The reason I wrote that Top 10 list is because an abnormally high number of iPhone bashers from day 1 seem be either Nokia N95 owners or just people who consider the N95 the ultimate "smart" phone. I don't share that opinion, obviously, but I'm always amazed that the weaknesses or trade-offs with the N95 are often brushed aside or excused in these comparisons. I will elaborate on the list I made, responding to some of the comments that followed.
10. No, the N95 is not a large phone, but it is much thicker than the iPhone, and this is a disadvantage to the many cell phone users who carry their phones around in their front pockets. Form and function go hand-in-hand, and Apple's engineers obviously put a lot of effort into keeping the iPhone very slim and portable, not to mention attractive. I didn't even bring up the problematic sliders on the N95.
9. The battery life, or lack thereof, is a serious liability on the N95. If you want to talk on the phone for a couple of hours, surf the web for an hour and answer your email, you'd better take along a charger or an extra battery. Forget about listening to music and taking pictures. Most people recharge their phones at night, so if a phone can last the day after heavy usage -- like the iPhone -- that's really all most people need. The N95 doesn't reach the finish line.
8. The N95 IS the best camera ever on a cell phone, and better than the camera on the iPhone. What I question is the value, and trade-offs, inherent in sticking this kind of camera on a cell phone. The camera blurs the lines between poor cell phone cameras -- good only for sending pics to friends and family to display on a screen -- and consumer digital cameras good for printouts. It blurs the line, but it doesn't cross the threshold. The N95 is still a poor camera when compared to the lowest end digital cameras. These cameras are small, have some ability to zoom, have a far superior flash and much faster response times, better focusing, control and ergonomics. And they take better pictures -- no question about it.
7. The last criticism also applies to the video camera. It is impressive, no doubt, and better than nothing -- which is what the iPhone has. But the video on the N95 is no competition for even a low end video camera. It's not just the resolution, which is fine. It is the slow write speed, the heavy compression and the awkwardness of shooting video on this phone. My Canon S3 takes much much better photos AND video than the N95. But so does my 3-year-old Elph.
6. The S60 system on the N95 does lag at times. The iPhone feels pretty snappy in comparison. This advantage will not show up on any comparison chart, but it makes a difference in the user experience.
5. The N95 is seriously underpowered in the built-in memory department, and that is not a problem solved with micro SD cards, no matter what the size. When you load up a few half-complex web pages on the N95, it runs out of memory and needs to be restarted, which sucks no matter how your slice it.
4. GPS is great to have...in a car. It's nice to have in a cell phone, too, but navigating while driving using the N95 could be hazardous to your health. The smallish screen doesn't help, nor does paying $10 a month for turn-by-turn instructions. GPS integrated seamlessly with Google Maps on a decent sized screen would be nice, though. This could happen -- on the next iPhone.
3. The complete lack of QWERTY on a "smart" phone that is supposed to have robust web and email capability is simply unacceptable for many people. Yes, I know, your "friend" is the Lebron James of T9 typing. And you carry around a bluetooth keyboard. Sorry, but no thanks.
2. This is one of the more bizarre boasts I hear from N95 owners in the U.S. They have 3G -- that is completely unusable in the United States. What a waste. It's like driving a 4-wheel drive car, that only uses 2 wheels, but still feeling good about the blocked ability to use 4 wheels. GSM 3G is not ready for prime time in the U.S. It will be next year, but a feature unused is not a feature at all.
1. This is the most laughable argument I've heard comparing the N95 to the iPhone. These devices might share some underlying code, but the actual web surfing experience is like night and day. The multi-touch, the ability to quickly zoom in and out, and the accelerometer all make web browsing on the iPhone far superior.
