With the recent launch of the iPhone yesterday, I started to think which phone is superior, the (new) Apple iPhone or the (upcoming) Nokia N96. To be fair, I will only review the features that I think are important (CPU speed is not), and I must say that I am honestly divided as to which is the better phone.

Design

The first thing you might notice when comparing the two is the design. The Nokia is a Dual-Slider, meaning that it slides up for a keypad, and down for media controls. The iPhone has very few buttons, but instead has a touch interface which opens up possibilities like a QWERTY keyboard. If I was to choose between the two, I would certinaly pick the touchscreen, because you will be able to type faster and applications aren’t limited to a single set of controls (The music mode may have different buttons to the address book, for instance)
Winner: iPhone

Interface

Again, you can’t get much better then Apple on this one. The N96 may be powered by Symbian OS, but what it lacks is coverflow, safari (when you compare Safari against Opera, I have to pick Safari only because I know that you once had to pay for Opera, and for some reason, it has clouded my view), a full QWERTY keyboard, iTunes and it’s multi-touch gestures. I also feel more at home with the iPhone OS, possibly because I know that OS X is a solid Operating System.
Winner: iPhone (again)

Storage

I like a lot of space. What I like more is expandable space; which is why I’m awarding this to the N96. Not only does it come with 16gb of internal memory (The iPhone only offers 16gb on its higher end model), but you can hot-swap a microSD card for even more room (Currently 8gb is the largest you can buy, giving the N96 a total of 24gb of storage). Even if Apple release a 32gb model, I am still temped to choose the N96, only because I can remove the card and use it in other things (like my TV).
Winner: N96

Connectivity

Again, this one is easy. Both phones support WiFi and Bluetooth and run on a 3G network, but you don’t need iTunes to run a N96. Full Stop. Furthermore, if you wanted to, you could just pile all of your media onto a microSD card, and transfer it onto your N96 that way - without the need for a computer. And, as an added bonus, you can do that on Windows, Mac or Linux.
Winner: N96

Camera

Do I really have to bother with this, 5 mega pixels vs. 2 mega pixels. Both phones also feature geotagging and the N96 comes with the added bonus of flash. Some might argue that you don’t need 5mp to take photos, but if the technology is avaiable, why not use it. Why should I worry about two different devices (Camera and Phone) on my next holiday, when I can just use the one device. Space isn’t an issue either, because if I fill one microSD card, I can just pop in another. I don’t even have to worry about finding a computer with iTunes somewhere either.
Winner: N96

Size/Weight/Height

After a quick check on Wikipedia, the N96 weighs a whole 8 grams less then the iPhone. But, the iPhone is thinner then the Nokia, and not as wide. If you want to get technical, the N96 has a cubic volume of 101.97cm, compared to the iPhone’s 94.68cm. My current mobile is the original Razor, so I have to give this one to the iPhone, only because smaller phones are better.
Winner: iPhone

Battery

I have no idea what I am talking about here, but the N96 has a 950 mAh battery compared to i-don’t-know for the Apple (they mustn’t like to share). For Audio playback, its 14 hours (N96) vs. 24 (iPhone) and for video its 5 hours (N96) vs. 7. Standby time is 220 hours (N96) vs. 300 for the iPhone. Even though the battery can’t be replaced by normal people, I will give this one to the iPhone, as it can go 12.5 days without a recharge.
Winner: iPhone

Media Playback

The Nokia N96 can not only playback MP3’s, but AAC’s and WMA’s. In terms of video, it can playback MPEG-4, H.264, WMV9 and Flash (It can also playback realVideo, but no-one cares about that). The iPhone can playback H.264 and MPEG-4 video, AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, AIFF and WAV. The N96 supports flash, which is why the Nokia wins the media playback.
Winner: N96

Network

Although this only applies to Australians, the Nokia N95 runs on Telstra’s nextG network, and it’s likley that the N96 will follow. The iPhone runs on either Optus’ or Vodafone’s. While I have an extreme disliking for Telstra’s broadband network, they do have a (better) nextG one and is one reason why I’ll never buy a phone locked to Optus or Vodafone. I’m not sure what it’s like in other countries though.
Winner: N96

Conclusion

I can’t decide. As much as I would like to say Nokia, there are some outstanding features on the iPhone, including some I haven’t mentioned. If I was to choose either phone, to recieve one for free, I would definatly pick the N96 because of it’s outstanding Camera. It practically merges three devices into one. But, some people might want the iPhone for other reasons (like push email). If you want, let me know what you’d choose, and why you would choose it.

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