In a followup to his previous introduction to this review mini-series, looking at the £100 ZTE Racer (powered by Android) when compared to Nokia's similarly priced 5230, Ewan looks at the base specifications of each. Which comes out on top and do specs even matter in this target market?
Read on in the full article.
"runs on a virtual machine layer"
I'm certain Google are aware of the pros and cons of that decision. Google did take a performance hit but they have gained portability and security benefits.
The Dalvik JIT in Android 2.2 appears very well thought out; start-up time is barely impacted at all, typically only 2% of an application's hot traces are translated, the code compiled expands five fold for roughly a 10% overall increase in footprint, but performance increases 2-5 fold depending upon the application. I'm a Java sceptic but I think Google have made some smart choices here.
There are other advantages that we may see the benefit of in the future. If the Intel Medfield variants are any good and Android phones are built around them, the applications will run without recompilation by the developers. Performance, security and efficiency improvements of the JIT will benefit all applications, developers need do nothing. Google can do the heavy lifting and every application benefits.
Lovely new nail polish, Ewan!
The difference in screen size more than you make out.
I compared the screen on the 5230 (3.2"😉 to that on the N95 8gig (2.8" - same size as the ZTE), and there's no comparison - that extra .4" makes a huge difference in overall usage, sat nav, browsing, etc.
Interesting comment on the differences between 7.2mbps and 3.6mbps 3G connectivity, and its pretty much what I've experienced. My works laptop has a 7.2meg dongle, and I rarely see even a quarter of that speed. The 5230 sees about the same download speeds, despite only having "half" of the claimed speed of the dongle.
Battery life is pretty good on the 5230. Typical daily use is a bit of music, few calls (roughly half with a bluetooth headset), some web (facebook, news, etc.), and it can sometimes go for up to 3 days before needing a charge.
Although that latter point is irritating - it would be nice to have a phone that had the features, but would last 4-5 days between charges.
"...you need a third party application to suspend the data connection (ApnDroid)"
On all the android handsets Ive played with you can disable data by going to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks and unticking "Data Service"
any phone left syncing constantly in the background will have less than a days battery life ... i know ... i've tried
turning of all the background stuff is a simple tap in the settings for android ... turning on and off the 3G / HSPA wireless has a widget for the home screen and involves one finger tap
i get easily a day and a half from my HTC Desire using it as i do my N86 ... the N86 lasts longer on a charge of course because i do less with it as doing things like web browsing and video watching are a royal pain
the N86 wins hands down for camera (pics and video capture) and i do like having real keys when typing (even T9 keys) however the Desire wins hands down for just about everything else
i guess it depends on what you want from a phone and who pays you to write about them no?
😊
thehobnob wrote:"...you need a third party application to suspend the data connection (ApnDroid)"On all the android handsets Ive played with you can disable data by going to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks and unticking "Data Service"
Isn't it awful when they hide settings under such horrible multilayered menu structure??!? Android is doomed!!! 😛
> Even with more pixels it's easier to use the touch interface accurately on the 5230
I'm not sure what screen resolution (more pixels) has to do with the ease of use.
viipottaja wrote:Isn't it awful when they hide settings under such horrible multilayered menu structure??!? Android is doomed!!! 😛
On my Android phone it needs:
HomePage1->Settings->Wireless Controls->Mobile Networks->Data Traffic Uncheck.
Because only Symbian buys stuff deep in menus.
It's amazing how many critisisms of Symbian phones can be equally applied to other platforms.
Android needs a powerful processor to run adequately because it is running interpreted code on a virtual machine.
The advantage to this is that to run on different devices you just change the VM and everything should stay the same. The advantage is mitigated by the fact that different devices have different form factors so software still need to be changed for different phones.
When you are selling top end phones the consumer won't notice the negative impact of a powerful processor as much but it is still there.
In the low end the negative impact is very noticeable.
A low end phone must have a cheap battery. A more powerful processor, in this case, 600mhz vs. 484mhz, will eat the battery alive. A virtual machine will eat the battery alive. A monolithic kernel will eat the battery alive etc. etc.
