Nokia N95 8gb

release date: November 2007
colours:
 
black
Nokia N95 8gb

RATING

5 stars

Pros

  • 3G and HSDPA
  • 5 MP camera
  • Symbian OS
  • Media players
  • 2.8-inch screen
  • 8 GB internal memory
  • Tv-out
  • Wi-Fi
  • GPS and Nokia Maps

Cons

  • No Xenon flash
  • No memory card slot
  • No camera lens cover
  • Low res. front camera

SUMMARY

The Nokia N95 8GB is an improved version of the Nokia N95. 2.8-inch screen, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS with A-GPS, 5 MP camera with flash, auto-focus and 30 fps VGA video capture, Tv-out, 8 GB internal memory (store approx. 6000 songs, 20 hours video), excellent media players.

Review

The Nokia N95 8GB is an improved version of the Nokia N95. 2.8-inch screen, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS with A-GPS, 5 MP camera with flash, auto-focus and 30 fps VGA video capture, Tv-out, 8 GB internal memory (store approx. 6000 songs, 20 hours video), excellent media players...

Feature-wise, the Nokia N95 8 GB is very similar to the Nokia N82 candybar phone.

Nokia N95 8GB vs Nokia N95 - Differences

The new Nokia N95 8 GB has:

  • 2.8-inch screen - better quality too (original has 2.6-inch screen)
  • Flash is to the side of the lens
  • No camera lens cover
  • 8 GB internal memory
  • Better battery - 1200 mAh
  • Media keys - better tactile feedback (slightly raised)
  • No microSD memory card slot
  • Software tweaks - better performance, some added/changed menu items
  • Increased RAM - from 64 to 128 MB. Better software performance
Nokia N95 8 GB vs N82

The N82 is a smaller, cheaper bar phone, but has very similar features. The N82 has a smaller screen (2.4-inch), but the N82 does have a Xenon flash. The N82 supports SDHC memory cards (up to 32 GB), 8 GB SDHC cards are available. The N82 also has automatic screen rotation - a motion sensor senses the phone orientation and changes screen to landscape/portrait view accordingly.

Nokia N95 8 GB vs Apple iPhone

The N95 8 GB has all the latest features - 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Tv-out, GPS. The Apple iPhone (version 1) does not. The iPhone has a large 3.5-inch screen, has better usability and is the better choice for Internet browsing (on Wi-Fi), text entry and perhaps the simple stuff like making a call. The 3.5-inch Apple iPhone screen is 0.7-inches larger than the N95 8GB screen.

Design

The N95 8 GB has the same dimensions as the N95. It's 8g heavier. Black plastic. Shiny black plastic on the front. Solid build, solid 2-way slider.

Front: 2.8-inch screen, CIF camera, navigation keys, earpiece, ambient light sensor. Slide the front up to reveal the the keyapd. The keypad keys are a decent and are easy to press.

Back: 5 MP camera, flash (to the left), and battery cover. There is no camera lens cover.

Bottom: MicroUSB connector

Right: Stereo speaker, volume rocker, gallery button, camera button.

Left: 3.5 mm audio jack, stereo speaker, infrared port (who uses infrared?).

Top: Power key - top-middle;

Navigation keys: The navigation keys are a little smaller than on the original Nokia N95. Easy enough to press. Would have been good to make them a little bigger and move them closer to the screen. Nokia just want their brand name slap bang in the middle of their wonder phone.

Battery cover: Easy to open.

Features

Spider-Man 3 Preloaded: Am I strong? Listen Bud. I've got radioactive blood... doobie doo, doobie doo... Yes, the Spidey-Man 3 film is pre-loaded. Here's a photo:

Nokia N95 8 GB - SpiderMan

5 MP Camera

LED flash, auto-focus, macro mode, white balance, photo editor, gallery, exposure compensation, ISO setting and other typical settings. Image quality is fine. There's no Xenon flash - consider the Nokia N82, if you want Xenon. Perhaps this camera is a little faster than the N95 - not sure, no longer got the N95 to test.

Video capture and playback is good. VGA (640 x 480 pixel) at 30 fps.

8 GB Internal Memory

Nokia say you can store up to 6000 songs or 20 hours of video. There's no microSD card slot, so 8 GB is your lot.

