10 Reasons why the Nokia N95 'classic' is better than the N95 8GB
Published by Steve Litchfield at 8:25 GMT, November 9th 2007
(C) 'Attention Grabbing Headlines Ltd.' No, of course, I wouldn't rather have a 'classic' N95 than the newer 8GB model, if offered both for Christmas, but there's still a real story here. I argue that there are enough positives for the 'classic' as to keep it a contender. Read on...
- It's cheaper. £375, SIM-free, including VAT, from Expansys. If you have to ask about the SIM-free price of the 8GB model then you probably can't afford it!
- Some activities are faster. For example, the speed of disk access/scanning, when updating the Music library or Gallery or doing an Image Store from your PC. In each case, there's a big slowdown when needing to trawl across that big 8GB internal disk.
- It's lighter, around 10g lighter, around 8% in terms of overall weight, and noticeable in the hand.
- It's thinner, too, by at least a millimetre, also noticeable holding the two side by side.
- There's a proper, protective shutter over the lens of the 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens. With your fingers pressing into this area every day in normal use, the shutter stops finger grease getting onto the glass cover and spoiling the next 'must have' photo opportunity.
- There's a microSD slot, meaning that you can not only stick in a 8GB card if you want the full storage capability of the newer model, you can also swap files with other computers and accessories with card reading slots, e.g. to put your microSD into a printer to print off photos.
- There's a comprehensive on-board video editing suite (built into Gallery) - bizarrely, this is missing on the 8GB model and I have absolutely no idea why!
- It's less nickable. By which I mean that the N95 is so commonplace nowadays that you won't be a magnet for teenage muggers, whereas the black 8GB model is instantly recognisable and, unfortunately, lusted after.
- It has a rougher side and rear coating, giving you a better grip and meaning that it's less likely to be dropped.
- Did I mention it was cheaper? 8-)
As mentioned at the start, the newer 8GB model has advantages (higher free RAM, better screen, bigger battery) that outweigh the above factors for most people, but I wasn't going to let that get in the way of putting forward a few contentions that will both get people talking and (hopefully) keep the original N95 on sale alongside its newer brother.
Steve Litchfield, AllAboutSymbian, 9 Nov 2007
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Categories: Hardware, Miscellaneous, Editorial Thoughts
Platforms: S60 3rd Edition
News Discussion
Unregistered
11. The screen is set into the case on the N95 classic. Although the 8GB version looks better having it level with the edges of the case, it offers less protection.
Unregistered
In all honesty Steve do you think the N95 will get new firmware that includes some form of demand paging.
slitchfield
If I was a betting man, I'd bet against it. I'd bet on a new firmware with extra optimisations and N-Gage client and Music store shortcuts, but if Demand Paging's in there as well then I'll both surprised and delighted 8-)
Richard Ross
A fun line of thought but one with a serious undertone - just who is produict planning at Nokia these days? I know they've integrated their silo'd device design units but Nokia's thinking is all over the place. So...
1) They need 'clean' upgrades, fading in one model while the predecessor is still available can only damage consumer perception (i.e. how many are buying the classic N95 now who will see the new one in the shop window tomorrow?).
2) Why make two different types of device for entertainment and productivity. You know what the best business smartphone wold be? An N95 8gb with a qwerty keyboard. Why create separate architectures (which locks business users out of things like N-Gage) when a single architecture with differing form factors would be (a) cheaper to produce and (b) opens each model to a wider audience. It's not like the E90 runs different office or OS software to the N95.
3) Model proliferation is a huge problem for Nokia. They need to pick 3 or 4 design streams and stick with them (e.g. Moto) rather than making literally dozens of different devices at any one time.
4) They need to think long and hard about hardware interfaces. The iPhone has focused consumer attention on what phones can do (rather than how they look or how small they are). In large part it has done this by making access to functionality far easier and more intuitive than it is on, say, an N95. With email, online communities and so on such a huge part of everyone's daily life now, making a smartphone with a hardware interface that actively discourages use of its advanced functions (e.g. N95) is senseless. On a standard phone-orientated model, a keypad is good. On something that the kids could use to email and update Facebook, it's idiotic. Right now, Nokia are letting RIM (RIM!) into the consumer space because they don't make a consumer phone that you can write emails on.
