Nokia Sea Ray vs. Apple iPhone 4 ~ GoAndroid

We're indulging in a little constructive speculation this week, as we compare the world-conquering iPhone 4 with some leaked specs of Nokia's upcoming Windows Phone 7 device, the Sea Ray

It's fair to say that the last 12-months haven't been terribly kind to Nokia. The company has seen its stocks take a swan-dive, devices miss deadlines and the smartphone buying public turn their interest en masse to devices powered by Google's Android and Apple's iOS, but in the last few weeks things have started to see a turnaround.
Thanks to the company's deal with Microsoft users can look forward to seeing Nokia's excellent hardware running Windows Phone 7 Mango, and it's the premier device to come out of this union that we concern ourselves with today as we pit the upcoming 'Sea Ray' against the hugely popular iPhone 4.

*Disclaimer*
We must stress that this comparison is based on leaked specifications, speculation and as much enthusiasm as we can muster. So before you come to a decision bear in mind that we're comparing a work in progress with a device that's as close as you can get to a finished article.

Screen
Apple's iPhone 4 is an industry leader in terms of screen tech. It's 3.5-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT 'Retina Display' boasts unparalleled clarity, pixel density and responsiveness.
Images and videos look gorgeous on the iPhone 4. We really can't fault it.
That said we're looking forward to seeing what Nokia has in store for the 'Sea Ray'. No specs have been leaked regarding the screen but we're expecting to see a high quality AMOLED (or even Super AMOLED) display measuring at least 3.9-inches.
Nokia has a long standing record of using Corning's Gorilla Glass in its top-tier products too, so the 'Sea Ray' should be a pretty durable device
Even if the device weighs-in with Super AMOLED Plus display (which is looking unlikely) it won't be able to knock the Apple off its perch in this round though.
Winner - Apple iPhone 4

Optics
Rumour has it that the 'Sea Ray' will be packing an 8-megapixel primary camera with LED flash and 720P video recording. Whether or not the company will continue its affiliation with Carl Zeiss remains unknown but we're expecting good things from this device, especially if the upcoming N9 is anything to go by.
The iPhone 4 features a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, geo-tagging and 720P video capture. It performs well and you can expect a decent standard of image whether you're using your device in low-light or on a summers day.
If we were to judge we'd put our tick beside the Nokia 'Sea Ray' in this round though, as Nokia has an impressive track record for producing quality smartphone cameras (think N8) and we aren't likely to see anything remotely comparable to the 'Sea Ray' until the iPhone 5 makes its bow.
Winner - Nokia 'Sea Ray'

Software
Apple's iPhone 4 runs on the company's iOS, a platform which has won many admirers since its release back in 2007.

With iOS you get a smart, simple mobile platform which even the most ardent technophone will learn to love.
Key features include Apple's iPod software for playing all your media, Safari for browsing the Web and access to Apple's App Store and iTunes, for topping up on apps, movies, music and books. iOS arguably offers more than any other smartphone OS currently in use.
The Nokia 'Sea Ray' will be the first device from the company to run on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, which is shaping up to be a true contender to iOS and Google's Android.
With Windows Phone 7 you're treated to a simple tile based OS which aims to give you as much information at a glance as it can, sparing you the tedium of trawling through menu after menu looking for a byte of information.
Key features of Windows Phone 7 are Microsoft's Marketplace, which boasts some impressive apps (and is growing exponentially quicker than analysts predicted), Zune software for playing back your media and Microsoft's industry leading Office, for handling all your documents and work.
As it stands now Apple's iOS takes the tape in this round, but things will change when the 'Mango' update launches (the 'Sea Ray' may even launch with the update), so we'll reassess then!
Winner - Apple iPhone 4

Nokia's up and comer hasn't fared terribly in this bout against a device that's been dubbed 'the best smartphone ever made'. From what we can see the Finns are on the right track, empowering the 'Sea Ray' with everything that they do right, and leaving Microsoft to handle the things that they don't.
The quality of Nokia's hardware has never been in question and when you take that nous and marry it with a rapidly maturing smartphone platform like Windows Phone 7 you're in for a rare treat.
Here's hoping Nokia and Microsoft carry the competitive spirit into their pricing policy.
With fairness in mind we must doff our cap to Apple's iPhone 4 though, which is still a heck of a device a year after its general release and has taken victory today.
Though we aren't sure it will stand up to the finished 'Sea Ray' quite so well.