Ninja Dom]

first of all the phone is ~$600, not $900. trying to compare the cost of an unbranded and unlocked phone to a carrier subsidized phone is just silly in the first place. second, i doubt you were in an area with 3.5G if you were loading pages at the same speed.

also i suggest you stick to the iphones strong points, UI and ease of use because comparing features is probably just going to leave you feeling embarrassed.

1. video recording
2. mms
3. gps
4. copy/paste
5. contact searching
6. a2dp headphone support
7. 5MP camera
8. removable battery

these are just a few features i can think of off the top of my head. the iphone has a superior UI and fun to use with its touchscreen, but feature wise its not on par with the n95.

Its always good to remember that a phone may have more features but it still does not make it a better phone.

 

[Archie-]

Its always good to remember that a phone may have more features but it still does not make it a better phone.

Yes, merely having a phone dialling button and keypad can make it a better phone.

 

[ruinfx]

Its always good to remember that a phone may have more features but it still does not make it a better phone.

this is an iphone forum so ignorant comments are to be expected. if you care to support your statement with some reasoning id love to hear how its a better phone. i will concede that the iphone is more user friendly and has a more visually appealing interface but other than that the n95 can do everything the iphone can do and more. the iphone just looks better doing it.

 

[Manic Mouse]

I just looked up this video on YouTube that supports this guys experience, the iPhone on EDGE does seem to be faster than (some?) 3G handsets, probably because it can render the pages faster even if it's data connection isn't as fast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJTdFTIF2No

@ the post above

You answered your own question

the iphone is more user friendly and has a more visually appealing interface

 

[geese]

this is an iphone forum so ignorant comments are to be expected. if you care to support your statement with some reasoning id love to hear how its a better phone. i will concede that the iphone is more user friendly and has a more visually appealing interface but other than that the n95 can do everything the iphone can do and more. the iphone just looks better doing it.

As an n95 owner (having used an iPhone for a while) I can say with great certainty that the things that the iPhone can do do it much better then the n95 (expect taking photos).

Surfing the web on an n95 feels much more limited then it does on the iPhone- due to the n95 smaller screen, poorer UI and having to use buttons to navigate everywhere. You wouldn't want to use it unless you really had to.

That GPS is almost pointless. I can hardly ever get it working, it doesn't seem to work in the whole of South East London. And when it does at takes about 1 minute to pick the satellite up. If it doesnt do what its supposed to do reliably, then dont bother including it.

Oh, and the n95s mp3 player is obviously inferior to the iPhones. Although it isnt bad.

 

[Telp]

this is an iphone forum so ignorant comments are to be expected. if you care to support your statement with some reasoning id love to hear how its a better phone. i will concede that the iphone is more user friendly and has a more visually appealing interface but other than that the n95 can do everything the iphone can do and more. the iphone just looks better doing it.

Its not an ignorant comment in the least. Ive never played with an N95, so i wont take that into consideration. However, a lot of free phones can do what the iPhone cant do, MMS, copy and paste, search, forwarding texts. That doesnt make it a better phone.

 

[ruinfx]

I just looked up this video on YouTube that supports this guys experience, the iPhone on EDGE does seem to be faster than (some?) 3G handsets, probably because it can render the pages faster even if it's data connection isn't as fast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJTdFTIF2No

@ the post above

You answered your own question

user interface is important but not everything if you are severely outclassed in features.

As an n95 owner (having used an iPhone for a while) I can say with great certainty that the things that the iPhone can do do it much better then the n95 (expect taking photos).

Surfing the web on an n95 feels much more limited then it does on the iPhone- due to the n95 smaller screen, poorer UI and having to use buttons to navigate everywhere. You wouldn't want to use it unless you really had to.

That GPS is almost pointless. I can hardly ever get it working, it doesn't seem to work in the whole of South East London. And when it does at takes about 1 minute to pick the satellite up. If it doesnt do what its supposed to do reliably, then dont bother including it.

Oh, and the n95s mp3 player is obviously inferior to the iPhones. Although it isnt bad.

the iphones "internet advantage" comes from apples marketing department. both the iphone and the n95 have good browsers but due to apples marketing websites have catered to the iphone and designed unique pages for it. when the n95 accesses one of these pages it is lumped in with all the other phones and redirected to a crappy mobile site when it could handle the iphone version.

 

[t0mat0]

As an n95 owner (having used an iPhone for a while) I can say with great certainty that the things that the iPhone can do do it much better then the n95 (expect taking photos).

Surfing the web on an n95 feels much more limited then it does on the iPhone- due to the n95 smaller screen, poorer UI and having to use buttons to navigate everywhere. You wouldn't want to use it unless you really had to.

