Well my two weeks has nearly come to an end and back the N95 8gb must go, now into someone elses sweaty palms. Damn this person, damn them for taking this piece of wonderfulness away from me. Find out why I’m so upset by reading on…
It’s quite hard for me to write a sensible review of this phone without gushing uncontrollably. I was a major fan of the N95 and consider it one of the best smart phones ever made. However, there were two many niggles to push it that little bit extra. Thankfully as you will see as you read on, these niggles are no longer really an issue.
Form factor
This has been much discussed on the interwebs and discussed here too with the video on the post below, but lets recap anyway.
From the moment it comes out the box, the thing that screams at you is the size of the screen. While on paper it may not seem to be that much of a huge jump between the original model and the 8gb model, you can really tell the difference in the hand. It’s also now flush to rest of the casing, which in my opinion gives it a ‘better made’ feel.
On the front it’s also noticeable that the keys are smaller than the N95-1. However, the Menu and Multimedia Menu key are now raised and are very easy to locate and so is the bottom row of silver keys. Long and short, you’ll have no issues with the keys being smaller.
The keypad itself feels to be firmer than the N95-1. However this is possibly subjective as I’ve been using my current N95 for 6 months now so the keys have possibly slackened off slightly. However I do enjoy the new stiffness to the keys.
The back has also had a redesign. Gone is the sliding lens cover. This has been a bone of contention for a lot of people, worried that exposing the lens may end up damaging or scratching it. You’d be right, it worried the hell out of me too. Realistically thugh, don’t stick the phnoe in the same pocket as your keys or loose change and you’re probably going to be alright aren’t you? The loss of the cover has no impact to the overall picture or video quality. The bezel that surrounds the lens now has the wording ‘Carl Zeiss etc…’ etched into it. Again, this gives an impression of a quality product. No change has been made to the flash.
There is no massive changes to the sides of the phone, except for the memory card slot being removed as there is no hot-swappable memory with the handset.
The slider. Crikey this bugged a lot of people with the N95-1 didn’t it? Well it’s improved but I’m not going shouting to the hills saying it’s perfect. Out the box it feels fantastic. Firm slide, it actually feels like ti’s locking into place when you slide up or down and no wobble at all. However after 2 weeks of constantly heavy usage (if you think you’re a heavy user, you’ve never seen me on a phone.) it’s definately loosened off. Not a great sign and possibly doesn’t bode well when you consider that most of the people who get this handset will be entering into 18 month contracts. Longer usage would be needed to see if this gets worse.
The four multimedia keys are now raised for easier use. Nice touch.
A massive plus point is that there is no light leak from the sides. God that was needed, my old N95 looked like it’s going to fall apart at any moment with all that light streaming out of it.
OS Usage
Here’s the thing that makes me most happy about the new N95; the speed you can fly around the handset and the amount of things you can have running at once.
General menu navigation is quicker, as is accessing the redesigned Multimedia menu (which I’ll come onto a bit more later). The new multimedia menu loads between 1-2 seconds.Java apps seem to have a slight delay (especially the Gmail app). Not sure why.
The reasons for this improvement are two fold. One is the increase in RAM. Nokia listened to one of the major complaints of the original model and double the RAM to a whopping 128mb. After a boot, there’s around 85mb available for use compared to the paltry 16-ish that was available with the N95-1. That’s a huge jump, and it’s nothing but good news. The seond reason is the inclusion of a new feature called ‘demand paging’. Now as far as I was aware, demand paging was due for inclusion on the next version of the Symbian OS, but they’ve also put it on here. Basically, it just loads up the bits that are needed and leaves the reast waiting to be accessed. Very cool. I hope to see this feature on the next N95 firmware update too, but I guess time will tell on that one.More in-depth look at the screenWell this is a quick section so in-depth isn’t strictly true, but it deserves a write up of it’s own. The screen really is a thing of beauty. It’s big, it’s bright and it looks amazing. Whenever anyone has seen the phone over the last two weeks, the first thing they mentio is the screen. The increase in size while having no increase in resolution worried me slightly, however it’s obvious that this isn’t the case. It’s crisp and vibrant. While it’s not as fantastic as the N80 screen (god that was good) it’s a definate step up from the N95-1.Search, Ngage and Music Store
Ah the search app. What a wonderful thing you are. I have no idea how I’ve ever lived without you. As you can see from the video below, search lives on your front screen for easy access. A coupe of simple clicks and you have access to anything on your phone. You can search your contacts, texts, music, pictures, apps… well anything. It’s fantasically brilliant and if this function doesn’t remain on all Nseries from now onwards I’ll go out and shoot some kittens. Check the video for a walkthrough.
The Flash Memory
Bit hard to have a full section devoted to this, but here goes. Instead of the hot swappable cards of the old model, now there is a built in 8gb of flash memory. The flash is treated the same as your memory card would on the old model. If you encode at WMA 64kbs, you’re looking at about 160 albums worth. Everything seems to write quickly to it, so no complaints there.
New Multimedia menu
I’ll be blunt here, I’m critical about the new menu. it’s looks very dull and I’m not 100% sure of the point to it. Watch the video below for a run through.
