As part of our Nokia N93 build-up (we're still waiting on confirmation on some tech issues to do with firmware), Steve does a direct comparison between the N93 and its closest spiritual predecessor, the N90.
Read on in the full article.
N90 vs N93
Hi, N90 does not have WLAN and this makes it less of all-in-one road-warrior device. Very soon the SW catalog for 3rd edition should have all the most important/popular apps, so N93 should do definitely as good in term of PIM and from smartphone perspective (even with 2MB less of RAM), I would even say better due to WLAN connetivity and full landscape mode...
Good point! I'll add a line in the article about this. I have to confess to not being much of a Wi-Fi freak, partly because i don't use it at home and partly because very few of my devices ever have it either! 8-)
Steve
Steve, get you a cheap Wlan router at home and you'll see what I am talking about.
There may be many S60 apps in the future that will make real sense over Wlan only.
Okay, personal minor rant here 😊
Why do these point-by-point comparisons on tech sites always leave out maybe the most important statistic of all: the price. The N93 is being listed by some sites as 800 euros (about 500 pounds), whereas the N90 is listed on the same sites as 400 euros (about 250 pounds), so if you're going to compare them you'd have to say why the N93 justifies spending literally twice as much on it as the N90.
While I realise the price will vary widely from country to country, you could compare prices in one country just to give a rough idea of how the two models relate to each other.
Prices also vary widely accprding to network operators/contracts etc. Then there's the fact that people may be reading this in 3 or six month's time, in which case today's premium price for the N93 won't wpply quite so much.
Finally, there's the fact that most reviewers (like me) borrow units - i.e. we don't actually have to buy them - so price is usually an afterthought. 8-)
Having said that, on a personal rant of my own: even though I'm by no means well off, I firmly believe in buying the best tool for the job for everything. if I'd done lots of research and found that device X was perfect for me, that's the one I'd budget for and get, whatever the price (within reason). When most people reading this are earning �20,000 a year or more (many people an awful lot more, I bet), the difference between �300 and �450 (say) really is hardly any difference at all in the big scheme of things, especially if getting the right device makes you more productive and adds value to your life.
Steve Litchfield
slitchfield wrote:and adds value to your life.
Blimey, where can I find one of these devices? Next to the snake oil, I presume?
8-) I'm serious. Having a decent smartphone always with me gives me answers, instant communication with friends and family, a photo and video record of my small daughter and family events, pleasant gaming while waiting in line - shall I go on? Yes, a smartphone adds a lot of value to my life.
Steve
Useful comparison. I am a bit worried about the N93's significant 'gobble factor' of around 20 Mb for one minute of video. It won't take long to fill a 2Gb card. Maybe I'm not typical but I'd be looking to use the other smartphone capabilities too. Either you take short snippets of video or you buy extra mini sd cards!
I think theres another one big difference, the battery life! N93 is or not is a long runner then N90?The last one, have the same battery of 3230, which is not a great one...
--Prices also vary widely accprding to network operators/contracts etc. Then there's the fact that people may be reading this in 3 or six month's time, in which case today's premium price for the N93 won't wpply quite so much.--
Obviously prices vary, but anyone getting them on a contract is likely to pay peanuts (if anything at all) so there's not much point in looking at them as they're really paying for the phone in installments hidden in their monthly bill.
There's also the problem that not every model is picked up by every network so not everyone can upgrade to it.
The prices that really give a clear comparison are the sim-free ones, it'd be at least worth mentioning them. (Amazon.de is probably a good yardstick for Europe, they have a decent selection of the latest phones without any operator subsidies disguising the prices.)
Yes, the price might change in six months time, but the comparison is being written now. In six months time all kinds of things might change, there might be an N94 released which makes the N93 seem like a pocket calculator etc.
--Finally, there's the fact that most reviewers (like me) borrow units - i.e. we don't actually have to buy them - so price is usually an afterthought. 8-)--
This is why I get so annoyed with tech magazines, they talk as if normal people can just go out and buy the latest gear because they themselves get it all for free. I can buy a new phone maybe once a year if I'm lucky, so my absolute starting point is the price, then I can start considering the technical side of things.
Reviews ought to be for real people who can't get anything free. The N90 would cost me one months rent, the N93 would cost me two months rent, so to me they're not toys. If I was considering these two devices there's no way I'd get an N93 unless it was absolutely lightyears ahead of the N90.
The price makes a lot of difference to the people who actually go out and buy these things, even if it doesn't seem that way to reviewers.
--When most people reading this are earning �20,000 a year or more (many people an awful lot more, I bet), the difference between �300 and �450 (say) really is hardly any difference at all in the big scheme of things, especially if getting the right device makes you more productive and adds value to your life.--
What makes you think most people reading this are earning 20,000 pounds (35,000 dollars) or more? 😮
The difference between �250 and �500 is a difference which the vast majority of people would notice. It's the difference between a potentially mass-market device and a highly-acclaimed-but-never-sell-more-than-a-dozen device.
Basically what I'm saying is price is a very important feature, so it's worth mentioning if you can. 😊
Oh, sure, the price point will make a difference to sales, as always. But I stand by my comments that even a few hundred pounds isn't a big difference in the grand scheme of things if it's something you really, really need. My �20,000 figure? In the UK in 2006, to support a small family and have a basic house, with basic car and with only modest creature comforts you're looking at around �20,000. And personally, I'd rather have a new N93 than my week at the seaside. 8-)
Oh, and journalists don't get stuff for free *to keep*, we almost always have to give everything back, sometimes within a week or two. At least you guys get to keep your smartphones! 8-)
Steve
I tend to agree with Steve. If you are viewing this site with a serious intent to buy such a device, then money is not the driver, but the devices 'fit for purpose' value and its functionality. I also think the �20k figure is way too low for consumers of such high end tech devices. If you are viewing these pages dreaming of buying such an item, then the �300 will be too much and you are fancing the item on a wish list rather than a tool to improve your productivity.
However the astute and frugal amongst you will be looking here for other reasons and that is that once the N93 is common currency they will be able to buy the N90 off ebay for peanuts....leaving them more money to spend on the important things in their lives...like the candy floss.
Neil
P.S. I have just ordered the N93 as a replacement to my M5000, but that is because I want to enter the Nokia Shorts competition....