This processor also drives up the cost or BOM so the manufacturer has to skimp on other parts of the phone to stay within the price budget they are aiming for. Screen size, resolution and battery compromises make the Racer terrible for watching videos or other media (the comparable 5800 is perfect for this and even has superb viewing angles, I assume this phone is the same). The build quality will also suffer, as described here and elsewhere.
Symbian is a microkernel it is designed for this kind of efficiency, Android will simply never be as efficient as Symbian, it is JUST NOT POSSIBLE unless it is completely rewritten from scratch. And so, Android phones will also always be poorer value for money.
This proves Nokia's, 2 OS, 1 dev platform is the right way to go if you want to play in the top end and low end.
As far as I am concerned Samsung (Bada) and Nokia are the only game in town if looking for a cheap smartphone and these OS also provide good value for money in the mid-range compared to Android. In the top end where huge batteries and reduced cost sensitivity make these issue less of a concern then Android or MeeGo or whatever makes more sense.
HobNob
I've the ZTE Racer i front of me. Wireless and network settings / mobile networks has no option to turn off data. Data roaming yes, but not data all told. Fragmentation in the core settings of the platform? Nice!
Fakefur
I agree, turn it off is needed, but its on out the box, there is no mention of what this does, and there is Auto sync AND Background data. Confusing options and no mention of battery hit. The etyhos of always on always connected is default, and the default action is to eat battery power.
Fakefur
You also win the prize for the first mention of bias. Here's the deal, you know the site name, you can read the text, and you can see my justifications. It's not like I;ve ever broadsidded Nokia before (eg the origianl X6 review)
David,
More pixels and bigger buttons mean a larget target area for a fat finger on a touuchscreen.
"Symbian is a microkernel it is designed for this kind of efficiency, Android will simply never be as efficient as Symbian, it is JUST NOT POSSIBLE unless it is completely rewritten from scratch. And so, Android phones will also always be poorer value for money."
Generally microkernels result in more IPC and privilege related context switches than monolithic kernels, and as a result they generally use more CPU time. But you know what? IT DOESN'T MATTER. The old monolithic versus micro argument is so much hot air, it has raged for decades and no clear winner has emerged.
Whatever failings Android may have the Linux kernel is not one of them, I would be surprised if even the Symbian Foundation used such an argument to knock Android.
The iPhone uses the hodge-podge of Mach/BSD and does do too badly, compared to that Linux is miraculously efficient and well designed. 😊
"When in Wi-fi coverage, the ZTE Racer switches to that to get a connection. If outside of Wi-fi, the handset switches to 3G and goes online."
At least the ZTE has Wi-fi unlike the 5230 which has none. Wifi can be switched off easily as can 3G - sorry but Android is leaps and bounds ahead of Symbian in terms of User Experience and this is from a Symbian fan. No need to be biased Mr Spence.
I got the 5230 for my relative a few months ago and while I can attest to its build quality, the lack of Wi-fi is just not on.
Perhaps Mr Spence should compare the 5230 with other Android budget phones - e.g. the LG540 .
oniox wrote:At least the ZTE has Wi-fi unlike the 5230 which has none. Wifi can be switched off easily as can 3G - sorry but Android is leaps and bounds ahead of Symbian in terms of User Experience and this is from a Symbian fan. No need to be biased Mr Spence.
.
I am both a Symbian user and an Android and iPhone user. Android is better than current Symbian^1, but "leaps and bounds" is a gross exaggeration. iPhone is way ahead and a ui, but Android is just a bit better.
Unfortunately for me I read internet hype on forums like these about how great Android is, went out and got a Desire, very disappointed. No great advance in the UI, and a huge battery pig. It's good from the point where some apps can be had that do things without the need for jailbreaking as on the iPhone, like getting cell information etc. But way way behind the iPhone UI, and down there in the Symbian^1 for being an average dull UI.
oniox wrote:"When in Wi-fi coverage, the ZTE Racer switches to that to get a connection. If outside of Wi-fi, the handset switches to 3G and goes online."At least the ZTE has Wi-fi unlike the 5230 which has none. Wifi can be switched off easily as can 3G - sorry but Android is leaps and bounds ahead of Symbian in terms of User Experience and this is from a Symbian fan. No need to be biased Mr Spence.
