Nokia N8 No iPhone 4 Beater: 5 main problems

By: | September 27, 2010 | 41 Comments
Nokia N8 No iPhone 4 Beater: 5 main problems

Nokia has great expectations of their N8 smartphone device, but how does it truly compare to the likes of the Apple iPhone 4 – or other smartphones? The Nokia N8 has still not been released to the market yet, but from what we can tell there are a few problems.

There are certainly some great features that will help the N8 stand out, but are they enough to challenge the iPhone 4? An article written by Surojit Chatterjee on MSNBC aims to find out.

There seems to be five main issues with Nokia’s upcoming handset, these are as follows: weak processor, low memory, Symbian OS, internal battery and finally its price.

The 680MHz processor will not cut it in today’s age, most smartphones now run a 1GHz chip, the upcoming Droid 2 R2D2 Edition is rumored to come with a 1.25GHz processor – almost double that of the N8.

The two biggest issues I believe are the mobile OS, and its price. There were rumors that Nokia were considering a move to Windows Phone 7, and although there is no evidence of this – it does show the failings of Symbian. The $549 price tag could be the deciding factor on how well the N8 does, but with cheaper Android handsets on the market – things do not look that great.

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  • Adrian

    You need to look at the phone and what it does with the hardware before comparing. That article was an absolute waste of time. One of their points was that N8 can't beat iPhone because they both have batteries that cannot be removed. How is that an argument against the N8 when the iPhone has exactly the same fault? I know it pulls readers to have such a provocative header but articles like this http://bit.ly/9qDTBz have adequately rebutted the iphone article.

    @My_E72 http://www.mye72.blogspot.com

    • @nkit

      Iphone 4 battery is really great …. So it really doesn't matter…..

      • Vince

        Iphone really suck… It deprived us of socializing to other phones… Bluetooth only works to another iphone… I think you need to hang that phone to have a better reception if your talking to someone or (not holding the phone)… Apps only to apple… so its really not cool… people will surely buy N8 if they want to have fun with there phone… so cool…

      • Daniel

        The article from beginning to end is ill-informed. What I really appreciate and what IS truely valuable — are the smart folks posting well informed and truthful replys which help ensure the truth is made known. Great posts and thanks.

        The N8 has everything any user, anywhere in the world could possibly want and much more and most of these users/upgraders/new adopters could not care less about the design flawed IP4 let alone even go look at one and evaluate it — even on paper. The N8 is a major winner for 99% of any potential customer and has excellent value propositions..

  • devNull

    You clearly have never tried running 2 different operating systems on the same hardware – chip speed is not the be all and end all of performance. If the N8 Symbian OS is more efficient than iOS / Android and therefore doesn't need such a fast chip to achieve the same performance, why bother sticking a massive, battery-drinking processor in there..?

  • Roger Johnson

    It's a shame you've published this story. The points against the N8 are total lies, and have been proven so. Read: http://mynokiablog.com/2010/09/26/rant-5-reasons-…

  • richie

    i also agree this article was a waste of time to read. symbian OS isnt a drawback unlike the iphone OS it can multitask, an ability im sure the IOS 4 still hasnt been able to properly resolve, they both share an internal battery so how is that a disadvantage, and as far as price is concerned isnt the original iphone still selling for more than the n8.
    this article was written to pander to the ego of the ever "superficial" iphone crowd.

  • Richard

    lol, was this article sponsored by Apple??

  • FSa

    Agree 100 % with Adrian!

  • ricegf

    "There were rumors that Nokia were considering a move to Windows Phone 7, and although there is no evidence of this – it does show the failings of Symbian."

    I heard a rumor that Apple would be coming out with the "iPhone7", which will also feature Windows Phone 7. There's no evidence of this, but it does show the failings of iOS.

    iPhone's $299 price tag plus over $100 a month plan (for unlimited voice and tethering) could be the deciding factor on how well the iPhone does, but with cheaper Android handsets and far cheaper plans on the market – things do not look that great.

    Gee, this is easy.

  • Stoney

    1. Symbian currently holds the market share. As possibly their last Symbian offering, it should be a goody?
    2. The iPhone also has an inaccessible battery – so no difference.
    3. How can you come up with such damning conclusions without backing them up with facts?

    This article talks the talk but has no substantiation whatsoever – so just looks like a poorly thought out personal opinion rather than a serious attempt at journalism.

  • Kev

    I agree with Adrian. You cannot compare if you haven’t seen it and touched it man.

