Nov 29, 2008

Tech - Nokia 5800 Vs iPhone

Has the real competition to Apple iPhone finally arrived with the unveiling of Nokia 5800? Since Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced iPhone in January 2007 MacWorld, there has been a flurry of touchscreen phone launches from almost all mobile phone manufacturers.

However, so far no one has really been able to steal the limelight from Apple despites many devices boasting of far more power in terms of features. In the past few months, the Finnish phone maker has often been criticised for having missed the `touchscreen' bus. Will Nokia 5800 prove the critics wrong? Will Nokia 5800 be able to do to iPhone what no other phone could do? Only time can answer these questions.

Here we bring to you what Nokia 5800 has that its biggest rival Apple 3G iPhone doesn't.

Nokia's first touchscreen phone boasts of a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, 3x digital zoom, auto focus and a dual-LED flash. It also has a second backward facing camera. This compares to Apple 3G iPhone's 2 megapixel camera with no video recording option and no flash support.

Unlike iPhone, Nokia 5800 offers video recording option at up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps (frames per second). It offers up to 4x digital video zoom. The phone's front camera supports video calling feature. Nokia 5800 can support video playback up to 5.2 hours, video recording time up to 3.6 hours and video call time up to 3 hours.

No video recording in 3G iPhone also means no video conferencing. iPhone also lacks optical zoom feature.

With Nokia 5800, the world's largest cellphone maker also tries to challenge Apple's dominance in the digital music arena. Beginning next year, the phone will feature Nokia's free one-year subscription for the company's new music service, `Comes With Music'.

Positioned as a music phone, Nokia 5800 comes pre-loaded with a vast range of music collection. Though iPhone users can download music from Apple iTunes, however, the service is not available for free. Apple has neither tailored any download scheme with iPhone.

Nokia's music download package is its first major push into the services business. The company said that all major music labels and most independent labels will offer their tracks as part of Nokia's 'free' music bundle "Comes with Music," raising the total number of tracks to around 5 million.

User's one big disappointment in 3G iPhone was lack of user replaceable battery. Apple reportedly claims that it left out the user-replaceable battery option as it would add weight to the device.

However, interestingly almost all smartphones in the market, even those at the lower-end offer this option. And so does Nokia 5800.

Nokia 5800 battery life is reportedly as much as nine hours (GSM) or five hours (HSDPA), 35 hours for music playback or three hours of video. Nokia claims that the standby time is up to 17 days.

Apple iPhone support talktime of 300 minutes for 3G and 600 minutes for 2G and has a 300 hours standby time.

Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic can sync with stereo Bluetooth or in-car Bluetooth handsfree, which again Apple iPhone cannot.

Nokia's touch phone supports Bluetooth version 2.0 with A2DP and AVRCP. iPhone lacks A2DP on Bluetooth. A2DP audio devices, such as stereo Bluetooth headsets, offer enhances listening quality.

Also, iPhone doesn't support file sharing feature including MP3, images and video files via Bluetooth.

Unlike the iPhone that doesn't allow users to forward text messages as well as MMS messages, Nokia 5800 doesn't have any such bar. The phone supports SMS, multiple SMS deletion, MMS version 1.3, message size up to 600KB and automatic resizing of images for MMS.

In iPhone users can only send text messages or snapshots via email. Also, users can't send a SMS to multiple contacts as iPhone has no option for that either.

iPhone also lacks support for voice-recognition that allows users to dial verbally. Here again Nokia 5800 takes the lead, the phone supports voice commands and dialing feature

According to media reports, Adobe is working on Flash for iPhone. This means user needs to wait as and when it gets launched.

However, no wait for prospective Nokia 5800 buyers, as the Xpressmusic phone already offers Adobe Flash support. Flash is required to power many online video services and websites. This means with no Flash support when users will browse Web pages which require Flash, they will see empty spaces with missing icons on iPhone. Apple claims that Flash may slow down browsing on iPhone.

Incidentally, iPhone supports YouTube which requires Flash. This means users cannot get all YouTube video, but only a few selected ones that have been rolled out for the Apple-favored H.264 video codec.

Nokia 5800 too looks more attractive vis-a-vis 3G iPhone in terms of pricing. Nokia 5800 will be available at an unsubsidised price of 279 euros ($390). When compared to the 3G iPhone, the unsubsidised versions of 8GB model cost 499 euros ($700) in Italy or 350 pounds ($619.19) in UK. Nokia is yet to disclose the operator deals and other details.

It is expected that the phone will hit Indian stores by the end of December. However, in India Nokia so far has never sold its phones tied to any specific operator.

Apple iPhone comes only on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone network in India. So, Nokia 5800 Xpress Music seems all set to give tough competition to Apple iPhone which retails at Rs 31,000 for 8GB and Rs 36,000 for 16GB in India.