I got the 5230 for my relative a few months ago and while I can attest to its build quality, the lack of Wi-fi is just not on.Perhaps Mr Spence should compare the 5230 with other Android budget phones - e.g. the LG540 .
A quick look has the LG540 costing 40% more than I paid for a 5230, and a ZTE racer 30% more.
The only phone I can find that gets anywhere near is the T-Mobile Pulse.
Unregistered wrote: A more powerful processor, in this case, 600mhz vs. 484mhz, will eat the battery alive. A virtual machine will eat the battery alive. A monolithic kernel will eat the battery alive etc. etc.This processor also drives up the cost or BOM so the manufacturer has to skimp on other parts of the phone to stay within the price budget they are aiming for.
But you're assuming that:
A. Google will, as of now, cease to make continual improvements to the OS and improving its efficiency and optimization. In the real world, they seem to be releasing a new version of the OS almost every six months. They also just hired away the software executive for Palm's WebOS (somebody Nokia should have poached, but that's another argument....)
B. ..that component prices for today's mobile processors and batteries will both stay the same and will stop being continually improved upon.
If technology and prices stay the same for the next few years, as they are in August of 2010, sure you have a point.
But I somehow think that nobody's going to be standing still while Nokia and Symbian (for all its open source status, the SF and Nokia are essentially tied at the hip) catches up.
@Jimmy1:
While you seem to have endless faith in Google, despite the technical impossibility that a VM can ever be equal in performance to native code, you seem to assume that Nokia will stand still and not even further optimize their OS(s) anymore, even though they have already proven that Symbian^3 is vastly faster than Symbian^1 and the fact the N8 beats devices like the Nexus, Desire, Evo 4G and other Snapdragon devices by up to a factor of 5(!)
Of course BOM will never be as good on Android, it is self-evident, no matter how you look at it.
lies lies lies you can put a widget on your home screen for wifi,3g,bluetooth or gps on a desire 1 tap on, 1 tap off.
"lies lies lies you can put a widget on your home screen for wifi,3g,bluetooth or gps on a desire 1 tap on, 1 tap off."
If you care to read the article, you will find that it is the ZTE Racer vs. Nokia 5230, NOT the Desire.
Just because it is Android doesn't mean all Android devices are identical.
But even so, it is immidiately apparent how to disable it, and that is what is being critisized. Just like people complain about "how oooh so difficult" Symbian is to use, because some things are not immidiately apparent.
But all in all, I think the problem today is, that Steve Jobs has made it legal to be stupid. If you can't figure out how something works within a gold fish' attention span, it is crap.
I wonder if humanity indeed is degrading in intelligence from now on...
Forgot a "NOT" in the first part of my rant....sigh...
For those stating the N8 is fast, take a look here:
"Impressions
This is the fastest Symbian smartphone, pure and simple. It overtakes Sony Ericsson Vivaz and similar phones will become more numerous in future, which is good. But is it the fastest smartphone on the market? Unfortunately, I have to give a negative answer. The speed of its interface and software are well behind Apple iPhone 3Gs, let alone iPhone 4. This is just my personal judgment, but this is how I feel. Many Android smartphones are also faster. Bada phones are equally fast and sometimes even have the edge. Sadly, it is not the fastest device and I mention only available models without taking into account Android 2.2/3.0 (it is too early), which will show considerable increase of performance. There are also several top devices, which cost a couple of times more.
Nokia highlights the multimedia features of N8 and while they are good, they are not too impressive. Video player is common, the screen is not the best in its class (iPhone 4 and Super AMOLED from Samsung are superior and many Android phones offer higher resolution). The camera is one of its advantages, but only in terms of photos and resolution. The picture quality has not improved dramatically and the video recording is on par with other models (Vivaz and Motorola XT720 are comparable, as well as other phones as it is a standard functionality for the market).
