Nokia N97 vs iPhone 3GS : A Comparative Study

40 Responses

1. What Should i Have N97 or iphone 3gs? Says:
   June 28th, 2009 at 11:48 pm

   I got big problem i dont know what to have they both are good but with one is better please help xD Fast…

2. andrew monroe Says:
   July 4th, 2009 at 8:34 pm

   my sister have an iphone 3gs 16gb.. i dont like it.. its so fashion looking and so stylish that u wud just want to stare at it rather than using it.. im not saying this because hir in philippines, we r all nokia fans..(not all) but, nokia has a lot great features than any other phone.. i have seen the iphone myself, and im stil using my Eseries old nokia phone.. its business and multimedia compact device.. u wont need anyphone aside from nokia.. its beautiful, its perfect.. i am also use to typing messages, email, instant mesgs and doing on the web.. i know as there is wLaN, everything is fine doing with the browser.. but having the qwerty pad is a great help. actually, if iphone has a keyboard, then i might prefer it over nokia, its just it ddnt happen, and wud never happen. nokia is the leading cellphone producer. i love nokia.

3. Timen Says:
   July 5th, 2009 at 1:41 pm

   If I were you, I’d choose the iPhone 3GS. I own an iPhone 3G for about 3 months now and I’m very pleased with it. The iPhone 3GS is even better than the 3G. I personally find the iPhone’s 3.0 software very easy to use and it’s easy to sync all your data (at least with a MacBook, don’t know if it works that well with a Windows computer too). And as the review says, the iPhone is far more internet-ready than the N97.

4. Ju Dimello Says:
   July 24th, 2009 at 6:29 am

   Check this out, it may be helpful :

   http://gadgetophilia.com/top-10-reasons-why-nokia-rules-the-mobile-phone-market/

   In this page on right corner, there are comments on Nokia and Apple.. one of the comments from apple : “I’m working with iMovie trying to import avchd movies. Apple products suck! Why must everything be proprietary?”

5. i am a man Says:
   August 2nd, 2009 at 1:50 pm

   i think that n97 is better than iphone 3gs because its 5 megapixel and 46g and have a keyboard and the n97 is amazing for internet

6. Maillist Says:
   August 5th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

   I prefer N97 over iPhone and i’ve tried both before ordering and I think N97 is far more better then iPhone, though it all depends on your requirements, I wanted a keyboard and a good camera and N97 gave me so N97 rocks

   

7. E.Abdullayev Says:
   August 12th, 2009 at 7:21 am

   I recently bought N97 but unfortunately it isn’t so good phone, I say n95 8GB better than it. I feel very sorry now for buying N97, U can’t imagine how it is bad. I tried IPhone 3GS, it was really cool, and U can find so many apps for it. But there is no any cool app for N97, if I could choose again for buying I would choose Iphone 3GS. Dont buy N97 please, otherway U will sorry for this. ((( Sorry for my english)

8. Nokia Geek Says:
   August 21st, 2009 at 9:03 am

   There is an error in the review:

   “The iPhone OS apart from being a stable multitasking platform with ease of software development,”

   The OS in iPhone is not multitasking. But Symbian S60 on N97 is multitasking.

9. Soumitra Says:
   August 25th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

   @ Nokia Geek
   Apparently you may feel that the iPhone OS is not a multitasking OS as it does not allow simultaneous running of different third party apps at the same time but Apple has done this to increase the responsiveness of the phone by limiting the resource usage by the apps. At the Core iPhone OS is multitasking. You can always pull up the Maps App while a call is in progress, and then follow a link to a web page before ending the call. The iPhone rings when browsing the web, music plays in the background while performing other tasks, and can check emails periodically in the background while an app is running in foreground. It is clearly multitasking platform with the limitation that it can only run ‘one app at a time’ to improve responsiveness of the phone.

