The highly anticipated, Windows Phone-based Nokia Lumia 900 hits AT&T April 8 with an aggressively low $99.99 price tag, but it's already available for preorder. Since this is a flagship product for Nokia and Microsoft, everyone is sure be to paying extra close attention. And if what we saw at CES is any indication, the Lumia 900 will definitely be the Windows Phone to beat. But is it also good enough to best Apple's almighty iPhone 4S? We compare specs in the table below to help you decide.
The Lumia 900 is the third device in Nokia's Lumia portfolio, following the Lumia 800 overseas and the Lumia 710 for T-Mobile. Though the 710 was met with mostly lukewarm reviews, the Lumia 900 is more like a mix of the better-received Lumia 800 and the Nokia N9.
The 900 features a 4.3-inch, 800-by-480 pixel AMOLED ClearBlack display, which is significantly larger than the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen, though the iPhone has a sharper 960-by-640 pixel resolution. The Lumia is powered by a single-core, 1.4-GHz Qualcomm APQ8055 processor and runs on AT&T's super-fast new 4G LTE network. The phone also has an 8-megapixel primary camera with a Carl Zeiss lens, though it captures 720p video compared to the iPhone's 1080p.
One thing both phones definitely have in common is good looks. The Lumia 900 features rolled edges and a flat bottom, and will initially be available in black, blue, or white.
The iPhone 4S ($199.99 - $399.99 with a two-year contract), meanwhile, is powered by Apple's new dual-core A5 chip, which Apple claims can deliver up to two times more power and seven times faster graphics performance than the iPhone 4. It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture, and is available in 16, 32, or 64GB versions.
While the specs for both phones are relatively similar, one of the biggest differences is that the Lumia 900 uses AT&T's 4G LTE network, while the iPhone 4S uses 3G. (Make no mistake, even though the iPhone 4S may now show a little "4G" icon, HSPA+ 14.4 is certainly not 4G.) LTE is far faster than HSPA+. Back when we initially reviewed AT&T's iPhone 4S, in a number of head-to-head speed tests the LTE-compatible Samsung Skyrocket averaged 15.4Mbps down and 3.9Mbps up, while the iPhone 4S pulled in 3Mbps down and 1Mbps up. That's a big difference, and one to pay attention to if you're a network speed freak.
There's also the matter of platforms. The Lumia 900 uses Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango), while the iPhone 4S is running iOS 5. WP 7.5 is the simplest smartphone OS out there, and places Facebook and Twitter at its core to make for a highly social experience. It even won our Reader's Choice award. But right now the Windows Phone Marketplace is home to just 65,000 apps. That may sound like a lot, but compare it to the 500,000 available from the Apple App Store and it's not nearly as impressive. Simply put, if you want a smartphone to play particular apps, like Cut the Rope, Draw Something, Pandora, Temple Run, or Words With Friend, you're out of luck on the Lumia.
So which phone is the winner? Both have strong specs and comparable hardware, so it largely comes down to software. If you're looking for speed and simplicity, with a dash of Facebook, the Lumia 900 is a great choice. But if you're looking to put your artistic skills to the test in a game of Draw Something, the iPhone 4S still offers an unbeatable app experience.
For more phone reviews, news, and tips, check out PCMag's Cell Phones Product Guide.