By CNET staff, CNET.com
10/09/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62031482,00.htm

Judges: Kent German, Donald Bell, and Nicole Lee

Perhaps no other cell phone in history has been as anticipated as Apple's iPhone. From the moment it was announced by Apple to the time it was released six months later, the cell phone was a constant topic of rumors and speculation. Now that it's here, we can report that the iPhone largely succeeds on most fronts, particularly as a music player, but it's hardly the only cell phone with multimedia prowess. The Nokia N95 also offers a raft of music and video features and admirable performance. So which one is better, you ask? Well CNET is here to provide an answer, as we pit the two phones against each other in their first head-to-head match-up.

Let's have a clean fight, fellas. Ding ding!

Round 1: Sexiness

Design and looks count for a lot when you're shopping for a cell phone, so here's where we examine the look, size, feel, and sex appeal of the devices. Our individual judges' ratings are based on a 0-to-5-point scale, which results in a final score of 0 to 15 points per round.

Kent	5 Apple's hardly a slouch when it comes to product design, so I have to give it to the iPhone here. Its slim profile and brilliant display make it a striking and sexy device. It takes this round.	4 The Nokia N95 isn't unattractive by any means, but it's not exactly a showpiece either. It's a tad chunky, and the exterior casing felt somewhat cheap. The screen is lovely, though, and I like the slider design.
Donald	5 Everything else aside, the iPhone is the most drool-worthy handheld device in years--maybe ever. Every aspect of this device seems to have been painstakingly refined.	3 Sorry, but the Nokia looks like the ugly stepsister when placed next to the iPhone. There's so many buttons on this thing, it feels like it came down with a case of warts.
Nicole	5 Clearly, the iPhone wins this round, hands down. It is simply a gorgeous device, with a luscious display and a slim profile .	3 Not that the Nokia is an ugly duckling or anything, but its bulk and heft are just no comparison to the iPhone's sleek exterior.
Total	15	10

Round 2: Navigation

Sexiness is one thing, but are the devices easy to use? In Round 2, we examine the design and usability of the devices' navigation controls and keypad buttons.

Kent	3 The iPhone's touch-screen-only interface has a definite learning curve, but it was easier to use than I expected. The menus were also pretty and user-friendly. Yet, tapping out long emails isn't superfast and we'd prefer dedicated talk and end buttons.	4 Since the Nokia N95 has a full slate of navigations controls and a keypad, it's tough to compare it to the iPhone. But by themselves, they're large, tactile, and easy to use, even if they are a bit slick. I like the dedicated music controls, too.
Donald	3 Again, Apple's attention to detail makes the menu system feel very friendly and intuitive. Unfortunately, the touch interface makes common tasks feel like a delicate procedure.	3 There are 21 buttons on the Nokia, not including the keypad. It's mind-boggling that some of these buttons couldn't be consolidated. The main directional pad does just as good a job of controlling music playback as the dedicated music player.
Nicole	4 Contrary to popular belief, I actually find the navigation to be pretty decent on the iPhone. The touch interface is highly intuitive, and navigating through the menus and applications feels user-friendly.	3 It took me a considerable amount of time to learn how to navigate the N95's multiple menu interfaces, though I do like having the music player controls on the top.
Total	10	10

Round 3: Features

What do these phones offer under the hood? Here, we examine the features in each device and rate which phone offers more.

Kent	3 The iPhone's multimedia player is top-notch. I also love the Safari Web browser (and the Wi-Fi) and the visual voice mail. But the iPhone misses too many things--multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, voice dialing, external memory, and 3G support--to win this category. What's more, its 2-megapixel camera is just average.	4 If it's a feature, the Nokia N95 has it. With a stunning 5-megapixel camera, stereo, integrated GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a memory card slot, and an infrared port, it's a powerful phone indeed. While it also lacks 3G and its media player doesn't quite measure up to the iPhone's, it still takes this round. (Editors' note: The N95 in Asia supports 3G/HSDPA on the WCDMA 2100MHz frequency)
Donald	3 Just like the iPod, Apple doesn't include half-baked features just for the sake of having them. Features such as the Safari Web browser and the music player are done extremely well. Unfortunately, items such as GPS, a video camera, or A2DP Bluetooth just aren't here.	4 The Nokia has features in spades, but they could have used some Apple designers to streamline the usability. Everything is here--it's just not pretty to look at or fun to use.
Nicole	3 Sorry iPhone, you may be very pretty, but you are in serious need of a feature upgrade. The iPhone lacks even basic functionality such as MMS support and the ability to send text messages to multiple recipients. And we wish there were a video camera or stereo Bluetooth.	5 You certainly can't argue that the N95 comes with a spate of features. We're talking GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, and more.
Total	9	13

Round 4: Video and music quality

These handsets do a lot more than just make calls--they also have video and digital music players. We tell you which phone offers a better media experience.

Kent	4 The iPhone delivers on music and video quality, as both its listening and viewing experiences were great. On the downside, the included headphones could be better, and picture quality wasn't spectacular. As such, this round is a draw.	4 The Nokia N95 also performed quite well in this department. Music didn't sound quite as good as on the iPhone, but the picture quality was much better.
Donald	5 The iPod trapped inside the iPhone is one of the most advanced multimedia players in the world. Sound quality is excellent, and the ability to browse your music collection using Cover Flow puts the iPhone leaps ahead of anything on the market.	3 The Nokia performs better than many of the MP3 players that cross my desk. That said, it's a little noisy, and the track controls aren't very impressive. Video looks great, but the headphone jack location prevents you from propping it up for viewing long clips.
Nicole	5 Many people have said that the iPhone is an iPod with a phone in it, and I have to agree. The iPod part of the iPhone is quite frankly the best iPod I've ever used--video quality is magnificent, and music quality is fantastic.	4 The video and music quality on the N95 is actually pretty good, but they don't really match up to those of the iPhone. Music sounded clean with a slight echo, and video looked good.
Total	14	11

Round 5: Call quality

Cell phones aren't worth much if they don't make good calls. And though both handsets run on the same carrier, audio quality differences may remain.

Kent	4 The iPhone's call quality was good but not dependable. The volume is often too low, and it has a sensitive sweet spot. AT&T's network was mostly static-free, however.	5 The Nokia N95 is the winner here. Even with a slight background hiss, its call quality was quite admirable. And that's when using both T-Mobile and Cingular.
Donald	3 I'm not a connoisseur of call quality, but the iPhone seems acceptable. The included earbud and microphone system seems like a nice touch.	3 I couldn't discern much of a difference between these two. The same slight hiss I heard during music playback was also present during phone calls, but I have no real complaints.
Nicole	4 The iPhone has pretty good call quality. Incoming calls sounded decent, and callers said our voice sounded natural, with little static or background noise.	4 There wasn't much of a difference in call quality with the N95 either. There were slight hisses and pops every once in awhile, but it wasn't that bad.
Total	11	12

The winner is…

Total points
Apple iPhone: 59
Nokia N95: 56