Nokia N8 vs iPhone 4

Nokia and Apple have two flagship devices, the N8 and the iPhone 4, coming to the UK very soon – both look good, have strong attributes and a shed-load of features.

And while we have very gripes with the iPhone, the Nokia N8 does look like a very promising device and also has some features that the new iPhone 4 is lacking.

The Nokia N8, as an added bonus, is also powered by the long-awaited and massively overdue Symbian^3 operating system, which has the potential to be something of a game-changer for Nokia.

So, if you’re torn on the two devices, take a look at our spec-check before you part with your hard-earned cash.

Screen
The Nokia N8’s 360 x 640 pixels 3.5-inch touchscreen is extremely adequate and, as is the case with a lot of Nokia devices, there’s the option to watch videos on your TV via your phone, which is a lovely little touch – and lessens the necessity of having an immaculate screen.

According to reports, the N8’s screen is quite impressive, but we’re not convinced it’ll be better than the new iPhone 4’s screen.

The iPhone 4, which has an impressive 640 x 960 pixel display, is the same size as the Nokia N8’s. However, Apple has included its highly debated Retina Display technology, which is reported to be very impressive.

Overall, it’s difficult to say which is the best but on paper, the iPhone 4, clearly has the edge – both in terms of pixel power and invested technology.

Verdict: iPhone 4

Camera
Nokia knows how to do cameras, with even its low-end devices usually sporting a 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera.

And, predictably, the Nokia N8 is no exception to this rule and features a massively powerful 12-megapixel camera and Xenon Flash. In short, the Nokia N8 will take some seriously impressive snaps.

The iPhone, whilst sporting a greatly improved camera aspect, only brings 5-megapixels to the table and, while Steve Jobs may tell us its not always all about pixels, we’re hard pressed to see how the iPhone 4’s camera could beat the Nokia N8’s 12-megapixel Carl Zeiss colossus…

Plus, there’s also the fact that the Nokia N8 features the largest sensor ever to be put in a mobile device: 1/1.83.

Verdict: Nokia N8

Operating System
The Nokia N8 is powered by the new Symbian^3 OS and, while it may have ironed out a lot of the niggles, such as constant confirmation requests, it still remains to be seen whether or not it’ll stand tall amongst the Android and, more importantly, iPhone 4s of the world.

We still haven’t seen the N8, or indeed Synbian^3 in action yet, but we’re hoping that The Symbian Foundation has come up with some good – or, it could really spell the end for them.

We’ve had a good walk through the new iOS4 courtesy of Mr Jobs at the iPhone 4’s keynote speech, which took place on June 7.

And, it really does look the business, having multitasking, local notifications, unified email and impressively overhauled UI.

We knew Apple wouldn’t disappoint and iOS4, even to the most hardcore Android fan-boys, is a rather impressive development – even for a company of Apple’s stature and reputation.

Couple this with Apple’s reputation for creating extremely fast and durable devices and you’re on to a winning formula.

Verdict: iPhone 4

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