The Three Contenders: N900, iPhone 3GS, i8910 Omnia HD

This is a breakdown of some of the similarities and differences between the Nokia N900, Apple iPhone 3GS, and Samsung i8910 Omnia HD.

The below two links are comparisons between the N900 vs iPhone 3GS, and N900 vs the i8910 Omnia HD. Based on the hardware specifications from the comparisons from these links, as well as on 3rd party pre-production reviews, 3rd party reviews, and personal experience, I have compiled a review on the similarities and differences between the three phones.

Nokia N900 vs Apple iPhone 3GS
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2826&idPhone1=2917

Nokia N900 vs Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2691&idPhone1=2917

The following are the hardware similarities between the N900, i8910, and iPhone 3GS:CPU: ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX graphics

So regarding processing power, it doesn't really make sense to say one is better than the other; how well it runs will eventually come down to which OS uses the hardware to it's full extent.

Below are the differences between the three contenders, and a quick recap after each comparison:

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Dimensions
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Apple iPhone 3GS
115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
123 x 59 x 12.9 mm

Nokia N900
110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm

The Nokia N900 is the chubbiest of the three, but only because it sports a full sliding qwerty keyboard. Even under these circumstances, the N900 is virtually smaller in width and height, and only 5.7 mm thicker than the slim iPhone 3GS.

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Screen
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Apple iPhone 3GS
320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Capacitative TFT

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
360 x 640 pixels, 3.7 inches
Capacitative AMOLED

Nokia N900
800 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Resistive TFT

The Applie iPhone 3GS in terms of resolution is out-dated in comparison to both the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, and the N900. The 320x480 pixels of the iPhone 3GS barely makes full use of its large 3.5" TFT screen. Although the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD sports a bright and vibrant AMOLED 3.7" screen, it still also lacks in resolution in comparison to the Nokia N900, with it's 800x480 pixel resolution.

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Storage
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Apple iPhone 3GS
16 GB/ 32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM
Card Slot: No

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
8 GB/16 GB storage, 256 MB RAM
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32GB

Nokia N900
32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM up to 1GB of application memory
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB

Although the i8910 Omnia HD has the lowest maximum storage capacity of the three phones, it compensates by sporting an expandable storage capacity up to 32 GB. Nokia N900, with it's 32 GB storage, and expandable memory of up to 16 GB also makes it on par with the i8910 Omnia HD in terms of storage, leaving the iPhone 3GS far behind.

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Camera
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Apple iPhone 3GS
3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus
Video: VGA@30fps

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Video: HD 720p@24fps, D1 (720x480 pixels)@30fps

Nokia N900
5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Dual LED flash, video light
Video: WVGA(848 x 480)@25fps

The i8910 Omnia HD, using Samsung's experience in digital cameras, sports the best camera out of the three, with its 8 MP camera and HD filming capabilities. The Nokia N900's 5 MP camera, although lingers in the shadow of the i8910's, is still a competitive camera phone, with only a few phones out there that go beyond 5 MPs. The iPhone 3GS's camera is outdated, and for it's price range, should be sporting a much more higher end camera than the built-in 3.15 MP camera built in, capable of only VGA video.

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Browser
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Apple iPhone 3GS
Safarai WebKit

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
Opera Mobile 9.5
http://www.opera.com/mobile/

Nokia N900
Mozilla Fennec (mobile version of Firefox with full flash support up to Adobe Flash 9.4)
http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/009/09/a_sneak_peak_at_mobile_firefox_for_nokia_n900.htm

The Nokia N900 sports the new Mozilla Fennec browser, which is the mobile version of awarded and famed Firefox browser. This new browser is currently being ported to other mobile operating systems, but is currently the top contender for mobile browser, with full functionality and Adobe Flash 9.4 support. The i8910 Omnia HD, instead of sporting it's own native browser, relies on Opera Mobile 9.5 which is quite supportive, but still outdated in comparison to the Fennec. The iPhone 3GS with it's WebKit based Safari browser (which has also been ported to many other phone OSs), is a stronger browser than Opera Mobile 9.5, but slightly outdated as well, with lacking support for full web-page functionality, supporting only up to Flash 9.4.