   To add more, I would say that a mobile phone does not need to be ‘more’ multitasking than this. With the limited screen size in a mobile device, you can not run two apps side by side. You have to fully minimize an app before using another app which necessarily implies that if a phone does not support two simultaneous process at all but can pause an application process and resume another application process can be seen as a real multitasking device. And to do this you need a large capacity RAM or virtual memory. Unfortunately not only iPhone but many other so called smartphones does not have enough RAM. The iPhone OS brilliantly hides its deficiency by not allowing multiple apps running at the same time and thereby increasing its responsiveness which the Nokia N97 really lacks at some stage.

   Regards,
   Soumitra.

10. Filip Says:
    August 27th, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    hi there. i interested far more in n97 than in iphone, not only that at least four of my phones i had in past were nokias, but the problem is that in country that i live in, slovenia, we have no authorised iphone seller. and thats a big problem- no repair shop, no gadget store and nothing.
    so, what im interested in is the processor in n97. how come that it has only 128 MB ram? and does that affect phones usage when you fill up the memory storage up with lots music, photos and stuff?-does it run slower than?
    nice regards and thanks for such an informative comparison post,
    Filip

11. mark Says:
    September 1st, 2009 at 10:56 am

    i pick iphone because unlike any other phone it is more faster and the applications you can install is really impressive. yes, n97 got the point for having the keyboard if you dont like the virtual one. Before i am using Nseries from nokia, my last was the N96, the phone is good but i thought that it is really boring. When i got iphone i feel that i made a good decision because of its good features and sleek candybar type that you will surely enjoy.

12. iron man Says:
    September 1st, 2009 at 4:12 pm

    Iphone 3gs is the worlds best phone for now.n97 is too crappy,i accept the fact that n97 has a hardware keyboard but the keyboard in the iphone 3gs is equally good when used in landscape.the fm transmitter and the camera are only the advantages in n97 but iphone 3gs has about 8 advantages over the n97.the gps receiver in the iphone 3gs is more powerful than the receiver in the n97.The browser is faster in the iphone 3gs.the best appstore is also the apple app store.

13. sam Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    I choose N97 coz of its specifications… It’s better than i phone 3gs…

14. Jens Says:
    September 19th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    There is a Difference that may made u decide, and that is not wrote in this post…
    Is about the Battery, yes, the duration between both devices are similar, but the one with for the N97 are better, maybe just for a couple of hours, but at the end that means a movie more during a long trip!
    My advice is go for the Nokia, is cheaper than the iPhone, and you wont se so Many on the streets, what make the N97 more exclusive!

15. Jane Says:
    September 28th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    Personally, I prefer the Nokia N97. It has more features and specs, although I have to admit that the overall user experience is better and smoother on the iphone. The iphone is more user friendly and browsing the web is slightly better. Still, there are many small things that I can do with the N97 that I can’t with the iphone, or I have to install apps to enable certain functions/features that seem basic or standard (e.g. sms fowarding, deleting individual messages). I also find it silly that while the iphone has bluetooth, you can’t share files with other mobile phones using just bluetooth. The specs are better on the N97, however the iphone is more polished (and why shouldn’t it be - it’s really a couple of years old compared to the N97 which is only a few months young). I love that on the N97 I can customise my phone, multitask, I love the QWERTY keyboard, and battery life and camera is better than on the iphone. Still, I am confident that the N97 will only get better with firmware updates, and once Nokia irons out its bugs, it will be as close to perfect as a smartphone can be. Perfect for me, anyway.

16. Sam Says:
    October 12th, 2009 at 10:07 am

    i just wan to ask whether can i buy I-Phone 3Gs from USA and use it in Malaysia? Are there any different in the system??

17. farouk Says:
    October 30th, 2009 at 7:13 am

    i’ve both of this devices . and diff iphone is better then n97

18. bob Says:
    November 4th, 2009 at 7:31 am

    im sorry to say but, seeing as i have an n97 i can tell you that its crap.. the browser is awful, there is no current mac os support so i cant add my music and films without some complicated procedure when apple makes it all so easy with the iphone. thus, what the hell is the point in all that space for me? yes the camera is better but built in editing is useful plus if you’re trying to make decent shots buy an actual camera. the ovi store is utter crap. apps are a joke (v limited selection). anyway, play paper tos on ihone and you’ll never want anything else!!