Where’s the damn video editor?
Here’s where I get riled. I was a big fan of the Video editor on the original N95. Sure the lack of RAM sometimes made it a thankless task, but generally it was a great function. So why of why Nokia when you decide to increase the RAM did you also remove the video editor?!? Surely it makes more sense to be pushing now that it’s usable! I want this back, and quick.
The Battery - does it make a difference?
As you’ll know by now, the N95 8gb has a larger capacity battery than the N95-1. Lets face it, the original N95 battery was shockingly bad. Someone asked me on a forum ‘Does that bigger battery make a difference even though there’s a bigger screen for it to power?’ Well yes, but not as much as you’d want…
Like I said before, I’m a heavy user. I probably spend more time on my phone than I do doing anything else. I pick up my e-mails from it, I browse on it, I (sometimes) game on it, I use it as my SatNav, I Jaiku on it, basically if it’s do-able on there, I’m doing it. Oh, sometimes I make phone calls and send texts too.
As a result of that usage, I could easily go through an N95 battery in a morning. Easy. In fact my record was 2 hours. Full charge to dead in two hours. With the new larger battery, I’m getting through most of the day, but definately not all. It definately still a case of spare battery/Proporta charger for anyone who considers their usage heavy. You have been warned.
Final Thoughts
Let me take you back in history a bit here. The first Symbian handset I ever owned was the 7650. It was a wonderful phone, and it totally opened my eyes to what mobiles were capable of. I still look back at it fondly and regret the day a shot of Aftershock was poured over it leaving the keys sticky and useless. Others came and went and nothing ever quite hit that pinacle. Even the N95 just fell short. It was the best Smartphone ever.
Until now. I said at the beginning, it’s hard to talk about it without gushing. And the thing is, this possibly isn’t just the best Smartphone ever, it’s probably the best phone ever.
Before you go running off, laughing at that, consider the facts. 5mpx camera, a fantastic browser, an endless supply of apps to customise your usage, 8gb of storage, massive amount of connectivity options. This phone wil appeal to the techy folks and the general consumer too. All the niggles that blighted the original N95 are gone. The RAM increase now makes the most resource heavy sites a pleasure to view.
Whether you upgrade or not though is not an easy choice. Most of us are in long term agreements and do you get a sim free model or take another contract? Do you not bother at all? It’s tough one, but if you’re a power user like me, I say getting one should be a matter of priority for you. You won’t regret it. If you’re trying to decide which one to get, get the N95 8gb. You’ll be dissapointed down the line if you don’t.
To sum up, if you get one of these, you won’t be disappointed. Forget the iPhone, this is the hottest thing in the mobile world right now.
20 responses so far ↓
1 Product Reviews » N95 8gb - The Review // Nov 1, 2007 at 5:22 pm
[…] nokiageek.com wrote an interesting post today on N95 8gb - The ReviewHere’s a quick excerpt Well my two weeks has nearly come to an end and back the N95 8gb must go, … a sensible review of this phone without gushing uncontrollably. I was a major fan of the N95 and consider … it that little bit extra. Thankfully as you will see as you read on, these niggles are no longer really an issue […]
2 Camera Reviews » N95 8gb - The Review // Nov 1, 2007 at 5:48 pm
[…] nokiageek.com wrote an interesting post today on N95 8gb - The ReviewHere’s a quick excerpt Well my two weeks has nearly come to an end and back the N95 8gb must go, … a sensible review of this phone without gushing uncontrollably. I was a major fan of the N95 and consider […]
3 Nokia N95 8 GB, the best smartphone ever made? // Nov 1, 2007 at 10:12 pm
[…] First off is Matt, relatively new to the blogging scene, he runs Nokia Geek. After pointing out a few of the minor hickups of the device in his review he still can’t help but come to the conclusion that the N95 8 GB is the best device to ever […]
4 drew // Nov 1, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Nice review mate - hope to own one early next year - currently have the original on “3″ with x series. If its as good as you reckon cant wait, new search function looks the business.
Oh btw, I dont normally leave comments, but after watching the video clips, it would be rude not to for a fellow barrow lad
5 Nokia N95 8 GB, the best smartphone ever made? - Pocket.Net - Mobile 2.0 // Nov 1, 2007 at 11:01 pm
[…] First off is Matt, relatively new to the blogging scene, he runs Nokia Geek. After pointing out a few of the minor hickups of the device in his review he still can’t help but come to the conclusion that the N95 8 GB is the best device to ever […]
6 Review - Nokie N95 8GB « Hong Kong Phooey // Nov 2, 2007 at 2:54 am
[…] Nokia N95 8GB - The Review from nokiageek.com […]
7 Nseries WOM World » Blog Archive » N95 8GB: the best Nokia have ever produced? // Nov 2, 2007 at 1:36 pm
[…] ‘Is the N95 8GB the best smartphone ever made?’ He takes opinions from two sources – one new in Matt from Nokiageek.com (follow the link for an extensive review), one more experienced in the […]
8 Justin Berkovi // Nov 3, 2007 at 6:42 pm
I sold mobile phones over ten years ago when Vodafone were rolling out Metrodigital, When the Nokia 2110 was the best ever phone…cut to years later and I’ve owned pretty much every major Nokia and SE mobile phone and use virtually ALL smartphone features.
