The camera has no lens cover, unlike the original N95, so the lens gets scratched and covered in pocket crud and becomes effectively useless after a month or so. Reason enough to buy the old version.
There is no memory card slot, so unlike the previous N95 which can be ugraded via card to 16GB, with the new one, you are stuck to what's on board.
The GPS, 0.2 of an inch screen increase and the very marginal performance increase due to RAM upgrade don't add up to what has been removed.
Bit confused, so if you put the latest firmware and an 8GB microSDHC card into the original N95 your phone has 25% less battery and a 0.2inch smaller (although same resolution) screen. But is otherwise the same... where is the "Big Improvement".
Credit where it's due, Nokia have provide a significant improvement to the N95 with the v20 firmware, and that has brought the original N95 pretty upto date with this handset.
I was looking at getting this phone just before Xmas, but was wanting a T-Mobile Web'n'Walk tariff, but Vodafone has exclusivity on the phone in the UK (other than buying sim free).
I hope this has either very recently changed or is changing soon. Whats Vodafone fair use on their data plan again? 130Mb?
Anonymous Coward
"In the event of that happening, We just scratch Apple off our potential list of sponsors." </bofh> #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:17 GMT
Hm, perhaps if El-Reg paid their journos enough for beer we'd get a more balanced review.
That said I'm one of the tiny minority of N95 users who read the manual, and so I have actually enjoyed using it. And I'm delighted at having another reason not to buy an iBrick.
3.5hrs of talktime on 3G? What the hell? I can get more than that out of a can and string.
This phones massive drawback has always been that it is power hungry. There is no point whatsoever using a phone if it doesn't even last a day. There is a guy who sits opposite me right now at work who has one and by 3pm every day all I can hear is that annoying bing bong battery running out pip!
Strip off some of the apps and make it last longer, I have a Sony W850 and a W810 and sure, it can't tell me where to go when I am lost but at least I can call someone then listen to some music whilst I wait for them to come get me!
Well yes, I have to agree that now that nokia are using dubious lenses and filling the phones with DRM'd spyware, they have rather lost some of their advantages over sony.
Is it just me or do the soft-keys look to be too far away from the on-screen labels? Why couldn't they put the 'Nokia' branding on top of the screen? Then the buttons could be bigger too.
slap the latest v20 firmware onto the older 4Gb version and its almost the same - more battery, faster responses, faster startup, and much better camera interaction. still, the 8Gb does give you more 'working memory' (not the 4Gb of extra storage memory!) and the GPS is better.
I've never understood the complaints about N95 battery life. After conditioning the battery and a few charge-cycles later, and I get 3+ days on standby if I don't use the phone too much. Not great, but not awful either - certainly way better than the <1 day some people report. Can only assume that they are leaving WiFi scanning on permanently or something..
Oh and the assisted GPS is fantastic - around 20 secs to get a fix.
Me thinks you have the original N95 and are now sour grapes. As for no camera cover, I like it, I've had many phones with open lenses, and have never scratched one yet. If you're that bothered then get a screen protector (A crystal one) and cut it down to size.
I own an N95 8GB and can quite honestly say it's the best bit of kit I've ever owned, in relation to build qualitly, support, features ect.
HTC Touch HD Pocket PC
MWg Zinc II
HTC Touch Pro
HTC Touch Diamond2
Palm Treo Pro Smartphone
Nokia N95 8GB smartphone
jason ellis
But what you don't seem to care about is.... #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:11 GMT
The camera has no lens cover, unlike the original N95, so the lens gets scratched and covered in pocket crud and becomes effectively useless after a month or so. Reason enough to buy the old version.
There is no memory card slot, so unlike the previous N95 which can be ugraded via card to 16GB, with the new one, you are stuck to what's on board.
The GPS, 0.2 of an inch screen increase and the very marginal performance increase due to RAM upgrade don't add up to what has been removed.
Anonymous Coward
Big improvement... #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:11 GMT
Bit confused, so if you put the latest firmware and an 8GB microSDHC card into the original N95 your phone has 25% less battery and a 0.2inch smaller (although same resolution) screen. But is otherwise the same... where is the "Big Improvement".