19. Nathan Says:
    November 16th, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    Iphone is only for american pipol..newi,in the philippines u cn buy iphone made in china.every1 owns that.f u wl use genuine iphone,they will jaz laugh at you.my friends in japan were totaly disapointd when they owned iphone 3g.they cnt exchange pictures/mp3s tru bluetoth.they have to send it tru email yet it cost them arms and legs.when iphone hangs.u have to bring it to the nearest service center to have it fix..dats too disappointing,u cnt have spare battery in case electricty is out of reach.battery is somewhat welded..how can u copy/paste?.its a vry im4tant feature in a smartphone.the bottom line here:iphones wer juz iphone touch with added basic telephony..so stop whining american iphone fanboys.

20. Geeko Says:
    November 23rd, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    @ Nathan :
    sheesh!..for pete’s sake, everyone knows how badly chinese iphone sucks(yeah, I own one n it’s not even 10% of the original)..btw have u even heard of iphone 3GS (notice there’s an S after 3G) or the iphone OS 3.0?…it allows u to cut/copy/paste far better than any other smart phone would!!
    btw have u ever seen the iphone come into play. Believe me, it’s way more than ipod touch with added telephony

21. michael @ sydney Says:
    December 11th, 2009 at 10:44 am

    I have had the N97 for months now and am about to ditch it. It is way too buggy. Speakerphone is useless so I have to fry my head; FM transmitter useless, utterly underpowered: but worst is that even with the latest OS the thing will crash and go to the now infamous “nokia white screen of death” which requires total factory level reset. For the fifth time now I have lost all of my configs and applications to this piece of crap phone. Yes, the camera is good as is the qwerty and browsing. The memory is definitely absolutely lame and makes a mockery of the multitasking capability. Enough is enough, bye bye nokia.

22. american Says:
    December 12th, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    well thanks for the review it was great and it helped me chose the phone i want the n97
    but some you guys said the browser sucks and you can not add more music and all that stuff.
    can you please explain it bit more please
    thanx!

23. MOHIT GAWANDE Says:
    December 15th, 2009 at 6:25 am

    my dad too possess a nokia n97 its good ,hot
    but fucks up wen use it
    its a crap!!
    though 640*360 resolution
    n 32 gb internal
    too slow
    doesnt respond quickly

24. Tom Rees Says:
    December 17th, 2009 at 6:27 am

    I have an N97 mini and it’s great. Browser works well, and you can add all the music you want (from PC, might be that the Apple iphone works better with an Apple Mac than does the N97!). For me the higher screen resolution, keyboard, and better camera were what made me get the N97 over the iphone (and cheaper, of course).

    Others have said the interface is not as slick and they are probably right but I don’t have any problems with the interface on the N97. There were a lot of problems with the earlier software but it works great with the latest update.

25. Just A Regular Girl Says:
    December 17th, 2009 at 9:36 am

    I have an iPhone 3GS and to be honest, I haven’t had one little problem with it. I’m obviously not saying that I won’t in the future but I have had it for months now and I love it The app store is the best, and Nokia’s stupid Ovi Store wannabe App Store is pathetic. My friend had a N97 and all I can do is laugh. Of course not to her face, that would be rude and hurtful :/ So, even though one person’s opinion my not matter, I personally am so glad I picked the iPhone 3GS. Thank-you Apple

26. mapen Says:
    December 20th, 2009 at 5:37 am

    N97…absolute rubbish…had mine for 3 months now and cannot find one good thing other than the qwerty keyboard and perhaps the camera!! Keeps crashing, slow to respond and seams to have a mind of its own. Changes ring tones all the time. Does not support Vodafone Find and Go despite being sold this in the package with vodafone….I’m planning to have a teddy throwing session with Vodafone and change to the Iphone in January