For text input Nokia's touchscreen phone has four options: handwriting, mini QWERTY keyboard, full screen QWERTY and alphanumeric keypad. The handwriting and mini QWERTY keyboard are stylus operated.

Apple's iPhone lacks Stylus, which, however, can be added as an accessory. Also, alphanumeric keypad and landscape keyboard is missing

Nokia's touchscreen device comes with 81MB internal memory, 8GB microSD memory card, capable of further expanding up to 16GB.

However, iPhone which comes with storage options of 8GB and 16GB models cannot be further expanded. It has no memory expansion slot. The 2G iPhone was also available with same memory capacity with no further expansion

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

you obviously don't have a clue as a lot of your statments about the phone are incorrect, for example, the iphone CAN send sms to multiple contacts! The 5800 is a plastic, cheap iphone wannabe

Anonymous said...

maybe nokia is plastic but its very good plastic this phone roxx

Anonymous said...

First I like to say that I a huge fan of Apple products but... Iphone is totally overrated. Apple have succeeded in making people want products even if they have lots of setbacks. A huge marketing success.

The nokia is a potent phone and it provide the user with most of what the iphone does and more... it is however plastic but the question is why all iphone users are obsessed with defending their phone and if the iphone is €250 better than the nokia?

How come the iphone should be THE phone. I think it is close to crap. Nice interface and user interactions but the lack of functions e.g. a simple fm-radio. makes me not wanting it. The nokia is also slightly smaller which I think is positive.

Anonymous said...

Very one sided article. Disappointing.

Anonymous said...

I've got Nokia 5800 and I absolutely love it... iPhone's going to oblivion...

by the way, good article mate!!

Kucing Mafia said...

iPhone was in my iWish list, until iCame across 5800 from my iLenovo notebook. So iscrap iPhone out from the iWish list.

Apple should stick to iT product and leave the mobile business to MOBILE player.

iSuck!

David said...

I know you wanted to show what the 5800 has that the iP doesn't, but you were biased.

It's obvious that the iP does not have a stylus, because you don't need one.

Of course, you can always add the proper stylus to the iPhone (styluses for capacitive screens), but that means exactly that its screen will perform great on both situations (stylus or finger tapping).

I can't say the same about the 5800... finger tapping on it is ages behind the iPhone, because of the screen used on the 5800.

Camping Gear said...

Hi,

In my opinion, Iphone has major dissapointments. No flash, horrible camera, and no bluetooth transferring. Nokia 5800 the best.

recon,

Cell Phone Signal Boosters

PeeKay said...

I’ve been using the 5800 for about a month now and I’m totally in love with it. This is how i think it faces up with the iPhone . Overall a nice phone, but Nokia should iron out a few kinks before it cal totally take over the iPhone.

Unknown said...

Isn't it sad when you all these Apple fanboys bashing against anyone who would even dare to shine a light on harsh realities.

I really hate it whenever I write a post about Apple, there is always atleast 1 perosn who will come and say - Apple is apple and thats why you cant beat it...

Anonymous said...

3gs just f-king owned the nokia 5800 . sorry kids , but you just cant beat the best.

Kucing Mafia said...

5800 is kid's phone .. Shame on iphone trying to compare themselves to 5800 ... HTC Touch Pro2 beats 3GS anytime.

Anonymous said...

Researchers have discovered a flaw within Apple’s iPhone SMS feature, an exploit that could allow a hacker access to your iPhone, disabling it and rendering it utterly useless. The exploit was publicized today at Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas today.

Cybersecurity researchers Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner discovered how they can disable any iPhone via a simple SMS. The exploit sent consumers into pandemonium, questioning if they should shut off their iPhone’s as of Thursday, when the exploit was demonstrated and documented to the public. The exploit shows up on the victims device as a single square character.

Chater Jordan said...

The iPhone looks stylish and cool, but in reality it lacks features, so the next time you say "The iPhone is slimmer" well duh, as it doesn't have those features like flash and etc.

I always got baffled by the press pictures when it first came out on "where does the battery go?"
Then I found out- iPhone goes off my phone list.

The 5800 was the first ever Nokia TouchScreen phone and guess what.....

IT BEAT ALL IT'S RIVALS!!!!

SHAME!

Your Sincerely,

Chater Jordan

haha!

Chater Jordan said...

Oh yeah and if your thinking I'm a "sad PC owner who thinks Apple is rubbish because they are"....


WELL SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!


I am writing from a MAC now and the whole of my family are MAC based.

Chater Jordan

Anonymous said...

I'm actually writing this on a 5800 now and i'll have to say it is a pretty awsome phone! Honestly Apples touchscreen technology is better than anyone elses on the market today, but thats pretty much the only good point they've got now. And that alone it's definately not worth it considering i can get two 5800 for the price of one iphone 3gs...

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Anonymous said...

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