As for why you would stick with the N95 - it stands right now as a relatively cheap 'entry' into smartphones. If you aren't sure whether you really want a smartphone but want to try it - get a classic N95. Cheap but easy to use as a standard phone if the advanced features aren't for you.
Unregistered
If you want a business phone without the advance features and QWERTY then you should be recommending people to get the E61.
Ratkat
It's only at Expansys that the sim-free price is just plain mad £649.50 (they wanted £709 two days ago), most other places including Mobile Fun have it sim-free for a much more sensible price £494.95
In the last year Expansys have just really gone down hill, charging ridiculous prices for new releases, shame really cause they used to offer such a good (and safe) service for purchasing phones, pda's etc
Unregistered
Well actually I bought my N95 even a lot cheaper than that... their dumping it together with package deals... if I base myself on that (I calculated it all through, with interest etc.) but take into account the fact that subscription prices for package deals are really to high i'd say I bought my N95 clasic for 350 euros while the 8GB would have been around 550 euros.
neilhoskins
7. I've never managed to get the video editing suite to work, even with low resolution and really simple tasks.
Otherwise I agree with you.
slitchfield
Neil: Video editing now works superbly on the N95 classic with latest (v12) firmware. I did a test video montage the other day, pulling together three VGA resolution clips into another VGA res output movie. All very easy. I think this is something Nokia fixed for v12 but forgot to tell anybody.
[Memo to Nokia: PLEASE do proper changelogs for each firmware, they help everybody and will gain you enormous respect]
justwords
The N95 8GB is much better. Why? Here's my thoughts:
- The casing of the "old" n95 is plastic with paint. This looks very cheap and within months i a lot of the paint on my device had been scratched off. The N95 8GB uses black plastic - the paint cannot be scratched off.
- The N95 8GB firmware with "demand paging" makes this device much faster and (along with more ram) run more stable
- The screen is bigger and brighter
- the battery is better (still not good enough)
viipottaja
US N95, best of both worlds (with the exception of lack of camera cover)? I would like to/need to think so as I am in the US. :)
Richard, I disagree with pretty much all but (parts of) your point 4. :) In any case, I would say that with 40% market dominance, I would say its safe to say that Nokia is still doing most things right (in particular bearing in mind they ARE a business ultimately aimed at making money). :)
Unregistered
12. it is older than the 8gb...wait that's a negative point! yes it is indeed, why bother getting an older version phone when there is a new better one? you might as well save up more if it is more expensive, oh and don't forget, it's really new phone, of coz it's price is still very high.
come on steve, i thought u said N95 8gb was the best smartphone that is coming up in one of your videos of the 5 best smartphones comparison that i watched
Unregistered
I just want to tell you they cost the same in my country if you commit to Tre. I pay about 50$ a mounth and of that 50$ i can do whatever i choose to do for 40. And the subscription would have been the same with the original N95.
viipottaja
Unregistered, you may want to read (again) what Steve said. He would still pick the 8GB version.
RMGM
13. It is fully recognized by all operators' portals, meaning that you have full access to TV, streamed music and videos, whereas the 8Gb is a Vodafone exclusive until the end of the year.
Here, in France, you simply cannot get a simlock-free package : the 8Gb is pre-set on SFR network. And if you desimlock it and try to access, say, Orange World, you only get the "basic" version of the portal. No TV, nom multimedia use allowed, until the 8 Gb is validated by Orange, which may never be the case (well, you know, the iPhone thing...).
slitchfield
[FX: Steve sighs as the tone of his piece sails miles over the head of 'Unregistered']
zxon
I agree with the video editing suite and the removeable storage points to favour the classic N95. You also mentioned no protective shutter on the 8Gb model. I'm sure I read somewhere that to use the camera on the 8Gb model (besides going through the menu) you press and hold the capture button for a moment. Errm, what if you have the phone unlocked in your pocket? Talk about draining your battery!!