Credit where it's due, Nokia have provide a significant improvement to the N95 with the v20 firmware, and that has brought the original N95 pretty upto date with this handset.
Anonymous Coward
just to check #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:11 GMT
are you knocking 15% off for it being a bit big?
shane fitzgerald
Why the drop of 5%? #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:11 GMT
The original review of the N95 gave it 90%.
The 8GB 'Verdict:
A big improvement over the original N95...'
Yet now it gets 5% less? Huh?? Where did it loose points?
What shall a phones lot in life become in this confusing world?
Andrew
Only available under contract from Vodafone #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:17 GMT
I was looking at getting this phone just before Xmas, but was wanting a T-Mobile Web'n'Walk tariff, but Vodafone has exclusivity on the phone in the UK (other than buying sim free).
I hope this has either very recently changed or is changing soon. Whats Vodafone fair use on their data plan again? 130Mb?
Anonymous Coward
"In the event of that happening, We just scratch Apple off our potential list of sponsors." </bofh> #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:17 GMT
Hm, perhaps if El-Reg paid their journos enough for beer we'd get a more balanced review.
That said I'm one of the tiny minority of N95 users who read the manual, and so I have actually enjoyed using it. And I'm delighted at having another reason not to buy an iBrick.
Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware
@all #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 13:27 GMT
The N95 8GB's score should be 95 per cent - blame the fast typing of an over-zealous Reviews Editor for the missing ten per cent. Fixed now.
The Avangelist
WHo cares if the battery dies too early? #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 14:55 GMT
3.5hrs of talktime on 3G? What the hell? I can get more than that out of a can and string.
This phones massive drawback has always been that it is power hungry. There is no point whatsoever using a phone if it doesn't even last a day. There is a guy who sits opposite me right now at work who has one and by 3pm every day all I can hear is that annoying bing bong battery running out pip!
Strip off some of the apps and make it last longer, I have a Sony W850 and a W810 and sure, it can't tell me where to go when I am lost but at least I can call someone then listen to some music whilst I wait for them to come get me!
Anonymous Coward
@sony fanboi #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 15:57 GMT
Well yes, I have to agree that now that nokia are using dubious lenses and filling the phones with DRM'd spyware, they have rather lost some of their advantages over sony.
John
soft-keys and screen labels #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 16:40 GMT
Is it just me or do the soft-keys look to be too far away from the on-screen labels? Why couldn't they put the 'Nokia' branding on top of the screen? Then the buttons could be bigger too.
Bad Beaver
sadly #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 17:56 GMT
it's still a humongous hunk of cheapish plastic. Admittedly, that plastic feels better than one used in the first version.
And another El Reg review that is sorta late. But thank you for making it a written one!
Anonymous Coward
old 4Gb version #
Posted Monday 14th January 2008 21:45 GMT
slap the latest v20 firmware onto the older 4Gb version and its almost the same - more battery, faster responses, faster startup, and much better camera interaction. still, the 8Gb does give you more 'working memory' (not the 4Gb of extra storage memory!) and the GPS is better.
Simon Turner
Battery life #
Posted Tuesday 15th January 2008 11:34 GMT
I've never understood the complaints about N95 battery life. After conditioning the battery and a few charge-cycles later, and I get 3+ days on standby if I don't use the phone too much. Not great, but not awful either - certainly way better than the <1 day some people report. Can only assume that they are leaving WiFi scanning on permanently or something..
Oh and the assisted GPS is fantastic - around 20 secs to get a fix.
Tom
@ Jason #
Posted Tuesday 15th January 2008 15:06 GMT
Me thinks you have the original N95 and are now sour grapes. As for no camera cover, I like it, I've had many phones with open lenses, and have never scratched one yet. If you're that bothered then get a screen protector (A crystal one) and cut it down to size.
I own an N95 8GB and can quite honestly say it's the best bit of kit I've ever owned, in relation to build qualitly, support, features ect.