Apple iPhone vs Nokia N96

By Jeremy Roche and Joseph Hanlon on 03 March 2008

update The Apple iPhone 3G has finally landed in Australia. Check out our iPhone Launch Centre for everything iPhone, including news, features, photos, downloads and videos.

Aussies love a good stoush, and from the response to our previous Apple/Nokia face-off, the battle for Australian mobile supremacy is far from decided.

Apple recently announced that the 4GB and 8GB versions of the iPhone, released in the US and Europe, would be superseded by 8GB and 16GB models. Not to be outdone, Nokia hits back with 16GB of storage in the N96, and MicroSD expansion that will support up to 8GB. If Apple put a 3G chipset in the iPhone before releasing it in Australia we'll have a real fight on our hands.

That's not to say the N96 is a clear front-runner, and it's not just a matter of style over substance. The iPhone's 620MHz processing speed is significantly faster than most smartphones on the market to date, and is nearly twice as fast as the N95's 330Mhz. Also, the N95 had terrible battery life, and while we're hoping this improves in the newer model, we won't be holding our breath.

  Apple iPhone

Apple iPhone

 Nokia N96

Nokia N96
Operating system Mac OS X Symbian S60 3rd Edition
3G No Yes (HSDPA-enhanced)
Camera resolution 2 megapixels 5 megapixels
Camera flash No Dual LED flash
Browser Safari Nokia Web Browser
E-mail Displays HTML-rich; Push IMAP (Yahoo); IMAP/POP3 POP3/SMTP/IMAP
Music player iTunes RealPlayer / Nokia Media Player
DVB-H (Mobile TV) No Yes
GPS No Yes
Maps Google Maps Nokia Maps 2.0
Touchscreen Yes (multi-touch sensors) No
Screen 8.9cm (320x480 pixels) 7.2cm (240x320 pixels)
Weight 136g 125g
Memory 8GB/16GB 16GB
Processor speed 620MHz Unknown
Expansion slot None microSD
Replaceable battery No Yes
Battery - talk time 8 hours 2.5 hours
Battery - audio playback 24 hours 14 hours
MMS (for sending pictures and video) No Yes
IM (instant messaging) No Yes
Video calling No Yes
Video capture No 640 x 480 (30 frames per second)
VoIP No Yes
YouTube Yes Yes
User can install 3rd-party apps Not yet Yes
Accelerometer changes screen orientation when rotated Yes Yes
Spell checker Yes No
Ambient light sensor (dims screen in low light) Yes Yes
Proximity sensor (turns screen off when put up to your ear) Yes No
Video output to TV No Yes
Threaded SMS Yes No
Flickr integration No Yes
Supports stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) No Yes
Locked to carrier Yes No
Price US$399 - 8GB, US$499 8GB (~AU$430, AU$590) - 2 year contract Unknown - N95 originally AU$1379 outright

The details for both phones, particularly their prices, may change before we see them in stores.

We'd love to say that we're doing this comparison because Apple have announced a date to release the iPhone in Australia, but as you probably know, Apple is playing its cards very close to its chest. Thankfully, Nokia have been a little more forthcoming, and we're still expecting a release of the N96 in Q3 of this year.

We'd like to hear your thoughts on the iPhone versus the competition. Leave your comments below or jump on the forums and let us know what you think.

Topics: apple, iphone, mobile phone, n96, nokia

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