Rav166
Hey thats why there are plenty of keylock apps available and also even though it happens the camera goes to sleep mode after some time.
Unregistered
I dont know why no-one has mentioned it before, but a major flaw in the N95 classic is that the soft, non-touchscreen screen is unprotected. This means that the screen can be easily damaged by the slightest contact, and therefore that you need to keep the device protected from contact with any other objects.
The N95 8GB seems to have addressed that issue by adding hard screen protection in the case - the same way Nokia has been protecting screens on their phones for as long as I can remember. Why they left this out of the N95 classic, I do not know. Even the iPhone, with its touch screen, is more durable than the N95 classic.
ZachGoldberg
Steve,
#2 is slightly inaccurate. If the 8GB was on hard disc, (rotating magnetic storage) then yes, seek times might've increased a bit (although unlikley). However, because the N95 8GB I'm sure has 8GB of flash storage lookup is done all via solid state manipulation of an enormous matrix of transistors -- meaning that lookup times are _always_ remarkable fast. So fast that the increase from 1 kilobyte to 1 terrabyte wouldn't be noticeable at all, especially when compared to hard discs. It takes aprox. 1 nano second (1x10^-9) to retrieve a block from flash, whereas it can take up to 10 milli seconds (1x10^2) on a hard disk. Thats 7 orders of magnitude!
Thus the slowdown must be due to some change in software, which means its likely to be sped up in the future!
slitchfield
Zach - oh, yes, quite so. The fact that these operations are so slow indicates software bottlenecks, so yes, hopefully something which can improve through firmware updates.
Unregistered
My N95 screen lives in my pocket with keys and coins and is not scratched! If it did scratch and I was worried about it (I wouldn't be) then I could change the removable casing.
Hlorri
Someone said the US version (N95-3) is the best of both worlds. IMO, quite the contrary - it has some of the worst elements of both versions:
- The smaller 2.6" screen of the original N95-1
- No built-in memory beyond the 160MB internal flash (currently the max. available µSDHC cards are 4GB, still less than 8GB)
- No protective cover for the camera lens, just like the 8GB. (This means that smudges, and worse, scratches are inevitable).
- It's thicker than the N95-1 (for the larger battery). I had to return a dock I bought from BoxWave, since it would only fit the N95-1.
- It is more expensive than the N95-1 (more like the N95 8GB).
- Drab-looking metallic faceplate like the original. The N95 8GB definitely looks sexier.
- Late to the market - the N95 platform is getting pretty "tired" these days with the SE k850i, the Samsung G800, etc sporting equal or better cameras. And, what is this about a N96 (w/touch-screen and a camera w/3x optical zoom) in the works?
Ok, it has a couple of positives too:
- 128MB RAM like the 8GB model, while the larger 160 MB internal flash of the original.
- The larger battery/life of the 8GB model.
- Support for AT&T's 3G network (for those of us stuck with the all-to-American trait of standards noncompliance..)
predicaments
This was a really pointeless thread. There's nothing BETTER about the OLD N95 at all. It has a terrible reputation for crashing, poor battery life, uselessly slow camera, rubbish GPS...where do i stop???
The N95 8GB is fast, efficient and basically addresses ALL of the shortcomings of it's predecessor.
jojosalami
1) the music buttons are elevated and easier to press
2) the screen is bigger and better
3) it has 8gb of storage, prove me wrong but the whole point of n81 8gb and n81 was for nokia to test whether people would rather integrated or exchangeable and according to the latest CMP tourney standings and prize choices, id say the 8gb has won the battle by a mile - i just spent 100s of dollars buying a new phone, i dont need to run out and buy a compatible bigger storage memory card
4) has the new ovi portal multimedia menu
5) has demand paging (i think)
6) has a better battery
7) has better RAM
8) camera is recessed much safer IMO than a lens that could crack - and you need not worry about forgetting the lens open anymore - the flash has more space and so is stronger
9) in-integrated with the n-gage stuff
10) did i mention it has 8gb of storage?
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