Vlog: Nokia N97 vs iPhone 3GS Web Browsing
August 4th, 2009 • Mark Guim • Filed Under •
I love Nokia devices, but when it comes to web browsing, the iPhone is simply better. In this video, I compare the speed and user experience of the current flagship Nokia N97 vs iPhone 3GS. Take a look.
You can also watch this video in HD on Youtube.
Overview
- iPhone 3GS loads websites faster than Nokia N97. It is more noticeable on larger websites.
- iPhone 3GS features multi-touch that is very effective when zooming in/out of sites. Not possible on Nokia N97.
- Scrolling and double-tap to zoom work similar on the iPhone 3GS and Nokia N97
- Nokia N97 can play flash within web pages, but Youtube videos are nicely integrated with iPhone’s browser.
Overall, the iPhone is a better web browsing device. Watch out for more Nokia N97 vs iPhone 3GS comparison posts and videos soon!
luxus on 4 August 2009:
well done… i hope nokia subscribe ur rss feed and see that
its really one of the reason why i want to sell my n97
tae on 4 August 2009:
how about showing a website with flash like pulling up the real youtube or the real myspace on the iphone and n97 that a better test
Rob on 5 August 2009:
Hey Mark, I was just wondering overall which phone would you recommend. I have the N97 but have looked a little at the new iPhone. I can still return my N97 but am having a hard time switching. How are the pictures from the iPhone? I really like Nokia for taking pictures, how do they compare? Also, how do they compare with their other features. Thanks for any information you can give.
Søren Sprogø on 5 August 2009:
Excellent review!
Does the 3GS support flash? Otherwise that may be the reason why the N97 is loading pages slower.
» Confronto web-browsing tra iPhone 3G S e Nokia N97 » Software, applicazioni e temi per cellulari, news, symbian, novità e notizie da tutto il mondo della telefonia - Symbianplanet on 5 August 2009:
[...] questo punto di vista quindi, iPhone è meglio, così come questo video di Thenokiablog mostra (sono dei fan Nokia come si può evincere dal nome [...]
Mark Guim on 5 August 2009:
3GS does not support flash, but embedded youtube videos are nicely implemented.
Mark Guim on 5 August 2009:
I'll have a comparison soon, but so far it looks like the Nokia N97 takes better pictures.
facebook-1188433353 on 5 August 2009:
3GS, how about java script? If it doesn't support that, turn java and flash off from N97 and compare again, no need to make new video though
cochambre on 5 August 2009:
What about fullscreen browsing? flash content (not only youtube, but also games and nav menus in websites)? file downloads? file uploads? page saving (for later reading)? background loading of pages (while doing something else, like sending sms, emails, changing music, continuing that chess game, chatting, etc)? multiple background downloading? Bookmarks folders? data connection switching (going from wifi to 3G while you move)? And best of all: not being forced to use 1 browser.
By the way, though the multitouch zooming on iphone is unique and fun, i have tested that on high resolution devices, zooming is less and less required as resolution and realstate screen increases.
SL on 5 August 2009:
I think this is not fair to the N97 as rendering the flash “ads” will take time. Did you do the benchmark with flash disabled?
risvi on 5 August 2009:
i agree wit u mark… nokia's biggest weak is doesn't has complete browser like iphone
Peter on 7 August 2009:
I agree with all the people commenting about the flash support and possibly the java script support. Mark you ought to disable the flash and java script on the N97 and do another comparison.
But it is great that the fact, that Symbian no longer is that far behind when is comes to browsing experience, gets some attention. So great work Mark!
RayanMX on 7 August 2009:
In my opinion the true winner on this review is actually the Nokia N97!
The browsing experience has actually improved over the previous Nokia models and the comparison on the video simply proves that the N97 renders pages better since it has full Java and Flash compatibility, where the iPhone 3GS does not!
Besides, comparing two devices just on the browsing experience it's not fair either, the Nokia N97 has many other browser options, like Skyfire for example, which is really fast and 100% functional.
So, don't jump to conclusions just on the browsing experience alone, you have to consider other things even if the browsing is your main interest. Battery life, ease of typing, camera, memory expansion, etc are amongst the strong points of the N97.
However, the only main drawback I see on the N97 is the fact that there's simply no carrier subsidy anywhere.
Cheers!
Rayan
stryqx on 9 August 2009:
Yeah, the difference between a 434MHz ARM11 and a 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 with a PowerVR SGX graphics accelerator.
It would be nice to see Nokia release a phone by the end of the year/early next year with a similarly capable chipset. But here's hoping for a release late next year with an ARM Cortex A9 in it (preferably using Texas Instruments' OMAP 4 platform, or other similar platform).
stryqx on 9 August 2009:
Woot! Full HD and DSLR performance on smartphones with this sucker! http://bit.ly/Y9lVo
mack123 on 13 August 2009:
Help me chose one please…
http://www.puremobile.com/Nokia/Nokia-N97-3G-NA...
or
http://www.puremobile.com/Apple/Apple-iPhone-3G...
thank you.
3gs on 11 February 2010:
iphone win!
3gs on 11 February 2010:
iphone win!