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i8910 vs N97?

9 replies · 6,364 views · Started 06 October 2009

nottmbantam 06 Oct 2009, 06:33

Ok, so I've had an N97 since the first few days it was released, bought it as sim free handset, so unlocked, but I've not been that overwhelmed by it and thinking of changing to an i8910 - what you be your recommendations?

Essentially, it's the same platform - Symbian S60 5th Ed.

Things I would want it to do, and do well.

Internet connection. Either via Joikuspot or wi fi. Will be running my Mac off the Joikuspot connection.How well does Opera 5 Mini Beta run. On the N97 after an initial uninstall and re-install, it works wonderfully well, the odd crash now and again, but a great app.

Call quality - Nokia do have phone's with great call quality and would not want to lose this, as I have heard the call quality on the 8910 can be a bit ropey.

Data and voice connection simultaneously. EG running Joikuspot AND being able to make phone calls / texts at the same time.

Ease of keyboard use.

Decent media player, good for music and movies. Obviously it has a great cmaera - what are the pic quality, indoor and outdoor.

Sync with Mac - iSync or Mail for Exchange sync with Google.

Good responsive touch screen, fast.

Don't want the phone hanging, freezing, slow to respond.

Regular phone software updates - can this be done through a Mac or does it have to be Windoze?

Multi tasking. Can I be browsing the interent and then also be running other apps in the background eg messaging / music?

Good Bluetooth connection - to be able to conenct to other phones, laptop - transfer of music / pics.

Build quality. The N97 is a well built piece, flaws in its camera lens though!!

I would again be buying sim free, unlocked handset here in Saudi Arabia, 8gb version is around 2,400 Saudi Riyals, around 400quid.

Sorry if this has already been covered, tried a quick search, didn't come up with much.

Many thanks.

freddyg 06 Oct 2009, 08:34

I have had the I8910 for 3 months now and its only becoming stable on the latest Italian firmware! Call quality can indeed be a bit ropey as reported with occasional volume spikes-depends mainly on signal strength from my experience.

I have also noticed that when making calls your 3g connection is ditched automatically! Data connectivity seems to be dropped when you are in a call. Not sure if this can be changed or if its set by the operator. Pic quality hasnt been as good as I expected to be honest. Alot of my shots come out blurred! Web browsing is ok but nothing like the iphone. Although future updates will hopefully include the chinese firmwares auto full screen browsing.

By far and away the phones best feature is the screen-its truly beautiful and makes for brilliant video viewing.

boogieindubai 06 Oct 2009, 21:28

I also had the N97 for a week and got rid of it asap and got myself the omnia hd. Honestly, i find the sound quality better than on the n97, which i found was too low during a call.

the build quality is definitely much better than the n97s, BUT 8mp camera is more like 5mp in my opinion. Oh and HD quality video capture my ass 😛 However viewing movies on that lovely screen is truly a joy (and it plays all my avi movies without any hesitation or hiccups!)

But beware, buy the Omnia ONLY if you dont mind tweaking it and doing a lot of research on all the firmwares that are available. This is something that I do miss about Nokia, where you only have one sort of firmware worldwide. With the Omnia you get lots of different options and end up spending the first week trying different ones to see which one you like best.

I finally opted for a cooked rom where all the junk software has been taken out and it gives me over 80mb free space on C drive. Also the phone hasnt frozen on me ...yet.

Oh and btw, with the Omnia you get 140+ mb of RAM on start up! Compare that to the ~40mb on the N97 😉

I am really glad that I ditched the N97 for the Omnia HD! Am planning on keeping this for quite some time

If you need more info then check out this forum http://forums.samsungi8910omnia.com/

nottmbantam 07 Oct 2009, 09:29

Thanks for the replies. I reckon I can sell my N97 and not have to pay much more for a new i8910 handset. Will still lose a bit of money into the bargain though :frown:

But, there is a new FW upgrade due out this weekend for the N97, so will try that for a week - it's def the 'last chance saloon' , just hasn't lived up to expectations.

Are the FW upgrades for i8910 easy to do ' get hold of- are they OTA or via PC connectivity, and is the PC Suite for Windows only or is there a Mac version?

UKJeeper 07 Oct 2009, 14:34

FW updates easy to do and pretty much 'brick proof', there's a boatload of options discussed on the forum mentioned above. You can use a 3rd party software to install the new ROM (FW). If you've ever upgraded a Winmo device you'll be on fairly familiar territory. Fire up the software, connect phone to PC, point software at the correct (downloaded) ROM, and click 'go'.

(disclaimer: flashing your FW can invalidate your warranty.)

You will need access to a WinXP PC to use this software though. There's not a Mac alternative, and the software doesn't run on Vista/Win 7.

nottmbantam 07 Oct 2009, 15:04

Ok, thanks for the heads up.

I'm about to install Windoze XP on my Mac , so I can get to the N97 updater software. Still irks that none of the big phone manufacturers do not do Mac versions, but then having such a versatile machine means I get the best of both worlds !! The only downside is the inferior spawn of Mr Gates' messing up my otherwise oh so beautiful MBP.....😊

seki 12 Oct 2009, 09:45

in the next few weeks..

overlapping with the N97 .. I considered the i8910 but SAMSUNG's commitment to updates seems even poorer than Nokia's ..

Beyond that there's the option of the N900 ..
Perhaps you could check out pricing on these in the middle-east ..

nottmbantam 13 Oct 2009, 11:41

Yes, will have a look around at the weekend when I'm Jeddah. By all accounts teh SE Satio is on release in the UK now, some folks already have it.

I'm still umming and ahh-ing over the SE / Samsung, I do like the slide out keyboard on the N97.