That GPS is almost pointless. I can hardly ever get it working, it doesn't seem to work in the whole of South East London. And when it does at takes about 1 minute to pick the satellite up. If it doesnt do what its supposed to do reliably, then dont bother including it.

Oh, and the n95s mp3 player is obviously inferior to the iPhones. Although it isnt bad.

I'd agree with this, and echo that Scoble uses his N95, but carries his iPhone too (N95 can do qik.com iPhone can't. No video function = a shame). Nokia has shockingly bad UI in comparison (we await the 3th gen touch screen S60 UI late 08), and is more fiddly by design. I think Assisted GPS wouldn't hurt Apple, as it could do the fix sequentially (cells, wifi locations, then input the GPS). It would zone right in.

 

[ruinfx]

Its not an ignorant comment in the least. Ive never played with an N95, so i wont take that into consideration. However, a lot of free phones can do what the iPhone cant do, MMS, copy and paste, search, forwarding texts. That doesnt make it a better phone.

yes a lot of free phones can do what the iphone cant do, which makes me wonder how you could possibly call it the best phone if it is missing such fundamental features?

 

[MyJelleo]

this is an iphone forum so ignorant comments are to be expected. if you care to support your statement with some reasoning id love to hear how its a better phone. i will concede that the iphone is more user friendly and has a more visually appealing interface but other than that the n95 can do everything the iphone can do and more. the iphone just looks better doing it.

Hey no reason to sound snotty. The guy made a comment that supports his love for his phone. He doesn't need to say much more than that.

The n95 has a bunch of features, but even with all those features it is just an old concept with added bling. The iphone is changing the mobile phone world. Because of the iphone, we are seeing a shift in the development of phones. If there were no iphone and just phones like the n95, all we would have are phones with a bunch of tacked on features that continue to add to the phone's bulk, and slow and difficult to use interfaces.

 

[ruinfx]

Hey no reason to sound snotty. The guy made a comment that supports his love for his phone. He doesn't need to say much more than that.

The n95 has a bunch of features, but even with all those features it is just an old concept with added bling. The iphone is changing the mobile phone world. Because of the iphone, we are seeing a shift in the development of phones. If there were no iphone and just phones like the n95, all we would have are phones with a bunch of tacked on features that continue to add to the phone's bulk, and slow and difficult to use interfaces.

im sorry i just dont think its helpful to drive-by-post "the iphone is better" and provide absolutely no reason for why you think that.

i have to say i dont find the n95s interface slow, difficult i can understand. the iphone has changed the mobile world for the better and competition is always good. the move to touch screen and a larger focus on the UI has changed the market. we now have LG, samsung, SE and nokia coming out with touch screen phones with their own interfaces. in this respect apple has the head start, they just need to catch up in features.

 

[BongoBanger]

There is no way that EDGE runs as quickly as 3.5G. Sorry, it just doesn't.

As for GPS, etc, I suspect that you've not updated your firmware to V20 as this uses AGPS to lock on much more quickly. I use mine all the time and it's very good.

Ultimately it's horses for courses - the iPhone has a better browser and UI, the N95 has more features. Both are good phones.

 

[specops]

im sorry i just dont think its helpful to drive-by-post "the iphone is better" and provide absolutely no reason for why you think that.

i have to say i dont find the n95s interface slow, difficult i can understand. the iphone has changed the mobile world for the better and competition is always good. the move to touch screen and a larger focus on the UI has changed the market. we now have LG, samsung, SE and nokia coming out with touch screen phones with their own interfaces. in this respect apple has the head start, they just need to catch up in features.

the iPhone CHANGED the mobile world. The iPhone is an ICON. The end of the year will be the turning point for iPhone features, all of you N95 owners enjoy your last moments of fame. Tick tock tick tock.

 

[BongoBanger]

the iPhone CHANGED the mobile world. The iPhone is an ICON. The end of the year will be the turning point for iPhone features, all of you N95 owners enjoy your last moments of fame. Tick tock tick tock.

You do realise that Nokia's market share actually grew last year, the N95 sold over six million units and that the iPhone had a lukewarm reception in Europe, don't you?

I think you need a reality check.

