Phone wars: Nokia C3 vs Ideos

If you feel that typing on a touch screen is difficult, C3 is your phone. For the functionality of a PC, go for Ideos.

Screen

The Ideos 2.8 inch screen is larger compared to the C3’s 2.4 inch, which makes the Ideos a better option if you want to watch movies and read books for longer periods of time.

Moreover, the Ideo’s touchscreen is capacitative. Keep in mind, however, that a large amount of the Ideos’ viewable screen is taken up by the onscreen keyboard.

Almost a draw, but the Ideos wins for the capacitative touchscreen.

Storage

Ideos has 2GB ROM (inbuilt space) compared to Nokia’s 55BM. While the Nokia accepts a maximum MicroSd card of 8GB, the Ideos accepts sizes up till 32GB card Ideos wins.

Connectivity

EDGE is the same on both phones. However, in the WiFi department, the Nokia C3 only supports B/G networks, while the Ideos has B/G and N. This doesn’t mean much unless you know the benefits of an N wireless network and have it installed in your home.

Draw if you don’t know what Wireless N is. If you do, the Ideos wins.

Camera

The Ideos has a 3.2 megapixel camera while the C3 has a 2 megapixel camera. Resolutions are 2048x1536 and 1600x1200 pixels respectively. Do I really need to spell this one out for you?

The Ideos wins.

Battery power

I don’t think I even need to look at statistics for this one. The C3 has more talk time/standby time because the phone does not perform battery-intensive tasks. The Ideos running android is a mini computer that does everything your laptop does and will need to be recharged every day, maybe even more often if you plan to watch movies on it.

The C3 wins this one because it does not perform battery-intensive tasks.

Conclusion

The phones are almost within the same price range — both under Rs16,000. The features that we haven’t mentioned are generally more or less the same.

If you’re considering buying either of these phones, I would advise that you hold both phones in your hand and type out a few sentences.

If you feel that the typing on a touch screen is difficult and if you’re one of those people that buys unlimited messaging every month and don’t plan to use the phone for much else, then the C3 is the phone for you. If you are looking for a more rounded experience and want all the functionality of your computer in your pocket, then go for the Ideos.

Data: GSM Arena

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2010.