I am upset by one more typical Nokia mistake when the company economizes on components. 256 MB of RAM are not enough and the browser has not been polished to allow its simultaneous use with multimedia features without the crash of applications in the background mode. The insufficient amount of memory is a hardware issue. "
Boom, not even as quick as a 3GS, never mind the iPhone 4. And the measly 256mb RAM means it's most likely going to be just as bad as the N97 fiasco! Heh.
Unregistered wrote:Boom, not even as quick as a 3GS, never mind the iPhone 4. And the measly 256mb RAM means it's most likely going to be just as bad as the N97 fiasco! Heh.
Where did you source that, it looks a bit, well, amateur.
How many reviewers have had a final release (not pre-production) N8 to test? None.
Does Symbian need more than 256MB RAM? Has anyone using an N8 come up against memory errors?
The N8 is, as has been repeatedly stated, a lower cost phone pitched in the mid range. From the quoted text: "There are also serveral top devices, which cost a couple of times more".
"While you seem to have endless faith in Google, despite the technical impossibility that a VM can ever be equal in performance to native code"
Nobody who actually knows anything about VMs, JIT compilation and optimisation would ever use the phrase "despite the technical impossibility that a VM can ever be equal in performance to native code".
A couple of counter-points for you to consider, JIT compilation can perform instance-dependent run-time optimisations that no amount of profiling can capture for compiling in advance, they can potentially generate code for CPU features that didn't exist at the time an application was written and compiled. And those are in addition to the general advance of compiler technology that a pre-compiled application never benefits from.
Unregistered wrote:I am both a Symbian user and an Android and iPhone user. Android is better than current Symbian^1, but "leaps and bounds" is a gross exaggeration. iPhone is way ahead and a ui, but Android is just a bit better.Unfortunately for me I read internet hype on forums like these about how great Android is, went out and got a Desire, very disappointed. No great advance in the UI, and a huge battery pig. It's good from the point where some apps can be had that do things without the need for jailbreaking as on the iPhone, like getting cell information etc. But way way behind the iPhone UI, and down there in the Symbian^1 for being an average dull UI.
Ok, I may have exaggerated there but my opinion is based on Android 1.6 on the LG540 which features nice custom tweaks by LG. In my opinion its much better than Symbian though Symbian customisation/themes is unrivalled. I totally disagree that iPhone UI is better than that of Android unless of course UI is judged solely on eyecandy, transitions etc not actual usability. The iPhone lacks a home screen and until recently app switchng was monotonous - interestingly, they copied S60s app switching in the lates iOS. It lacks theming and worst of all, its notification system is dreadful and virtually non existent. Compare this with Androids notification or its back button paradigm. For all of symbians faults, it handles a lot of usability better than the pedestrian iPhone OS and I bet we will see further improvements in Symbian3.
Lesson of the day, Eye candy does not a good GUI make.
"Lesson of the day, Eye candy does not a good GUI make."
Tell that to the 3 million + that bought the iPhone 4 in one month
"Where did you source that, it looks a bit, well, amateur."
I've seen that at Mobile Review, if you have a problem with their writing style, take it up with them 😉
"How many reviewers have had a final release (not pre-production) N8 to test? None."
You're right, none. But what SIGNIFICANT changes will be made in a month? None. The software and hardware will be finalised if you think otherwise then you're a fool.
"Does Symbian need more than 256MB RAM?"
No one knows as Nokia has been a tight ass with their hardware lmao.
"Has anyone using an N8 come up against memory errors?"
Yes, they have. Eldar did numerous times, with everyday tasks like listening to music and browsing a couple of internet pages, which has been proven to be poor. Oh dear.
"The N8 is, as has been repeatedly stated, a lower cost phone pitched in the mid range"
At €475 or whatever it is?? That's a lower cost phone? Jeez, you must have 5 of those diamond encrusted iPhones huh.
iFanboy wrote:"Where did you source that, it looks a bit, well, amateur."I've seen that at Mobile Review, if you have a problem with their writing style, take it up with them 😉
Why would I take it up with them when I am writing in the context of its placing on this forum?
