| Author |
Nokia N95 Review |
amnesia
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Doha, London, Tokyo, Shanghai
PM, WWW
|
I've finally come around to reviewing the phone.
It's a Vodafone version. However there is minimal branding.
I'm the type of person that wants features. Yes I don't care if I need it. I don't care if I'll never use a barcode scanner. I just want it. Yes. I'm not a snapper. I'll admit that. I don't take alot of pictures, however I do like to take video clips. I used my X820 alot to take video's and they were great. I imagined that the N95 would be the perfect 'little' device to satisfy my needs. Let's see how I liked it shall we?
I love phones which are stylish and if they're attractive enough to me, I'll sacrafice features (e.g. 8800 and Chocolate). However after being seriously disappointed by the P990, I decided I wanted a power house. The n80 was a phone that I was slightly interested in, however due to the fact that it had an extremely poor battery life I decided I wasn't going to give it a chance. (side note: the screen on the n80 is smoother (higher res), albiet not as bright, than the N95).
Ok so who is this phone for? It's for someone who wants a bit of everything. Its for someone who doesn't mind charging the phone daily. It's for someone who wants to follow the scouts motto and 'always be prepared'.
Nokia decided that they were tired of the publics usual cries. The people screamed "What is this?? Same old phone, just a different case". Afterall, that IS what Nokia does right? Nokia went with the approach of slamming every bit of technology they could into this device. I used a program called Wowee screens back with the N70 and was looking forward to using it with the N95. (more on that later).
Such a marvelous device in theory, however is it truely what we imagine in real life? Read on to see!
No more speaking! It's time to unpack the box. I didn't have the sim free version. I had the voda version. Luckily it was hardly branded! The voda version comes with a 512mb stick and all the lovely accessories, but not the same box. The sim free version varies. If it's from Asia it comes with a 1gb stick, screen protector and case, if it's in Europe, you can get anything from everything to just a 256mb stick.
wow what a dreadfull photo. My apologies.
The box was packed nicely and the phone had a plastic casing around it. It reminded me of the photograph of Michael Jackson in that glass coffin when he said he wanted to be frozen or something. Was it going to turn out to be a beast with amazing talent? Or a fragile girly man?
It comes fully boxed with a 512mb micro sd as mentioned, television cable, charger, battery, headphones, usb cable, and a remote. Nothing more nothing less. I'd have at least liked a cloth or a handstrap... this phone is supposed to be expensive!
I particularly like the charger. It's so tiny! It's basically a plug and nothing more. Cute! Kawaii neh?
I removed the phone from the box with anticipation. I put everything together and switched it on. I oohed at the smooth intro screen. I waited for the usual 2 minute start up but alas! it took 15 seconds max. It asked me if I wanted to view the welcome demo which I kindly declined to view. "No thank you Mr. N95". I then decided to look at the exterior before delving in deeper to the phone.
Look at the phone from all angles! Bask in its glory! It looks quite large doesn't it? But it's actually not that big. It's much smaller than the Japanese phones I've used. I think that people have become to used to ultra thin and tiny phones. It's funny to see a huge muscle bound guy with a tiny itty bitty phone. Last phone which I thought felt great and had a great size was the 8800. It felt solid and heavy.
I'm sorry if you are expecting it with the N95 though. It's light. Much lighter than you would expect. Feels a bit plasticy too. However the back of the phone is made from a very soft rubber. It's smoooth. I like the feel but it attracts oil and looks ugly after a while.
Seriously though. I mentioned that this phone is for the person who wants everything. It's true 5MP camera. DVD quality video recording (they said that but it's not true, but its still very high quality), mp3 function with dedicated media keys, high res screen for watching videos or reading documents, wifi for internet or streaming, hey it's even got GPS if you want to find your way around places. I'd say this is the ultimate safety phone. It's the phone to have if you want to make sure that you've never forgotten something.
The build quality however is not what I expected. It feels a bit weak. I know that if I drop this I'll turn away and never look back again. I'll be too scared to see what's happened. Don't get me wrong, it's not made of glass, it just doesn't feel it'll handle a solid drop.
Lets talk about the rest now shall we?
The screen is very very VERY nice. The images are clear and very smooth. The brightness is also amazing and reading messages in direct sunlight is good. You do get that rainbow effect from the screen though on some angles if your in the sun. Font smoothing is great however it does not smooth the fonts of smaller fonts. While on the subject, the Euro versions of the phone support both Russian AND Arabic reading. That means if you can find a good input program you could have quite a full array of languages. I'm happy they started internationalizing the phone a bit.
