|
|
|
Nokia N95 8GB Review (Nokia's all time MVP) |
|
|
|
|
Last year, after reviewing Nokia's N95, I thought it will take the
Finnish company a long time to surpass its performances. Fortunately
for Nokia fans, N95 8GB, the sequel to the older N95, has been
announced in a moment when the latter already conquered the mobile
phones market, which didn't take too long at all. Sales of the device
registered some of the highest numbers in Nokia's history and stocks of
the device were replenished more often than Nokia expected. Anyway, the
announcement was made just in time to arouse the interest of the mobile
freaks, not too early, to enable N95 handset to sell until all the
mobile market reached a certain level of saturation, but also not too
late, to keep up the interest of the N series' fans. Nokia N95 8GB
received a whole range of improvements compared with its predecessor,
which made it a totally different device and not just an upgrade of the
N95.
Announced
in August 2007, Nokia N95 8GB has been made available 2 months later,
in October. The moment N95 8GB hit the market, Nokia N95's price
lowered with at least 20%, which made the 8GB the most expensive N
series handset sold for about 1,000 USD. Lately, both devices
registered another serious drop in price, and N95 8GB can be bought now
for only 800 USD.
Design
Nokia's
N95 8GB design kept the same dual slide form factor, but its screen got
bigger and its color changed to pure black. In terms of weight, N95 8GB
got fatter, weighing 128 grams (including battery), as compared with
the N95, which weighs only 120 grams. The rest of the measures are the
same in both cases (99 x 53 x 21 mm), but the 2.8'' display of the 8GB
version gives the impression that the whole handset is a little bit
bigger than the standard version.
The
sliding mechanism has been slightly improved and won't permit the phone
to slide up or down when it's kept in a tight pocket. That doesn't mean
that your N95 8GB won't slide by mistake, but at least the probability
has been lowered considerably. The grip that powered on the camera by
opening the protective lenses has been removed, thus the possibility to
start the camera by mistake when you put your phone in your pocket has
been totally eliminated. The layout of the external keys has been also
kept the same. The right side of the phone gets all the external
buttons, such as: volume control, camera and gallery buttons. The left
side of the phone only features the infrared port and the 3.5 mm audio
output jack.
There are also two stereo speakers that can be used to listen to
the radio or to the music player. On the bottom of the phone we can
find the miniUSB port and the small charge port (AC4 adapter). The only
thing left is the usual power button which is placed on top of the
device. The back of the phone bears the Nokia logo and the 5 Megapixel
camera with flash that features Carl Zeiss lenses.
The
keypad looks pretty much the same as its older brother's � N95. The
5-way control key is flanked only by two other keys: the menu key and
the one that controls the multimedia features of the phone. Edging all
three are the usual contextual keys found in any Nokia slider. All keys
are visible in dark areas through the backlighting system. When you
slide down the phone, you will be able to notice the music keys used
for controlling the music or video player.
Unfortunately,
the same problem that I have faced with the N95 model is still
troubling me now: when you slide down the phone, the screen turns to
landscape mode, but when you slide it back the screen won't revert to
the usual portrait mode. The only possible way to revert it back is to
slide up the phone and then back, which is kind of annoying. Overall,
the phone looks stylish, but serious at the same time, thanks to its
black color. Anyway, those that intend to buy the 'multimedia computer'
do it for features mostly and not for its look.
Display and Camera
There
are few handsets that feature such a good display as Nokia N95 8GB. If
you previously owned the 'older' model, N95, then you will find they
are both the same: TFTs supporting 16 Million colors and 240 x 320
pixels resolution. Nevertheless, there is a 0.2" difference in size
between the 2 devices, in the favor of the 8GB version. Even if small
in size, the difference is huge in quality, especially as the phone
comes with the Spiderman 3 movie. Overall, except for the fact that it
easily catches fingerprints, the screen is probably the best on the
market. The images displayed look quite amazing, while the visibility
maintains above average and is not affected by strong sunlight.
The
5 Megapixel camera placed on the back of the phone features Carl Zeiss
lenses, flash and autofocus capabilities. The camera module is the same
as the one embedded onto the N95 standard model. I believe the N95 8GB
camera is second to none and it manages to surpass Sony Ericsson's
K850i in some areas. For a more in depth comparison between the 2
camera monster phones, please check the Sony Ericsson K850i review that
can be found here.
For
those that didn't have the chance to get their hands on a Nokia N95, I
will highlight some of the N95 8GB camera features. Users can take
pictures just as you would do it with a normal camera, click the button
halfway until you spot the green square, which means that the camera is
focused, and then you can push it to the end and take the picture. The
maximum resolution supported is 2582 x 1944 pixels and users can choose
to shoot in 5 modes, as seen in the screenshots.
