The challenge
Nokia has recently come up with two new smartphones, the N9 and the Lumia 800. Both the handsets have a particular fresh feel about them. They are also being seen as the company’s reply to the challenge thrown by the flock of android based devices being manufactured by other giants. While the N9 is a phone that concentrates largely on it swipe interface, the Lumia 800 boasts of the power provided to it by the Windows Phone operating system. Here we compare these two handsets by Nokia to find out which one of them excels the other.
Comparison attributes
1. Operating system
The N9 operates on the MeeGo 1.2 operating system. It is a cross platform system having a combination of the merits of Nokia’s very own Maemo platform and the Moblin platform by Intel. It is a Linux based operating system and is simple, modern and elegant in its look. The Lumia 800 is based on the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system. This Windows Phone OS is due for use in most of Nokia’s future range of high-end smartphones. It offers a quick and slim interface that is also appealing to the eyes with a range of 3D effects. There is also support for multi-tasking.
Winner
Even though the MeeGo 1.2 gives a serious fight, it still has to emerge as the runner up in this category as the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is pretty easy to navigate through, easy on the hardware and attractive to the eyes apart from the fact that it is supposed to be flag bearer for Nokia’s future smartphones.
2. Processor
The Nokia N9 is equipped with a 1GHz TI OMAP3860 processor while the Lumia 800 comes with a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor.
Winner
Going by the specifications, the Lumia 800 should have the upper hand in this category but it’s not actually by a very big margin because both the phones are pretty much fast when it comes to opening apps. Both have operating systems, which do not impose excessive constraints on the hardware performance and hence there is not a surprising difference of speed between the two.
3. Display
The N9 boasts of a 3.9-inch curved AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 854×480 pixels. It looks ravishing and gives the user a phenomenal viewing experience. There are almost no manual buttons on the front panel. The Lumia 800 has a 3.7-inch curved AMOLED capacitive touchscreen having a resolution of 480×800 pixels. It has brightness levels which are quite high and hence bring a vibrant look over the whole screen. AMOLED displays have their own set of problems, but it is easy to ignore them as compared to their merits and can only be termed as slightly noticeable.
Winner
As both the handsets employ the same AMOLED technology, there is no differentiating them on the basis of this attribute. The N9 may have a slight edge with improved pixel levels and a greater screen size. However, the screen size does not really matter that much as many users like phones to be as compact as possible. It’s just a matter of choice.
4. Memory
The N9 offers 1 GB of RAM backed by 16/64 GB of internal storage. The Lumia 800 offers 512 MB of RAM and an internal storage of 16 GB.
Winner
The N9 wins easily in the memory section due to twice the RAM capacity as compared to the Lumia 800. A greater amount of RAM simply offers the user the advantage of greater multi-tasking. However, the internal storage does not pose a problem in any of the two handsets and there is plenty of space for storing all your music and video files.
5. Camera
The N9 has an 8 MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics. It has autofocus and dual LED flash. There is also a secondary front facing camera. The camera works brilliantly and there is a lot of detail involved in every shot. The Lumia 800 also offers am 8 MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus and dual LED flash. The secondary front facing camera is absent here. The main camera also disappoints and can only be termed as average in terms of photo quality.
Winner
As you might have guessed, the N9 wins comfortably in the camera section.
The verdict
Both the handsets have their pros and cons but are notably one of the top-notch offerings by Nokia. While the Nokia N9 boasts of a brilliant camera, high amount of RAM and beautiful design, its MeeGo 1.2 operating system does not fare off that well as compared to the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. Similarly the Lumia 800 disappoints with somewhat low RAM and average camera quality. The Nokia Lumia 800 might just have that edge to attract extra customers, though at the end of the day, it is a matter of choice and needs as to which handset you buy.