The UI is simply... the same as all S60 phones. However since this is 3rd Edition it's much more better and refined. It's fast. It's not at all like any other Nokia I've used. Menus pop up quickly, closing applications is fast and oh! hanging up the phone is instant!
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIDdx8GliNA
I remember with my old Nokia's I'd have to push the hang up button like 3 or 4 times, and I'd STILL check to make sure the phone had hung up.
Some people have said that they'd have been happier with a touch screen. I'd have liked that to be honest, but then it would be another thing to whine about if it didn't work properly. The N95 works perfectly as it is so I've got no complaints.
Going back to the issue of S60 though. Since it runs that UI. There are a ton of applications and themes for you phone. Customize as you will! You're practically free.
One gripe is that there isn't enough RAM, so I often get the 'memory full' error. Sometimes I'd get it when I'm in the gallery and then trying to watch a video. Memory full with just TWO apps open...
The phone has 5 mega pixels. It's not that much but the Carl Zeiss lense does help. Pictures look good even in dark areas and there isn't that much noise. You have the usual special effects and frames to mess with. Compression is very good in camera mode. Autofocus isn't that great to be honest in specific situations. So if you need to take close ups, make sure that it's on 'Close Up' (thats macro) mode. At the time of this review, Nokia have released their latest firmware which helps fix the purple hue issue. It's perfect now in my opinion and taking pictures is instant.
The speaker is VERY loud. Ringtones sound great. 3D sound really does sound 3D and I can't really complain. I can listen to songs when I'm laying next to the lake and not complain.
The phone is unlike the iPhone. It has alot of buttons. Three on the right (volume, gallery, camera), one on the top (power), and thirteen on the face (includes the 5 way pad). They're all very usefull though since each plays it's role. I wished the camera button wasn't so low though. I clicked the gallery by mistake quite a few times. The clear button is also a bit too small, and I've got tiny hands!
Yes there is loud speaker.
Yes you can choose vibrate and ring and the same time.
Yes you can select custom ringtones.
The automatic brightness control seems to like to go into disco mode. I say disco mode but I'm exaggerating. It switches between high and low brightness to save battery in different lighting conditions, however for me, I felt it changed toooo much.
Now I've covered the basics, onto the specs
Specs:
160 MB internal memory, micro SD support. 18mb ram (comes with 512mb card)
Quadband
Features: mp3 player, bluetooth, PC Sync, Sound recording.
5MP Camera
Front VGA camera
Screen: 16bit internal screen (240X320)
System: Symbian S60 3rd Ed
Sound: Three speakers (two on the side one on the face).
Main feature: Mutimedia package
Battery Life Talk: 3.00 hours *full talk time (a day to 2 days full usage)
Standby: 233 hours
Wifi
GPS
MP3:
The MP3 function on the phone was really nice and smooth. It does act a bit slow sometimes. The multimedia keys help it alot. Since the N95 has a standard audio jack, I'm extremely happy. You can use your own pair of headphones if you wish. What I am even happier with is that I can plug it into my car now. When I do it asks me what mode I want, headphones, handsfree etc.. I choose headphones and listen to my music through my car speakers. When I receive a phone call, the music fades out, I take the call and I hear the caller through my car speakers too. Nice one.
Video:
Video was actually pretty good. It was smooth and didn't show much pixelation. Good thing it has a high frame rate. It doesn't do a good job of compressing though. A 10 min video on high quality was 200 mb. That's huge!
Calling:
Calling was good. People always heard me clearly, there was no cutting. I even tried it with low signal and people sounded perfect. However my main problem is I hear a strange buzzing or subsonic sound (yes that's what I'm calling it). I've tried three different phones and had it all. Maybe I'm sensitive.
Battery:
Don't worry it's not that bad. I charge mine once a day, but the good news is, it charges to full in 1 hour! That's very fast charging ladies and gents. I drain my phone to empty in a day and a half to two days. That includes listening to Mp3s in my car, using the camera, sending texts, making phone calls, using the internet, and watching clips. So all in all it's safe. However I feel the battery bar is inaccurate. Once it shows 3 bars, I know I've got little time left.
Wifi:
Fast, finds all of the networks around. Sometimes though if you are connecting and decide to cancel, it'll freeze up. Be carefull.
