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There are only a handful of folks consisting of Steve Jobs, Stan Sigman, John Blackstone, Brian Lam among others have gotten their mitts on the iPhone. So how is it possible for 90 percent of existing handset owners to rate the iPhone experience superior over other mobile handsets? It simply comes down to perception and the “Wow” factor.

None of the 35 test subjects even touch an iPhone, since the device doesn’t ship until late next month. So the next best thing was to capture their responses based on viewed video presentations of iPhone features developed by Apple, a spokesman said.

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“An overwhelming 90 percent of respondents gave the iPhone higher marks than their own handset and over 40 percent of respondents rated the iPhone much better across key functional categories–including music player, web browsing, voice mail, and phone call management—indicating real innovation in designing a user experience,” said Harvey Cohen, President of Strategy Analytics, who conducted this research.

“While the iPhone “Wow” factor is impressive, our user panel indicated that challenges in pricing and positioning may act as a barrier to mass-market success,” said Kevin Nolan, Director of User Experience Research at Strategy Analytics. “Nonetheless, the iPhone clearly represents a breakthrough in terms of user experience.”