I’ve had my N95 8GB for a week now and thought I’d share some thoughts.
I can safely say it’s THE best phone Nokia have ever made. It’s also the best smartphone on the planet right now. The feature-set is incredible:
- 3.5G (On my £7 a month T mobile plan I’m surfing at broadband speeds and also use the N95 8GB as a bluetooth modem with my Macbook - it’s lightning fast)
- WIFI
- Amazing 5mpx camera
- Full Sat Nav (Which is A GPS, fast, accurate and I wonder why I paid £3000 for an in car Alpine unit only last year!!!)
- Great Nokia UI
- Flickr integration, works fantastically well
- RAM, the phone is fast!
And more and more… I could go on.
Anyway. I owned the N95 for a week earlier this year and didn’t like the big fonts, the rubbish battery life…and well, I wasn’t over the moon about it’s looks. The new N95 8GB blows it out the water. Faster, looks incredible in gloss black (wow!) and just basically addresses most of the N95’s shortcomings.
My ONLY quibble is the screen resolution. It’s not great for a phone with such a large display. When I owned my much beloved Nokia N73 (Got dropped in coffee and ruined) I could see around 20 email headers…I can only see 5 on the N95 8GB..which seems better than the N95 but why oh why have Nokia removed the option to view emails or message either as ONE LINE or TWO LINES? It sounds trivial I know but as a poweruser these tiny things are important to me.
In all though the N95 8GB is absolutely incredible. It’s a total workhorse - I use it for my design business to email clients, to preview animated gifs, PDF files, etc. The camera is brilliant…the Sat Nav I use almost everyday.
Nokia, I bow down!
Justin Berkovi
9 nokiageek // Nov 3, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Thanks for your comments Justin. I’m very much a power user myself and from a business perspective find that the feature set comes in very handy.
Great website by the way!
10 Next Best Action » Blog Archive » Nokia N95 8GB // Nov 11, 2007 at 1:06 am
[…] the Nokia N95 8GB ! “best phone ever” according to the Nokia Geek - N95 8gb - The Review - I […]
11 New N95 firmware released | nokiageek.com // Nov 26, 2007 at 7:56 pm
[…] andI still think it’s as great as ever. instead of giving you the lowdown again, check my post on the N95 8gb here to see a video of how it […]
12 blufluman // Dec 13, 2007 at 6:32 pm
i think thne phone is great,but it has one drawback for me the voice tag,its in synthesiser form barely regcognises any voice can you not put your own voice commands on it or am i missing something i use my bluetooth headset on a regular basis
13 Carl Salanga // Dec 24, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Hey, this is a pretty good site. I would just like to ask how long will the battery last when I record videos? Say, a battery that is charged at full… I am using a N95 8Gb by the way..
14 Lauren // Dec 27, 2007 at 7:57 pm
So excuse me if this is a stupid question and one is marginally better than the other but should I get the nokia n95 8gb or the nokiaa n81 8gb?
I only know of the 3mp camera difference.
I would have bought the n95 8gb straight away but it is quite thick and a chunky monkey of a phone compared to todays standard of thin phones!
So should I ignore the 3mp difference and go with the n81 8gb or is there any vital things i am missing?
15 Nolan // Dec 31, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I know that this is a stupid question but should jump on the nokia band wagon and get this phone as i love to use the internet on my current phone which is a sony ericsson w810i
(im using it now). I’ve used the n95 i loved it but i would to where i can see a list of apps for the 8gb model?
16 russell stanley // Jan 21, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Wow the N95 8GB is truly a great phone. After 18 months with the aweful N80 I was nervous about going for another N series. I am really pleased to say that the N95 8GB is in my eyes faultless. The battery is far superior to the one supplied with the N80. Everything that made the N80 so bad has been sorted out with N95 8GB. I cant list everything but I will say agian Im so pleased that I went for N95 8GB
17 Test Nokia N95 8Go | MobileHub : le blog des smartnautes // Feb 26, 2008 at 9:12 pm
[…] nokiageek.com […]
18 Anwaar // Mar 2, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This phone comes equipped with everything. Nokia is by far the most innovative cell phone manufacturer on the planet. Goodbye Sony Ericsson….Hello nokia!
19 pradeep // Apr 2, 2008 at 9:29 am
The design’s great , the styling’sreat but also the price is great. there is only a few difference in this phone from the n95 that is the large screen , the camera shutter is gone , an 8gb internal memory and an increase in price about Rs.8000
20 Roy Kellet // Apr 4, 2008 at 11:53 am
Hello. The N95 8GB is alright but Ive used better phones, such as the N50 or 6300. I also think the Ifone is better too. By comparisson, the N95 is big like a brick and doesnt fit in your hands as nice as 6300 or Ifone. Also it is all plastic rather than metal case. The screen is fairly big and lights up which is good
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