In their own different ways, the Nokia N86 8MP and the Apple iPhone 3GS represent the pinnacles of their form factor. The one is the classic one-handed 'phone', the other is the classic two-handed 'PDA/tablet. Yes, never mind that over-simplification, in the feature below I look in detail at every aspect of the two devices and try to see where comparisons can be drawn. I'm not looking for an overall winner, but am genuinely interested in the areas in which each device and form factor wins out.
Read on in the full article.
Steve, Steve, Steve, what have you done? Another Nokia vs Apple article!!! Now expect a long list of comments to this. :tongue:
Sinclair vs. Commodore, Nintendo vs. Sega. Psion vs. Palm... There's nothing quite like a large helping of tech competition to fire up the brain cells on a Monday morning!
As with all good tech battles, both competitors are worthy and both competitors are much loved by their legion of fans. To be honest I didn't quite expected Nokia and Apple to be in the same arena so soon. Things move so fast these days... But here we are with the N97 taking a swipe at the iPhone and the iPhone 3GS striking back at the Nseries with some surprisingly good content creation features.
Nice write-up Steve. The N86 clearly sees off the competition in low/artificial light. I'm now even more keen to get my hands on this classic Nseries device.
I've already given my opinion of the N86 on the forum.
This must surely be the last dual slider that we see released by Nokia. It's clear the the problems inherent with the N95 have not been fully resolved. The right lower part of my N86 slide now clicks slightly when first opened, but thankfully the play in the top part hasn't got any worse (it's the same as my N95 now). I am considering sending this �400 device back now, In hope that I'll get one of these "stiff sliders" that other people claim to have, but I'm wondering if it really is worth going through the customer services experience again?
.....and after reading your comments Steve, I'm wondering if your N86 slide is still as solid as it was when you first received it, and is it as noticeable?
Good point about the slider... It is important to know if any wear and tear does any damage to it. Steve, any comments?
Yes, my N86's slide is still as pristine as when I received it last month. What do you guys DO to your phones? 8-)
I do keep all my devices in cases at all times, so I'm particularly gentle with them, mind you.
I've not exactly been throwing mine around though, as I've had it in my pocket with my leather wallet and the rest of the time it has been on my desk. I'm very careful with my new phones and even a small scratch has me cursing myself for being clumsy! I'm positive that this has occured with just normal use.
I think I'll chance another swap, as I've also had a problem with the phone freezing on startup every other time. Third time lucky eh? 😊
I know you love your cases Steve, but I think the majority are still asking the question 'can I carry it in my pocket without a) toshing it and b) looking like I've got a semi. If it needs to be in a bag then a netbook plus bog-standard blower is far cheaper and better for all but the techno-lust brigade.
Last really pocketable phone I had was the N93. Since then I have had phones that let dust behind the screen, which is pathetic, and phones which scratch (5800) and break (N73) too easily, so that my current squeeze (E90) resides in a Bugatti on my belt. I want the next one in my pocket where God intended it to be!
My N86 still works fine though it's still too early to tell if it will continue working well, I don't have a case for it so ...:tongue:
I have managed to try a friends' iPhone 3GS, and I must say I am quite impressed with the video capture, it's not perfect of course (neither is the N86s) but it is quite good.
I'm just wondering if a contract with Orange is worth one now 🙄
You really ought to be comparing N86 to any number of SE's, Samsung's and LG's, in which instance my research finds it fares quite badly 😊:tongue:
@MWEB: So you're saying that all these other feature phones shoot video better than the N86?
Hi. I am a Nokia fan.
Well, Apple is doing good on phone market. They still have this classic over-an-over-again styling of their products (ipod, iphone, etc). And this 3GS reminds me of Nokia 3650, the predecessor of the revolutionary (on its generation) Nokia 7650, which introduces video recording.
Well, what can I say to Apple. They do good on eye-candy interface which Nokia is in fact struggling on that part. I am a Nokia fan that I also admit some of its weak point. The keyless classic design of iPhone really bring mystery on its design and appeal. Also, the kinetic scrolling really grabbed my attention on the release of the iPhone. But in terms of menu complexities, Nokia Symbian Series 60 is really feature-rich.
I am starting to get addicted to touch screen phones because you just have to point this and that without scrolling the d-pad continuously. So, that would give Apple a credit on this comparison because Nokia N86 is a soft-key based product which I know Nokia is the pioneer of this setup and majority of phones are using this soft-key setup. But I will still stick to Nokia N86 MP. After all, the years of experience of Nokia in phone market is still unmatched by a young Apple iPhone.