GPS:
I loved the fact that I had a GPS unit in a phone. I tried to look at it from the point of view that it was a bonus. If I wanted a dedicated unit I'd get one, but this was usefull if I wanted something urgently. If you want to have navigation, it costs you! Downloading maps can be done online through the phone or via your pc (I suggest using the pc because it'll cost you alot to use the phone). Locking onto satellites takes to long though. When I was in my car I got annoyed waiting for a damn lock. I had traffic backed up as I stubbornly waited. (I'm sorry for that). GPS didn't drain my battery alot, but it does drain. I suggest getting a car charger if you are going to be using it in your car.
Using standard point to point mapping is free.
3G:
It's a 3G phone so it has two cams. You can video call and access high speed GPRS/UMTS. Great for viewing websites.
Syncing:
Syncing is a breeze and you can easily import contacts from your pc. You can also transfer information from your old (similar) Nokia to your new one.
You are also able to update your phones firmware through Nokia's update service.
Organizer.
Calendar, tasks, notes, alarms, timer, stopwatch, record sound, calculator and world times, and a few games.
Phonebook
The phone book is nice and simple. A few taps and you're away.
Settings
Also known as the Control Panel. Anything is accessible. From brightness of the screen to sound quality.
You are able to change skins, wallpapers, ring tones, change the sound when you switch the phone on or off, and message tones. I wish I had a slide tone though like on samsungs.
I want to mention that the phone is FULLY expandable by apps, so there is always plenty to add.
Pros
5MP Camera
Large screen
GPS
Fully Loaded (as of the date of this review of course)
Cons
Screen can be jiggly.
Prone to freezing if you are not carefull (treat it nicely!)
Battery life
My verdict? It has everything. Why else wouldn't you buy it? (if you can charge your phone daily)
the best place to get a great deal is Fluid Mobile 
http://www.fluidmobile.com
or Compare a Deal
http://www.widgx.net
Tips:
3rd Edition phones do NOT accept previous versions of applications.
(I wished I could use Wowee Screens but it doesn't work)
Holding the Menu key opens up the task manager.
When you plug in a usb cable, it gives you a variety of options, including 'Mass storage mode'. This allows you to use your phone as a 'memory stick'. A LARGE memory stick.
Glitches:
When you slide the screen down to display the media keys, it changes the screen orientation. However when you slide it back to it's normal position it does not return orientation. In a way this is good. Would be better if a key press changed the orientation.
Feel free to add any information you like people!
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIDdx8GliNA
[ This Message was edited by: amnesia on 2007-05-03 00:18 ]
[ This Message was edited by: amnesia on 2007-07-12 19:56 ] | |
|
amnesia
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Doha, London, Tokyo, Shanghai
PM, WWW
|
finished. (still a bit more to add though)
|
QVGA
Joined: May 23, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Pakistan
PM, WWW
|
excellent review.
BTW, if you think N95's got a great screen, go check out N80. On paper, N95 has the worst screen of all the N series(except N70 and 72). |
Dogmann
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: London England
PM |
Hi amnesia
Nice review and as you settle in with the phone it will get even better, don't know what you are using to convert but i get whole films @400-500mb and that's nearly 2 hours. Glad you have also discovered just how fast most of the S60 3rd Edition phones are the only thing i would highly recommend is using a good Task Manager as unfortunately as you have pointed out Ram is still a slight problem with all Symbian 9 devices but a little maintenance aids smooth running IMO. Also no comment on the Web browser be interested to see what you think of that as IMO it really is just so much better than Opera.
Marc
_________________
Nokia E61 2gb Sandisk, Fring, Tom Tom 6, AD-46 with Black Shure EC2g
[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2007-06-09 21:04 ] |
mutleyboy
Joined: Jul 06, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Swansea
PM |
the 10 min video at 200MB is video amnesia recorded with the phone i believe marc, not video he has converted to play on the phone from another source
|
batesie
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: London, UK
PM |
On 2007-05-03 10:41:10, Dogmann wrote:
Hi amnesia
Nice review and as you settle in with the phone it will get even better, don't know what you are using to convert but i get whole films @400-500mb and that's nearly 2 hours. Glad you have also discovered just how fast most of the S60 3rd Edition phones are the only thing i would highly recommend is using a good Task Manager as unfortunately as you have pointed out Ram is still a slight problem with all Symbian 9 devices but a little maintenance aids smooth running IMO. Also no comment on the Web browser be interested o see what you think of that as IMO it really is just so much better than Opera.