  • Will

    Pointless article. People rely on facts too much, especially journalists who know nothing about what they’re writing. Processing power doesn’t mean much, if you recall Apple computers for a while were not as powerful as PCs pushing fast hardware because their operating system ran it well. Symbian is not as intensive as Android and will run just fine at that speed, perhaps even better compared to some Android phones that are skinned. Wait til you get the phone in your hand before you write dumb reviews.

  • Peter Chubb

    Peter Chubb you are chubb. This article is crap. The Symbian is designed to run smooth without needing a uber fast cpu. Instead of pumping Ghz into the device Nokia took time to develop the OS.

  • Jabberwocky

    The Symbian OS is far more efficient with regards to processor and memory usage. Without having used the device, you're unqualified- at best- to comment on the shortcomings of the processors clock speed at this time. Faster processors mean more draw on your battery. Nokia could have easily put a 1Ghz+ chip in the N8- but if it doesn't need it because the OS, while not as flashy and dumbed down as some alternatives, is technically far more advanced and efficient- why would you? Answer- so that tech writers who don't know jack about Symbian won't write the product off just because numbers aren't big enough for their misconceptions.

    And then there's the comments about Windows Mobile 7. The "failings of Symbian"? You have no idea what you're writing about.

    • Douglas

      The article from beginning to end is inept and utterly worthless in every regard. Most journalists operate in this same deplorable mode. What I really appreciate and what IS truely valuable — are the smart folks posting well informed and truthful replys which help ensure the truth is made known. Great reolys and thanks. The N8 has everything any user, anywhere in the world could possibly want and much more and most of these users/upgraders/new adopters could not care less about the design flawed IP4 let alone even go look at one and evaluate it — even on paper. The N8 is a major winner for 99% of any potential customer and has excellent value propositions..

  • appleforlosers

    Another apple fanyboy with his head up steve jobs ass. Yes symbian^1 has resulted in nokia being left behind in the smart phone market the past couple of years but this phone is running the new symbin^3. Typical to write off nokia without having used the new symbian^3 what a knob.

  • Alex

    I'd pick N8 anyday. This article is crap.

  • Mike

    I mistakenly bought an iPhone…sucks ass…almost every site I go to where i wanna watch a video you need Adobe Flash..and since Jobs hates Flash, I can't watch about 80% of the vidoes I want!

    Trading it in for a Nokia!

    • bri

      apple phones are ok if everyone had one most people dont coz they are elitist overhyped cack unlike their computers which arent

  • brian

    what a load of rubbish nokia always make common sense handsets best cameras its the only phone id change my n900 for why do apple get away with it no bluetooth no tunes unless from i tunes madness

  • Yep

    Surely this phone will be sufficient for most users, especially those used to Symbian. It will impress some new folks but to really impress the smartphone crowd and entice potential first time Symbian users (if the OS survives all its supporters dropping the platform) they need to make Symbian 4 outstanding and soon. The only problem is the possibility that Nokia will not provide an S4 update for the N8, which would be really bad considering the importance placed on this phone of being Nokia’s saviour in the smartphone market. The amount of thought that went into the hardware of this phone, and it being the last N-Series phone on Symbian, it should justify having an S4 update available. Yes, I might buy this and be happy with it for a couple years, but Nokia need to think of getting ahead of the competition, and not simply trying to catch up when the others are ready to move ahead.

    Oh and… Nicegf… great reply !!! :)

  • http://symbians60soft.blogspot.com Bilal

    this article is really just a wastage of time. How can you compare these phones without even using the phone. Atleast nokia n8 doesn’t have any reception issues. And one thing more for the idiot writter symbian^3 is very lite OS and 680 mhz is enough. Even on my nokia 5320 Xpress Music which have 369 mhz processor and just 128 mb ram can open 40 applications. Go and read something and then come and write reviews. Idiot.

  • Drew Freyman

    The author makes a comment about the 680 mhz chip on the N8 and claims that "it doesn't cut it" because competitor phones are running 1 ghz. Well, the Symbian OS is more efficient and doesn't unnecessarily consume the processor's resources. So, the N8 is able to accomplish more with its 680 mhz than either the iOS or Android can accomplish with 1 Ghz. I recently ran seven apps including the camera, photo editing, Google Maps, phone book, browser, Nimbuzz, and mail at the same time. Moreover, when I received a call, did a search for coffee shops with Google Maps (which then accessed the GPRS network), I was able to continue talking without any degradation in call quality and the search results were returned immediately. Try that with your iPhone with a 1Ghz processor. Tell me how it goes.