The
Carl Zeiss lenses are doing a great job and users will be particularly
thrilled to take shots, no matter if it's night or day. On the front of
the phone, there is the secondary camera used for video calls, but also
for taking self-portrait pictures (640 x 480 pixels max. resolution).
The
camera functions are easy to use and intuitive, especially if you have
used a digital camera before. Furthermore, the time that it takes to
activate the camera has been lessened to 2-3 seconds, which is a great
improvement especially when you need to capture something fast.
The
camera lens protector has been removed, which means that you won't be
able to activate the camera by mistake inside your pocket.
Unfortunately, it also means that the camera won't be protected from
scratches anymore. Movies can be captured in MP4 formats (VGA
resolution at 30fps) and cannot be matched with any other handset in
terms of quality (except maybe LG's Viewty). Overall, Nokia N95 8GB
features one of the best (if not the best) camera module on the market
in terms of performance.
Menu and Software
Nokia
N95 8GB runs on Symbian 9.2 operating system with S60 3rd Edition and
Feature Pack 1 interface. This Pack offers some improvements and adds
some new features, like an alarm clock, vCalendar 2.0, support for 3D
graphics and hardware acceleration, as well as screen turning. The
repeated alarm clock offers users the wake up call whenever they want,
so they won't need to buy third party applications for that purpose.
The
Nokia N95 8GB comes with some of the Internet's most popular services
including Yahoo! Search, Amazon's MobiPocket Reader or Flickr. The
device also features widget support which enables users to customize
the online content they can receive quickly on their Nokia N95 8GB. The
QuickOffice applications are used for reading Word, Excel and
PowerPoint files. Unfortunately, you cannot edit any files without
upgrading the application, which can be done by buying the application
from the Nokia Download Center.
There's
also a PDF reader, a notepad, a Zip archivator, a calculator, a
currency converter, a voice recorder and a barcode reader. Users will
also be able to connect a keyboard to the phone by using the Bluetooth
connectivity, through the Wireless keyboard application found under the
Office category in the main menu. Lifeblog application is also
available for bloggers that are looking to update their daily diary
with pictures, videos and texts. The Phonebook can practically store an
unlimited number of contacts, so don't be afraid to use it.
The
Video Center can be accessed from the right key beside the 5-way
control or by sliding down the phone, which will also turn the screen
to landscape view. Visual radio, music player, lifeblog, web, gallery,
maps or games can all be accessed from this multimedia center. Also,
for those who are traveling a lot, Nokia Maps application has been
offered for free to use with the built-in GPS receiver. Localization
and tracking are made smoothly with no lags, better in performance than
the standard N95.
The
device is also compatible with Instant Messaging and VoIP applications,
such as Gizmo. I had no troubles in sending IM's and making VoIP calls.
Task manager is also displayed when you keep the Symbian key pressed
for a few seconds, but you most certainly won't need to use it as the
device is pretty fast no matter how many applications you use at the
same time.
Every
flaw that made the standard N95 model unbearable to use sometimes have
been corrected and N95 8GB offers a smooth and fast experience with no
lockups or lags whatsoever. The device is fully compatible with any
Symbian S60 3rd Edition applications, so you can easily improve the
functionality of your N95 8GB by downloading some of these programs
from our database.
Communications
Nokia
N95 8GB kept the same specifications in terms of communication as its
N95 standard predecessor. The device is quad band GSM (850 / 900 / 1800
/ 1900), HSDPA compatible and features GPRS class 11 ( 32 - 48 kbps),
EDGE 32 class (296 kbps), High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (57.6 kbps)
and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g. Tested on the EDGE and 3G networks, the phone
performed a little bit above average as you can see in the screenshots.
We have obtained the best results when testing the WLAN network speed.
This proves that the phone can actually reach higher numbers on both
EDGE and 3G, but was limited due to operator's network (Orange).
Other
connectivity tools include Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, Infrared
and miniUSB port for PC synchronization. When connecting the USB cable
you will be able to choose between 4 modes: PC Suite, Data transfer,
Image print and Media player. All 4 modes are intuitive and easy to
use, so there is nothing more to tell. The phone can also be connected
to a modem through the Infrared port, or you can choose to add the
terminal to a public network and share some content.
The messaging
options include SMS, MMS, audio messages and e-mail. It also supports
POP3 and IMAP4 and SMTP email accounts, as well as "Push to Talk" and
Instant Messaging. Basically, Nokia N95 8GB is a complete messaging
tool and is only second to those QWERTY devices that offer an easier
way to text.
The
Internet browser is one of the best and the Web surf experience can
only be surpassed by Apple's iPhone. The big display can be changed to
landscape mode when using the browser and, because of the high amount
of user memory, any webpage is loaded very fast. The same options and
functions that you had into the N95 standard version are also present
with this one as well.
No
doubt about it, Nokia N95 8GB has a great signal reception and
astonishing in-call sound. Even in noisy environments, you will still
be able to speak on the phone with no hearing problems. The only
drawback I found is the average signal reception when the device is set
to 3G network, but it only shows in some areas and might depend on the
network operator.