Marc
What Task manager would you recommend?
and yes i agree the browser is great.
[addsig] |
maggflodd
Joined: Apr 20, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: <500
PM |
... "handy taskman" is nice... "mobile task" offers additionally timed start/stop of any programme....
[addsig] |
tinaxdgreat
Joined: Apr 05, 2007
Posts: 22
PM |
how's this n95 compared to pocket pc's? do you think this better than pocket pc's? i really need your opinions on this. what do you think n95 have to have a very high price? is it worth its price?
[ This Message was edited by: tinaxdgreat on 2007-05-03 17:49 ] |
Samlala
Joined: Apr 23, 2007
Posts: 68
PM |
Ok n95 takes 1hr to charge. M600 only 40 mins. |
batesie
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: London, UK
PM |
Took 45 mins to charge from 1 bar left for me
This message was posted from a WAP device |
Dogmann
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: London England
PM |
Hi all,
IMHO Handy Taskman as mentioned by Maggflodd is as good if not better than any other.
Thanks for that mutleyboy that explains it i couldn't understand how that was possible.
Marc
Blackberry Bold, V4.6.0.214, 8GB SDHC, Pin2553F455
Honoured to have Won Best Debater for the 2nd Year |
batesie
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: London, UK
PM |
Just add to the quality review above....
I have tested the phone as a music player that is also capable of dowloading its own music without the need for a PC. For Free....
For this example i used the RSS feed for http://www.dnbradio.com which is hosted by feedburner and WLAN.
First of all i connected my N95 to the internet via my BT Home Hub. easy enough just needed my WEP Key.
Then from the webrowser you have option for 'Feeds'
just bash in the address of you fav feeds in here....
Then browse the Feed or podcasts (i prefer not to use the word podcast as its not just for PiePods.
Then pick the one you want and download!
i downloaded 3 of them and then it gave me the option to save them...
I Checked the 'Log' in the Applications folder and it shows all the comms including phone calls Texts Wap 3G GPRS WLAN etc
the WLAN details show.... (this was this slow as i paused it half way though to make a phone call but the counter kept running - but i got about 95-105KBps)
All i need to do now is plug in a phat pair of headphones and off i go with 3 different 1 hour mix sets!
And this phone powers my sennhiesers better than my 20Gb Sony walkman HD5! but the quality is just slightly more inferior than the walkman, can only tell with a good pair of headphones though.
Over all it beats my Sony Ericsson W900i - Sorry SE!!!
_________________
‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’ - Einstein
[ This Message was edited by: batesie on 2007-05-03 21:35 ] |
Euromancer
Joined: Aug 31, 2006
Posts: 34
PM |
How long does the battery last driving those HUGE head phones? |
amnesia
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Doha, London, Tokyo, Shanghai
PM, WWW
|
@QVGA, yeah I mentioned that in the review. N80's screen is smoother.
@Dogg, I'm not using anything to convert. I don't convert movies. I meant that the camera's own video recording doesn't compress well.
You are right though I didn't talk about the browser.
I like it,
I like the tiny mouse and the speed however I do not like the fact that it seems to load the 'style sheet' last and very slowly which can cause a lag on more complex sites. Opera is good however it seems ot have cookie problems.
I'm still waiting for flash intergration to be honest!
@batesie, I use Handy Task.
@Tinax, I think the n95 is better than pocket pcs due to speed. PPC's are usually slow, and need to be restared alot.
both have alot of support.
@samlala, it wasn't a charging speed competition... I was pointing out it takes around an hour (perhaps I should stop watch it for people who want to go number crazy...) because although the battery isn't super long, it takes a bit to charge.
@batesie again, Thanks for the addition! Feels like a community review now! 
I wanted to add. Is there anyway of NOT having the red light on when you are recording?
I want to also add that battery life lasts around a day and a half still with usage.
|
batesie
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: London, UK
PM |
On 2007-05-06 17:07:19, Euromancer wrote:
How long does the battery last driving those HUGE head phones?
well i used them for 2hours mp3 playback at 70-90% volume and used it as normal during the day and still had life left before pluggin it in at night!
[addsig] | |
|
Access the forum with a mobile phone via esato.mobi
|
Posted: 2007-04-03 02:29