N Gage

Pre-installed game trials include Asphalt 3: Street Rules and EA Sports Fifa 07. Check out the N-Gage Web site for the latest games. You can download free trials of any the N-Gage games before you buy.

Music Player

3.5 mm input jack on the left, decent stereo speakers and all the usual music player options - sort, playlists, equalizer.. Dedicated music keys when you slide the phone down, USB, Bluetooth file transfer.

Nokia Music Store: Search, browse, and purchase music to download to
the Nokia N95 8 GB.

Video Player

2.8-inch screen. Tasty. Decent. 30 fps playback.

Symbian OS

Download applications, document viewers, organiser tools and other smartphone applications.

Text input

Predictive text. No touchscreen. No QWERTY. Text entry can be slow when there's no QWERTY keyboard. If you're going to be writing lots of texts/emails, you're better off buying an Apple iPhone or a mobile phone with hardware QWERTY keyboard - EG: Blackberries.

Nokia Web Browser with Mini Maps

The S60 Web browser is good. Not as good as a touch-screen phone where you can drag the screen around. Browse the Web as you know it.

Mini maps: Red rectangle - view in zoomed-out view. Scroll around the page, stop scrolling, and it zooms in. Magic!

Visual history: View previous pages.

Text input is a bit slow - QWERTY keyboards are the daddies when it comes to text input. 'auto complete' speeds things up, as well as bookmarks and history, but they're no good when typing new text in. You can also view the Internet in wide-screen mode.

RSS feeds: Waste lots of time, catch up on trivia, gossip and "news".

Download speed is super, providing you use Wi-Fi, 3G or HSDPA (3.5 G). EDGE and GPRS are beyond naff.

Assisted GPS

Assisted GPS (A-GPS) is an enhanced version of GPS. A-GPS should get a fix on the satellite quicker and more reliably. The Time To First Fix (TTFF) should be quicker.

Nokia maps are pre-installed - UK and Ireland. Maps are free. If you want voice navigation, you must pay a license fee.

GPS

Summary

The Nokia N95 8 GB is better than the original N95. April 2008, and the 8 GB version costs approx. £70 more on PAYG. Alternatively, get one for "free" on a pay-monthly mobile phone contract.

Tons of features, only the Nokia N82 can claim to have as impressive features - although the Nokia N82 does have a smaller screen. Top marks.

Features / Specifications

* confirm features at manufacturer's Web site.

Release Date
November 2007
Size
99.0 x 53.0 x 21.0 mm
3.9 x 2.1 x 0.8 inches
Weight
128 g
4.5 oz
Colours
 
black
Screen
  • 2.8-inch TFT
  • 240x320 pixels
  • 16000000 colours
Memory
  • 8 GB phone memory
Networks
  • Quad-band (GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 Mhz)
  • EDGE
  • 3G (UMTS 2100 Mhz)
  • HSDPA (Max: 3.6 Mbps)
Battery Life
  • Talk time: 5 hours
  • Standby time: 280 hours
  • 3G talk time: 3.5 hours
  • 3G standby time: 280 hours
OS
Symbian OS

In The Box

Nokia N95 8 GB phone, battery, charger, headset (2-part, with adapter), USB cable, video connectivity cable, instruction manuals.

Connectivity

  • Wi-Fi
  • GPS
  • Infrared
  • Bluetooth 2.0
  • USB 2.0
  • TV-Out
  • 3.5 mm jack
  • Video calling

Camera

  • 5.0 MP Camera

  • features: LED flash, auto-focus, macro mode, white balance, photo editor, gallery, exposure compensation, ISO setting

  • VGA video resolution
  • 30 FPS video capture

Messaging

  • SMS, MMS, Email

Entertainment

  • Games: Fifa 2007, Asphalt 3: Street Rules

  • FM radio
  • Visual Radio
  • Music Player
  • Video Player

Internet

  • Nokia S60 Web browser
  • RSS Reader

Installed Applications

  • Spider-Man 3 movie preloaded, Nokia N-Gage, Nokia Music Store
  • Document viewer
  • PIM: PIM applications
  • Voice commands, voice recorder

Prices

Prices coming soon.