Processor and Memory
One of
the latest multimedia computers from Nokia's N series, Nokia N95 8GB
features an ARM11 based processor running at 332 Mhz speed but with no
Jazelle technology for running Java applications. The phone only
features a Just-in-Time Java Compiler that will make your Java software
start slower.
These
are the same specs as those embedded into the standard model. Still,
there is something that makes a huge difference and that is the user
memory. If the standard model had only 64MB SDRAM, this time we have
128 MB SDRAM which is more than enough to run any number of
applications (Java compatible or not) with no troubles. No more
freezes, no more lags and obviously no more resets.
Even
if you don't have the option to expand the internal memory of the phone
(no more microSD slot cards), the 8GB storage space is more than enough
for even the most heavy multimedia freak. You can install your 3rd
party applications on the internal memory or directly into the user
memory, as it won't make any difference � the phone will be speedy in
both cases.
Multimedia
Nothing
has been changed here except that you have a larger screen now to watch
clips and movies. If you want a much bigger screen, there is no problem
� use the TV-out cable. The Video center also enables users to connect
to a web video archive just like a podcast. The main application to
watch clips is the good old Real player, which is compatible with
MPEG4, 3GPP and RealVideo formats.
To
demonstrate the quality of the screen and the enjoyable experience of
watching a movie on the go, Nokia offers the Spiderman 3 movie that
comes into the internal memory of the phone. The format of the movie is
.dcf and has a limited period of availability (60 days, I believe),
after which you must buy it. The .dcf file is basically a DRM file used
to protect music files downloaded from the Nokia Music Store. The MP3
player remained unchanged and supports a huge number of formats
including: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ and WMA.
Apart
from the Default mode, the Equalizer features another 5 settings that
can be used to change the sound experience: Bass booster, Classical,
Jazz, Rock and Pop. When using the stereo headset that comes with the
phone, the sound is pretty much the same as on the N95 standard
version, only the speakerphone sounds a little bit lower. Changing the
headphones is a must as the music experience improves considerably and
the 3.5mm jack port enables owners to do that easily.
The
8GB storage space will probably 'urge' you to store a huge number of
music files, but you will still have enough space to take some good
quality pictures or shoot a clip. If you're bored and need something
else for a change, you can activate the FM Radio, that can store up to
50 radio stations. The Visual Radio function lets you search
automatically for any radio station in your town and memorize it.
Unfortunately, the radio lacks RDS functions, but there are some
Visualization options instead.
Battery
Nokia
N95 8GB features a BL-6F 1200 mAh battery that has an official stated
life expectancy of 6 hours in talk time mode and 280 hours in standby
mode. Unlike the standard N95 version, this one makes it for the
official numbers with ease. Finally, Nokia managed to put in a very
good battery that is up to the level of the device that it powers.
Paradoxically, the main drawback of the standard version has been
turned into the main strong point with the updated 8GB version. There
is no doubt about it, the BL-6F battery is one of the best that has
been embedded into a Nokia handset.
Impressions
Nokia
N95 8GB is everything that the N95 standard should have been. A
complete tool that features everything that someone can expect from a
mobile phone. Moreover, all these features are at the highest
standards, which transforms the N95 8GB into something more than a
mobile phone. This is the real 'multimedia computer' Nokia has been
talking about all these years. The device simply proves to be the best
product ever made by Nokia up to these days. Even if the future of the
mobile phones is considered to be the 'touchscreens', I believe that
Nokia N95 8GB is a much better choice for now and will probably be for
a long time.
The Good
Besides some
'aesthetic' changes in design, the N95 8GB pretty much beats all the
competition in terms of performance. The 2.8'' display makes it more
actual in an era when screens are starting to be the most important
thing for a mobile phone or Pocket PC. The phone features the best
module camera on the market (together with Sony Ericsson's K850i), the
best display and one of the biggest storage space (8GB � together with
Sony Ericsson's W960i). It's fast, easy to use and it has all the
features you might think of.
The Bad
I don't
believe that the N95 8GB is perfect but the ratio between bad and good
is so favored to the latter that the negative things do not matter that
much. Who would need a slot card for memory expansion when you already
have 8GB of space at your disposal? Are you gonna stop using the FM
Radio because it doesn't feature the RDS function? Are you gonna
scratch your camera because it doesn't have a protective lens now?
Don't think so. As a matter of fact, you probably won't notice all
these minor things, as compared with all the powerful features that the
phone possesses.
Sales package
Nokia N95 8GB handset
Nokia 1200 mAh battery (BL-6F)
Wired remote control
Stereo headphones
USB data cable
Charger (AC-4)
TV-out cable
User manual
CD software
Photo Source: Softpedia.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Powered By |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