27. tayfun Says:
    December 21st, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    i own the n97 and the iphone
    iphone 1 better touch interface
    2 ram 256mb+600mhz a8+powervg sgx good for play games (more apps)
    3 faster in menu
    4 its easy to use
    5 multi-touch

    nokia n97 1 full azerty keyboard
    2 48gb storage inter 32gb externe 16gb
    3 support flash for full webbrowsing
    4 has louder speakers than the iphone
    5 battery life is better
    6 screen is verry sharp good for movies
    7 has 5 mp camera record dvd quality video 640*480 30fps fotos 2592×1944 pixels dual led flash
    8 if you update 20.00.19 you get genetik scrolling and the phone work faster

    the choise is for people ho profesional is take n97
    for people ho wil play games on his phone take the iphone its your choise
    thnks for reading sorry for my englisch im from belgium

28. Kiy Says:
    December 26th, 2009 at 12:09 pm

    I this article said that Both devices have built-in GPS receivers, it’s not true for iphone. As I know iphone doesn’t have GPS chip integrated, it’s just support A-GPS technology which mean positioning by using network, wifi and blabla..overall mean accuracy is not good compared to n97

29. krizsz Says:
    December 28th, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    @Kiy

    The iPhone does have a gps chip aboard. From the 3G model up anyway.

30. BananaPeelerLOL Says:
    December 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    well if u think about it, you don’t need a computer to move files into an n97 now do you? unlike for iphone, which requires you to constantly sync once every time u want a new song or some new app.

    lol, i still vote for nokia.

31. kc Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 3:19 am

    N97 Rocks! Did you say internet ready? What can be more internet ready when it doesn’t even support flashlite, not evening talking about actual flash. Choice is n97, as full web browsing apps, skyfire will be available soon, where you can surf like you are using you pc. A seamless internet experience that iphone users can only drool over… I’m sorry

32. Gina Says:
    January 21st, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    Why you guys arguing about Nokia n Iphone? I mean come on, the world has been pampered by the Finnish technologies for decade with complicated series of model that none is never good enough.

    Iphone- the new revolutionize touch screen and sync system tech that will here to stay.

    Bye Bye bugs…welcome the convenience of Iphone.

33. Andrew Says:
    January 25th, 2010 at 10:18 am

    I’ve decided to purchase the N97 Mini. I’ve been very happy for my n95 for the last few years. I’ve done my research and I like the way the nokia’s integrate well with outlook (which holds my emails, appointments, to-do’s, etc) which is very important as a student and professional. Plus with a lot of people buying the IPhone, i’d rather be different regardless of if its good or not.

34. Simon Says:
    January 31st, 2010 at 5:03 am

    i think the n97 is way better than the iphone bcoz its camera and design is wikid!!!! thats all i need and the iphone is for BASTARDS!!!! and like the iphone is a silly name ”eye phone” so plzz dont buy a iphone it crash’s wen the temp is high or low and u dont want that to happen do u bcoz u might want to show off in the summer . but onely if ur an BASTARD!!! so the n97 is my choice!!!! it ROCKZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

35. Toffi Says:
    February 11th, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    Simple advice for anyone thinking of getting the n97, DON’T !!
    I got it in December and I have been having one major problem after the other. These including constant freezing, problems with the touch screen, and connectivity problems (when I first bought it I had to format it to get it to work properly!!!). I am really disappointed with Nokia for putting their name on such a rubbish device.

36. Melder Says:
    February 16th, 2010 at 3:14 am

    Spec wise, N97 indeed seems better.

    I been using N97 since July’09, and i can tell you that, it sucks really bad.

    Ovi store is a joke.

    I haven’t try IPhone tho, but im getting it in few days time.

37. Seminyak Villas Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 12:18 am

    I don’t like the messaging feature in iPhone and this is just a simple feature that any other phone has but in iPhone it’s difficult and frustrating, you can’t even accidentally tilt the phone too much or it will change the keypad to a different angle! it drives me crazy!

38. ayyans Says:
    March 1st, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    Hi,
    i am planning to buy a i phone, what are the options available ? can any one tell me ?

39. Anil Kumar Singh Says:
    March 2nd, 2010 at 4:22 am

    i am thinking to take Nokiya n97, but I am confused in between Nokiya n97 and Blakeberry 9700

40. Nadine Says:
    March 9th, 2010 at 7:39 am

    I wanna buy a new phone, but after reading all these discussions, I am getting more mixed up between buying iPhone 3Gs or Nokia N97.
    HELP

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