Choosing between the N8 and the C6, considering that your budget fits, is a no-brainer. The N8 is significantly the better phone between the two, as this comparison would point out. The main difference between the N8 and the C6 is their form factor. The N8 is a candybar with no moving parts while the C6 is a side-slider.  The entire front part of the C6 moves to the right to reveal a landscape QWERTY keyboard. The tactile feedback of the physical keyboard allows for a more natural and faster typing of messages. The N8 does not have such a keyboard and all input is via the touch screen display.

Speaking of the touch-screen display, the N8’s screen is bigger (3.5inches) and better compared to the C6’s (3.2 inches). The N8 is also equipped with gorilla glass making it virtually impervious to scratches and even to hard impact. The capacitive display of the N8 allows for multi-touch functionality while the resistive display of the C6 does not.

The operating system of the two phones is also very different. The N8 has the latest Symbian^3 while the C6 uses the older 5th edition S60. Symbian^3 was developed with touch screen displays and other recent technologies and it is a more seamless compared to the older S60.

The camera is also another area where the N8 shows its superiority over the C6. The latter has a 5 megapixel camera, which is at par with what most other smartphones are offering. On the other hand, the N8 has a 12 megapixel sensor for even bigger and finer pictures. Carl Zeiss optics and autofocus provides the N8 with image quality that is comparable to many point and shoot cameras. The story is still the same when it comes to vide as the N8 is able to shoot 720p video while the C6 can only manage VGA quality video. The addition of an HDMI port to the N8 is also a great feature as it lets N8 users connect their phone to an HDTV and playback the video they took right there and then.

Summary:

1. The N8 is a candybar while the C6 is a slider
2. The C6 has a full QWERTY keyboard while the N8 does not
3. The N8’s screen is bigger and better than the C6’s
4. The N8 uses the newer Symbian^3 OS while the C6 uses the older S60 5th edition
5. The C6 has a much smaller internal memory than the N8
6. The N8 camera is far superior to the C6 camera
7. The N8 can record HD video while the C6 cannot
8. The N8 has a HDMI port while the C6 does not