 

[sysiphus]

Well, I'm actually switching to an E90 from an iPhone as of today. In the US, the 3G on the Nokia won't work, but here was what sealed the deal for me:
1) Physical keypad on the front of the Nokia. I hated not being able to dial by feel on the iPhone. For sheer phone functionality, I much prefer the dedicated physical interface. The iPhone has a great dialer for a touchscreen, but to me, real keys win out.
2) Camera. I like to use my phone camera for quick snapshots all the time, and there's simply no contest between the 3.2mp/AF system on the Nokia vs the fixed-focus 2.0mp on the iPhone. No shocker there.
3) Physical QWERTY keyboard. Much faster for typing just about anything.
4) Removable battery/storage. With 16gb cards now available, I'm flexible for storage on the Nokia, not to mention I can swap it. For the time being I've just got a 1gb card I got from a friend, but I might upgrade it later. So far as the battery is concerned, I presume it goes without saying why a user-replaceable battery is advantageous.
5) Symbian S60 has a much more open developer community--I know that the iPhone SDK is open to all, but it's nice to get whatever software one wants without having to worry about Nokia or ATT trying to protect business interests by limiting applications (for example, consider Apple's stated policy regarding applications running in the background...)
6) Ultra-high res. screen. This is mitigated somewhat by no touch screen, but I'd rather use a directional pad to move a cursor than constantly have to wipe fingerprints off my screen...

I'm aware that I will be carrying a significantly larger, bulkier phone with a UI that is not as slick (however more powerful IMHO). The iPhone is a beautiful piece of hardware, with an incredibly slick GUI. It's the perfect smart phone for the user that is satisfied with what comes preloaded out of the box, or for beginner users. (Yes, I know about/have jailbroken an iPhone. It works, but the overall content available is still nowhere near what's available for S60...plus, try using SSH without a physical keyboard...yeesh) No offense meant here...trust me, I consider myself a power user, and originally picked up an iPhone on launch day over a Nokia smartphone. That said, while I was totally comfortable with my dad going cold-turkey to the iPhone with limited/no help from me/others (not by choice, simply by the fact that I'm away at college), I wouldn't dare put him on an OS that is as complicated and (yes, somewhat less intuitive) as Symbian S60.

To sum up: The iPhone is a beautiful, powerful device. However, if you plan on lots of typing, find an alternative with a physical QWERTY. If you want a legitimate point-and-shoot camera, the iPhone works, but not well. If you want to dial without looking, get something with a physical keypad. If you're concerned about having apps that Apple/ATT/O2/whoever your local iPhone service provider might not want you to have, get a Symbian phone instead (VOIP on cellular data connections, etc). If you don't want to have a sealed battery/fixed storage, find something other than an iPhone. BUT: if the above don't matter to you, and you're looking for the sleekest, prettiest, easiest to use device on the market, you could hardly do better than an iPhone.

Obviously, the N95 and the E90 aren't the same device, but basically everything but the QWERTY and the high-res internal carry over from the E to the N.

I know this post says a lot to criticize the iPhone, but please don't think I'm trolling...as I stated before, I bought an iPhone on the US launch day, and used it daily until this weekend...and I still think it's a great device--just not what best suits my uses for a smart phone. Again, don't let me discourage you from an iPhone if you really want it...I just figure (from experience) that one is best served by matching the strengths of each device to what you really plan on doing with your phone. Good luck!

EDIT: Oh, and as far as web browsers are concerned, I've found the E90's browser (same as the N95) to be nearly the equal of the iPhone's...no tabbed browsing on the E90, but it can actually set/remember a home page So far as rendering is concerned, I've come across very few differences.

 

[Archie-]

The end of the year will be the turning point for iPhone features, all of you N95 owners enjoy your last moments of fame. Tick tock tick tock.

I dont think so. Apple products have traditionally been behind in features. When the iPhone gets 3G and GPS, Nokia's will have all that and over the air digital TV too.

 

[0098386]

TBH the iPhone is the first phone I've actually looked forward to buying. The way I see it is the iPhone is just a metal and glass slab "communicator" with 1 big touchscreen. There's something about that, maybe I just don't like too many fiddly buttons and I've found half these big posh phones to have slow, unresponsive menus.

Plus the browser. Even on EDGE I could comfortably surf that, and even use it as my primary email app. Maybe not replace my iPod since I need 25gb storage to hold my library.

As for 3.5G (is that HSPDA?), there is such little coverage for that in the UK. Looking on o2's map there is no coverage in my local town, not even near the 4 giant communications towers that loom over us! But yea I'd prefer 3.5G on the iPhone over EDGE, but similarly I'd prefer an EDGE iPhone over any other mobile phone.

And of course the way it transfers contacts and the likes over. How everything is automatically synced when I plug the iPhone in (though I would like some kind of auto BT sync when near my iMac). All the phones I've owned have never quite synced right with OSX; displaying multiple contacts, no pictures, no calendar event sync. I suppose it's why I bought an iMac. I don't mind spending more to be guaranteed it will work right.