  • Herbert McGuffin

    Why all the usual hate and anti-Apple rhetoric? It's pathetic. Apple has one way of doing things, other manufacturers have other ways. Every single one has its strengths and disadvantages. Apple locks you into their system unless unlocked – fine. Symbian (and Android) give you more 'open' ways of doing things (although this isn't the full picture) – also fine. There are many things one phone does and another one can't do. Instead of slagging off people who write things, why not present more facts and less hyperbole. Not every iPhone 4 has reception issues, in fact many don't. Many HTC Desire HD's have reception issues. I've had reception issues with my old N82! So let's all agree that we all like different things and it's OK for others to like different things from you :)

  • guest

    the jackass author claims that the processor isn't good enough to compete hahaha

    it's a downclocked 800mhz processor. it's been brought down to 680mhz because that's optimal speed. any higher would uselessly waste battery. the iphone on the other hand needs it's 1ghz because the bulky lazy iOS isn't as efficient as symbian.

    Chubby really deepthroat Jobs in this article

  • Rances

    Being a deeply loyal customer and trying to give them all the benefit of the doubt they still manage to convince me that I’m wasting my time. I had a Nokia n85 for two years. Earlier this year it started giving me trouble with the screen, it would black out while the phone was still on. I heard about the N8 and became extremely excited about it. For about the last three months the only way I could use my old phone was by plugging it into the TV and using that as the monitor, but I was set on waiting for the N8 so I dealt (even though its release date kept getting pushed) finally the time comes its available for pre order! I go to nokia.com to order the phone and a problem occurs and the order is canceled… ok I’ll just order again right… NO I can’t because the order was canceled Nokia won’t let me order it for another month cause no one can tell the system what to do (especially in India) so my account is on some sort of system hold. Apparently the system can do whatever it wants and no one has any control over it! I tell them “I’M TRYING TO GIVE YOU MONEY AND YOUR TELLING ME THE SYSTEM SAYS NO!!!” “Please try again in a month sir”.
    Ok so whatever I’ll order it from Amazon to see if it becomes available to me sooner (I need a phone!) Great, Amazon says it’s ready sooner than anticipated!
    Get the N8
    Ok so I receive the phone and get to hold it in my hands after months of starring at pictures and videos of it, exciting! Follow the proper procedure charge it first then insert the SIM and memory cards and turn it on. Ok its starting up… no, no ok turn it on again, there it goes, great! Oh look there’s an update ok… wait the phone is rebooting… ok let’s try that again, wait no rebooting again. Ok let me just let it sit there for a moment. I grab my laptop to see what others are saying about it. Guess what, my phone isn’t the only one that randomly reboots over and over again, but some of these people are saying that it went off and won’t turn back on, check my phone, sure enough it’s off and won’t turn on. I give it an hour and it turns on. Right away I plug it into the comp and reinstall the software version just in case then I sync it on OVI. The next morning I see the phone rebooting on my night stand, I give the benefit of the doubt “I’m half asleep who knows what I saw” I say. Works fine for the first full work day. Next day around 1pm I’m having lunch and the phone on the table reboots, and then again and again. Time to call India (Nokia customer care) “let’s try restoring factory setting sir” ok I’ll humor them and ask him for his direct number so I can call from a diff phone “just ask for an N8 specialist” ok, so I hang up the phone and begin to enter the code, but the phone freezes and wont react and then turns off, and won’t turn on. I call Nokia and explain again all that has happened, and add that I’ve read others are having similar issues. “Ok sir what we recommend is exchanging it where you purchased it from and hopefully we will come out with an update to fix the problem from happening again in the future”.
    ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!! Day three, phone still won’t turn on…

    • don leonardo

      Got the same problem. I bought the phone in the Phils. and its been dead for 4days now. Worse, Nokia US doesn't honor the warranty. Pathetic phone.

  • Sameer

    hiii….

    i just bought nokia N8 but i m not satisfied with its performance….

    its being hang many times n now its totally off from last 6 days. dont know what happen….neither being charge nor showing any power….

    i think i did wrong choice…b carefull u all my frnd…

    • steve from apple

      have you ask for a replacement after 3 days of problems? or you just want to tell us how useless customer care or warranty is in you country? btw, i own an iphone, i just find you post… entertaining… peace men!

  • danny davidson

    i got the new N8 on the 4 th nov, the phone would not power up, after speaking to the provider a repalcement was sent out and swapped on 8th nov, this one powerd up and sort of worked, in between screen freezing and not being able to recieve picture messages. this handset was swapped in store after a heated disscussion with customer services via phone from the store. (the guys in the shop bent over backwards to try and resolve the problem) this handset worked fine untill this afternoon when it vibrated for 3 seconds then shut down. after trying to re set it and charge it, it shut down completely.
    has any one else has any issues with this handset? DANNO

  • don leonardo

    I bought the N8 and it's dead after 3 weeks. I have it repaired in a Nokia care center and after 3days it went dead again. Unfortunately, I'm in the U.S. and the warranty of my phone is only in the Philippines. I tried to contact Nokia Phils. for a replacement but they said that they don't replace. It's very disappointing considering the fact that the phone is expensive. My advice- don't buy the N8 or you'll end up with a dead phone.

