I am probably one of the few people around who has actually owned both phones (N97 and 3GS) and I can unequivocally say… GET THE 3GS!!!

Ever since I first heard about the N97 last year I was super excited to get my hands on one. I pre-ordered one from Nokia (the worst customer service experience of my life, but that’s another story) and received it in mid June.

I was extremely disappointed from the moment I turned it on. The screen is dusty, discolored and unresponsive.

The keyboard is virtually impossible to type on. The OS is so clunky and old-fashioned. The N97 can barely play video - it’s all jerky and fuzzy - and I’m talking about video that you load onto it, not video from the web (which is even worse). And I don’t know why they bother giving you 32GB of storage since it’s a terrible media player and an even worse media organizer.

But the worst thing, and the reason I ultimately returned it to Nokia, is that it crashed 4 times in the one week I owned it and each time it lost EVERYTHING. When it came back up it had been completely wiped clean and I had to set it up all over again.

So I boxed it up and sent it back then bought an iPhone 3GS. I have been absolutely thrilled. There is simply no comparison between the two devices. The 3GS does everything well. I don’t know why I waited so long to get an iPhone but I am so glad I finally did. You won’t regret it. Don’t waste your time and money on the pathetic N97.

Here are some Comparative Studies between those two phones -