Apple iPhone 3GS vs Nokia N8

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iPhone 3GS compared with N8

	AppleiPhone 3GS	NokiaN8
Overview
Released
Released	June 2009	October 2010
Display
Screen size
Screen size	3.5″	3.5″
Resolution
Resolution	480 × 320	640 × 360 (better)
Sharpness
Sharpness	165 pixels per inch	210 pixels per inch (better)
Panel
Panel	LCD	OLED
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Display type
Display type	3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display	3.5-inch AMOLED, 640 × 360, 16.7 million colours; capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch. No maker refresh or brightness value published.
Pixel density
Pixel density	163 ppi	–
Screen protection
Screen protection	Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating	–
Performance
Chip
Chip	Samsung S5PC100	ARM11 680 MHz (GSMArena)
Memory
Memory	256 MB	256 MB
Storage
Storage	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB (better)	16 GB
Memory
Memory	–	16 GB built-in mass storage from maker sheet; 256 MB installed RAM and 680 MHz ARM11 processor from GSMArena’s full production review. Installed RAM is distinct from system flash and free application memory.
Storage type
Storage type	–	Hot-swappable microSD up to 32 GB; maker’s up-to-48 GB capacity includes an optional card, not 48 GB built-in storage.
CPU
CPU	600 MHz Cortex-A8 in Samsung S5PC100; 256 MB of RAM (Wired's 2009 teardown report)	–
GPU
GPU	PowerVR SGX535 (Apple developer documentation)	–
Cameras
Main camera
Main camera	3 MP	12 MP (better)
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Telephoto camera
Telephoto camera	None	None
Optical zoom
Optical zoom	None	None
Main camera
Main camera	3-megapixel still camera with tap to focus	12 MP autofocus Carl Zeiss optics; 1/1.83-inch optical sensor format, physical 5.9 mm focal length (28 mm equivalent), fixed F2.8 aperture and xenon flash. Optical sensor format is not a physical diagonal dimension.
Front camera
Front camera	–	Front video-call camera confirmed. Maker sheet inconsistently labels it QVGA while giving 640 × 480 pixels; no sensor megapixel figure inferred.
Zoom
Zoom	–	Maker specifies digital zoom up to 2× for stills and 3× for video; no optical zoom.
Video recording
Video recording	VGA up to 30 fps with audio	Original maker specification is H.264/MPEG-4 1280 × 720 at up to 25 fps, with stereo AAC audio; low light can reduce frame rate. Later 30 fps/continuous close-up autofocus camera application was a separate Beta Labs release for Symbian Anna, not part of the original camera specification. GSMArena later tested 30 fps with Belle.
Camera features
Camera features	Photo and video geotagging	Two-stage camera key, autofocus stills, geotagging and red-eye reduction. Original video uses active hyperfocal focusing; maker’s August 2011 Beta Labs close-up mode adds continuous autofocus from approximately 10 cm, with limitations at longer distances. Anna disables video ND-filter operation to avoid a dropped frame and audible click.
Battery and charging
Battery
Battery	1,219 mAh (better)	1,200 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)
Video playback (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	–
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	None	None
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Talk time up to 5 hours on 3G or 12 hours on 2G; standby up to 300 hours; internet use up to 5 hours on 3G or 9 hours on Wi-Fi; video playback up to 10 hours; audio playback up to 30 hours; 3.7 V, 4.51 Wh, 1,219 mAh (iFixit)	Internal BL-4D 1200 mAh; exact 2011 issue 2.0 guide requires qualified service replacement. Maker maximum GSM/WCDMA talk 720/350 minutes; standby 390/400 hours. Up to 50 hours offline music. Six-hour H.264 720p30 playback claim applies via HDMI to a television, not unqualified playback on the handset screen. Up to 3 hours 20 minutes 720p25 recording.
Wired charging
Wired charging	Charging via USB to a computer or power adapter	2 mm charging socket and micro-USB charging; no maker charging wattage published.
Design
Type
Type	Standard	Standard
Weight
Weight	135 g	135 g
Thickness
Thickness	12.3 mm (better)	12.9 mm
Height × width
Height × width	115.5 × 62.1 mm	113.5 × 59 mm
Weight detail
Weight detail	–	Maker’s 135 g includes battery; 113.5 × 59 × 12.9 mm.
Materials
Materials	–	Anodised aluminium casing.
Colours
Colours	Black (8GB)	Original Silver white, Dark grey, Orange, Blue and Green; availability varies by country. Maker confirmed later Pink on 2 May 2011 with unchanged internal hardware. Other reported regional finishes remain unverified in this source set.
Buttons
Buttons	Sleep/wake; ring/silent; volume up/down; Home	Physical menu, power, lock, volume/zoom and two-stage camera keys; touchscreen keyboard.
Sensors
Sensors	Accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor	Accelerometer, magnetometer, proximity and ambient-light sensor.
Speakers
Speakers	–	Built-in loudspeaker, FM receiver and FM transmitter. Compatible wired headset serves as radio aerial.
Microphones
Microphones	–	Stereo video audio recording; dedicated noise-cancellation microphone noted by GSMArena.
Software
Operating system
Operating system	iOS	Symbian
Software at launch
Software at launch	iPhone OS 3.0	Symbian^3 with Qt 4.6.2, Java MIDP 2.1, Web Runtime 7.2 and Flash Lite 4.0.
Software features
Software features	–	Three customisable homescreens, office document viewers and built-in photo/video editing. Maker sheet’s office viewer list and email editing wording differ; GSMArena’s original retail test requires a paid Quickoffice upgrade for document editing. Native DivX support is disputed between full production reviews; no universal compatibility claim.
Release detail
Release detail	–	Announced 27 April 2010 with third-quarter shipment planned. Maker’s 7 October article says first shipments left factories on 30 September and customers received devices the next day; October first-delivery month retained without treating factory shipment or preorder as retail sale. No supported direct predecessor link added.
Software updates
Software updates	–	Symbian Anna and subsequent Belle tested by GSMArena. Maker’s 22 August 2011 camera announcement distinguishes Anna interface/exposure changes from the optional Beta Labs 30 fps/continuous close-up autofocus application. Historical software/services may no longer be obtainable.
Connectivity
Mobile network
Mobile network	UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)	GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100; HSDPA up to 10.2 Mbps, HSUPA up to 2 Mbps. No LTE.
SIM
SIM	–	Standard SIM; maker sheet warns against micro-SIM cards and micro-SIM adaptors.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)	IEEE 802.11b/g/n.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	Bluetooth 3.0 from maker specification; early launch coverage’s Bluetooth 2.1 differs and is not transferred.
USB
USB	30-pin dock connector; 3.5 mm stereo headphone minijack; 576p and 480p video out with Apple Component AV Cable (sold separately)	Hi-Speed USB 2.0 micro-USB with charging and USB On-the-Go. Compatible low-power storage devices require the appropriate cable; not every device or powered USB peripheral is supported. Micro-HDMI television output and 3.5 mm AV/headphone socket; HDMI supports 720p and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound.
Positioning
Positioning	Assisted GPS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular	GPS, assisted GPS, compass and Wi-Fi positioning. Original Ovi Maps provides free walking/driving navigation; original online services are not promised available today.