  • GOD'S WORD

    this site is horrible

  • Nokia lover

    I have N8 for a few month already. Although the phone rebooted by itself couple of times, e-mails are a little bit slow and don't always synchronize automatically, I still don't regret buying it. I hope with the next updates all the problems will be fixed:)

  • bergmann

    Got N8. Took to office to charge. Charge hole blocked – cannot connect charger!! Take phgone back to MTN Souith Africa. Say about 2 weeks to make decision to exchange. Also learnt that batches of N8 are being recalled! managed to cancel contract. most problems seem to be software – I had a hardware problem. No N8 for me – Nokia rushed to get this one out. Where are they being made? In the east? Right now – better options to N8 – only give you gray hairs. All comments here are general comparisons – where are HAPPY N8 USERS?

  • Nora

    Got N8. Always hang and after 3 days from the day that I bought it… it had gone dead. Sent to Nokia care center… they said got to change the mother boad… got problem. Now already more than a month still no stock arrived from oversea… not sure where…

  • Piet van VokDjou

    I got me an N8 last week before flying to Bloem.
    WONDERFUL PHONE.
    Ya'll are just a bunch of unlucky sods. lol
    all the happy blokes are off taking 12megapixels pics and recording HD clips.
    wow. now i really must sell my LCD and get me a HD LED.

    i love this phone
    but, the 'keyboard' must be fixed, fok nee man gat!

  • http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/09/27/nokia-n8-no-iphone-4-beater-5-main-problems/comment-page-3 Fok Jou Piet

    Piet Jou Poes, Vok Jou and Ur Phone. Go buy some brains you dumb afrikaaner

  • Deon

    The nokia N8 is crap! thats the end of the line for Nokia as far as i am concerned. I havent even had the phone for 2 months yet and it has software issues. Now i do not have a phone for 7 to 10 working days. I really had my hopes up about this phone but i am now very upset. Samsung, or Blackberry here i come.

  • iPhone user

    I sat here and read through the comments on page one, the ones where there are people defending Nokia, and bashing the iPhone., pretty ignorant if you ask me. Symbian is a dated OS and the last time it was working well and performing adequately was in the Nokia N95, and its cousin the N958gb. Since then all we've seen is disappointing results. N96?N97?N97mini? And now the N8. I work in the telecommunications industry, and we get a lot of returns for this device. Not powering on properly, software freezing, applications disappearing, applications just "hang", screen flickers randomly. Customers complaining its not user friendly, you name it. I used to love Nokia, having owned many in the past, but they haven't come up with anything to compete with iOS and Android as yet. You can cry apple fanboy or whatever you want, but the proof is in the pudding. The Nokia N8 is inferior on a quality level than the other 2 brands of OS. In terms of hardware, well with android that could be disputed, being that there are so many available. Samsung Galaxy S has proven to be very popular and stable, HTC Aria, HTC legend, Desire HD. Even the Blackberrys are doing well. Just look at the Torch and 9780.

    We get almost no returns for the iPhone, most of them are smashed screens too. Rarely there;s a complaint about the software. And even when it is, is because the person has no clue how to perform the update in iTunes.

    My advice: If you still want the phone, pop down to your local phone shop and try one yourself before spending your money. Compare it side by side with an Andriod based phone and the iPhone and see for yourself.

  • iPhone user

    I sat here and read through the comments on page one, the ones where there are people defending Nokia, and bashing the iPhone., pretty ignorant if you ask me. Symbian is a dated OS and the last time it was working well and performing adequately was in the Nokia N95, and its cousin the N958gb. Since then all we've seen is disappointing results. N96?N97?N97mini? And now the N8. I work in the telecommunications industry, and we get a lot of returns for this device. Not powering on properly, software freezing, applications disappearing, applications just "hang", screen flickers randomly. Customers complaining its not user friendly, you name it. I used to love Nokia, having owned many in the past, but they haven't come up with anything to compete with iOS and Android as yet. You can cry apple fanboy or whatever you want, but the proof is in the pudding. The Nokia N8 is inferior on a quality level than the other 2 brands of OS. In terms of hardware, well with android that could be disputed, being that there are so many available. Samsung Galaxy S has proven to be very popular and stable, HTC Aria, HTC legend, Desire HD. Even the Blackberrys are doing well. Just look at the Torch and 9780.