Thanks.
malerocks wrote:Steve, Steve, Steve, what have you done? Another Nokia vs Apple article!!! Now expect a long list of comments to this. :tongue:
And keep them coming.....people need to wake up to how lacking the iPhone still is against all that is out there. Three major software releases to bring copy'n'paste and video recording yet still no background apps.
Steve:
You have mentioned that the N86 uses the whole sensor for video recording as opposed to just a small bit of it.
My question is: does this finally allow for using the digital zoom whilst video recording? I find it ridiculous that on my N95/N85, there is a 5mp sensor but I can't zoom on a VGA-res video because the result is truly horrendous; it only zooms in using that VGA segment.
pennas wrote:Steve:You have mentioned that the N86 uses the whole sensor for video recording as opposed to just a small bit of it.
My question is: does this finally allow for using the digital zoom whilst video recording? I find it ridiculous that on my N95/N85, there is a 5mp sensor but I can't zoom on a VGA-res video because the result is truly horrendous; it only zooms in using that VGA segment.
EXCELLENT question. I've just tried it and yes, you can zoom in quite a lot without any seeming serious digital artefacts. I'll add this to the table and upload a sample video shortly.
8-)
Re digital zoom: I'm not sure it's even possible to do what you describe. If Nokia *have* managed to pull it off I'll be amazed, as I'm pretty sure it will be an industry first. Looking forward to the video demo Steve.
OK, video demo up. http://is.gd/1xlra
Not sure why you guys think it's that difficult. Nokia are simply using the whole sensor to capture light for the video - when zoomed in, they're simply downsampling differently.
If you zoom in much beyond 4x, you hit the same problems as digital zoom on other camera phones, i.e. things start to pixellate in ugly fashion. But 4x seems about right, since the VGA rendered frame is about four times (linearly) smaller than the full 8mp sensor.
Simply amazing... I'd love to know how Nokia are doing this. As I understand it, previously when you zoomed, the device just scaled up the centre of the VGA frame. Now it's doing something quite different.
Steve, from your explanation it sounds as if the N86 should be capable of capturing HD. I'm confused. Help!
Regarding the slider again, it looks like I'm not the only one. One person was told that it was normal for the slider to move by Nokia themselves. Another has decided to fix it himself with tape!
Obviously the N86's build quality isnt as great as first declared.
Thanks Steve!
I could never understand why previous phones didn't do this to be honest.
As for HD capture, I believe that the limitation is more in the processing power required to encode h.264 at a decent resolution.
HD video capture has to be the next step.
quick question...is anybody experiencing crashing/freezing on the new n96 firmware. And is there any web browser that allows opening multiple windows
A nice review which focuses on a well rounded N Series device in comparison with the best known touch screen mobile at present. The E66's successor (I'm presuming there will be one) and a new touch screen N Series will probably present a very powerful alternative to the offering from Apple. Apps aren't everything and other manufacturers are also persuading customers that generous on board hardware and software is just as appealing.
And this 3GS reminds me of Nokia 3650, the predecessor of the revolutionary (on its generation) Nokia 7650, which introduces video recording.
The Nokia 7650 came first.
Taomyn wrote:And keep them coming.....people need to wake up to how lacking the iPhone still is against all that is out there. Three major software releases to bring copy'n'paste and video recording yet still no background apps.
Actually the iPhone does allow background running of applications, but only Apple applications. Third party applications miss out.
For example you can listen to music whilst web browsing and so on.
I'm interesting in getting a new phone but the iPhone is just too expensive. The Nokia handsets have some great deals and the camera on the N86 looks great.
It also nice to see Gary in the photos...
slitchfield wrote:Yes, my N86's slide is still as pristine as when I received it last month. What do you guys DO to your phones? 8-)I do keep all my devices in cases at all times, so I'm particularly gentle with them, mind you.
When I got my first N86, the camera stopped working. I noticed the slider was slider was slightly not symmetrical. There is a tendency for the slider to move in a direction it shouldn't be moving when taking off the back cover. The slider should only move in its intended direction. My replacement has no problem.
Unregistered wrote:Qvga = fail
iPhone battery, no multitasking, banned third party apps, camera and camera flash = FAIL.