Do you think it's well written?
iFanboy wrote:
You're right, none. But what SIGNIFICANT changes will be made in a month? None. The software and hardware will be finalised if you think otherwise then you're a fool.
Well Nokia have been making SIGNIFICANT changes AFTER release to market for years, and more recently and notortiously have Apple, and no doubt all phonemakers. So, I have no inside track on what Nokia choose to do with the feedback from the pre-release phones, but I don't see why they can't act on it even if the consequent update arrives after release.
iFanboy wrote:
"Does Symbian need more than 256MB RAM?"No one knows as Nokia has been a tight ass with their hardware lmao.
But does Symbian need more than 256MB of RAM?
iFanboy wrote:
Yes, they have. Eldar did numerous times, with everyday tasks like listening to music and browsing a couple of internet pages, which has been proven to be poor. Oh dear.
Give me any phone and I'll make it do the same.
iFanboy wrote:
At €475 or whatever it is?? That's a lower cost phone? Jeez, you must have 5 of those diamond encrusted iPhones huh.
My opinion is that it won't be sold at that price. All of these early price indications for new Nokias have been high, then the phone actually sells for much less.
@Ewan
"I've the ZTE Racer i front of me. Wireless and network settings / mobile Inetworks has no option to turn off data. Data roaming yes, but not data all told. Fragmentation in the core settings of the platform? Nice!"
That is surprising...I could understand, say, disabling Android's wifi tethering feature, as that could lead to network strain if you're using it to download huge files or whatever, but removing the ability to turn off mobile data full stop seems inexplicable to me. I guess I'll never understand Google's/ZTE's engineers :P
For the record, I'm a happy symbian user (Nokia 6120c) and even when setting the data to "always online" instead of "when needed" (thus simulating Android's constant want of an internet connection) I still get a good day and a half or so out of it, so I'd agree that the network drivers or whatever at the kernel level of symbian as wayyy more efficient than Android. (My T-Mobile Pulse never made it through the day with wifi off).
oniox wrote:Ok, I may have exaggerated there but my opinion is based on Android 1.6 on the LG540 which features nice custom tweaks by LG. In my opinion its much better than Symbian though Symbian customisation/themes is unrivalled. I totally disagree that iPhone UI is better than that of Android unless of course UI is judged solely on eyecandy, transitions etc not actual usability. The iPhone lacks a home screen and until recently app switchng was monotonous - interestingly, they copied S60s app switching in the lates iOS. It lacks theming and worst of all, its notification system is dreadful and virtually non existent. Compare this with Androids notification or its back button paradigm. For all of symbians faults, it handles a lot of usability better than the pedestrian iPhone OS and I bet we will see further improvements in Symbian3.Lesson of the day, Eye candy does not a good GUI make.
Nope. Not a chance. You may have a different subjective opinion but the general consensus is that the iPhone UI is way ahead, and it has nothing to do with eye candy. iPhone badge notifications may not be as verbose and contain as much information as Android ones, but they serve more than sufficient purpose. I think the geeks go for the Android type interface, and normal humans receive the iPhone style much better. Luckily for all of us, geeks are a minority. What is special about the back button compared to a home? Apple is way ahead, followed by Android, with Symbian just behind and about to surge past. Meego got a by to the final.
iPhone is not my choice by the way, I am reflecting the consensus here. (I am increasingly moving away from any kind of smartphone and back to ordinary phone because this whole thing is becoming increasingly irritating, dull and missing the point).
thehobnob wrote:@Ewan"I've the ZTE Racer i front of me. Wireless and network settings / mobile Inetworks has no option to turn off data. Data roaming yes, but not data all told. Fragmentation in the core settings of the platform? Nice!"
That is surprising...I could understand, say, disabling Android's wifi tethering feature, as that could lead to network strain if you're using it to download huge files or whatever, but removing the ability to turn off mobile data full stop seems inexplicable to me. I guess I'll never understand Google's/ZTE's engineers :P
).
ZTE must have removed the option and either do it some other way, or maybe this is a network move to make more money.