I’ve had the Nokia N95-1 for nearly 9 months, and really really loved it. You may recall that at one point, I thought there was no way it could be better than my longtime lover, the N73. However, after Nokia Blogger Relations sent me an N95, I immediately fell in love with it. The 3.5mm audio jack, killer camera, and larger screen simply rocked.
However, the N95-1 was a device with so much potential, riddled with problems. For starters, the team behind it decided that 20MB of RAM was good enough. That’s the same amount of RAM they put into devices with far less needs such as the E65 and N73. Second, the N95-1, with WiFi, GPS, a 5MP camera with autofocus, and music capabilities was stunted with a puny 950mAh battery. Whoever thought that would be enough to power the phone has hopefully been smacked around a bit. The last issue that I had with the N95-1 was the lack of US 3G, though that’s a niche complaint, and I knew it.
Several months later, we found out that the N95-3 was coming soon. The N95-3, which I had the chance to play with in L.A., directly addressed every issue with the N95-1. The N95 team upped the RAM from 20MB to 80MB at startup. This massive increase in RAM means that *FINALLY* my favorite application, ShoZu, runs, and runs without killing the phone. Love that. It also means that I can use the browser as it was truly meant to be used and not have to worry about it crashing. Last night I had the S60 Internet Radio application streaming Groove Salad (Thanks, commenters) AND I was playing Snake! With the N95-1, there were times I couldn’t even play Snake with NOTHING running in the background, much less streaming audio.
The N95-3 also had it’s rear-end redesigned to make room for a lovely 1200mAh battery upgrade. This bigger battery came at the cost of the camera shutter, but we’ll see how that really affects the phone. I know that several people online have fussed about this, with small scratches showing up on their exposed lenses. To me, it makes it less intuitive to start the camera up, but I’m also really used to having some sort of mechanical shutter function on my phones. The battery is a welcome upgrade, and it does wonders. I’m able to leave the Mobile Web Server running, along with Jaiku, in the background all day and not have a dead battery.
Miscellaneous improvements also include better build quality and raised buttons on the multimedia part of the dual-slide, so they’re easier to find and use.
I won’t bother writing out an entire review on this unit. If you want that, you can head over to MobileBurn and read Michael’s review of both the N95-1 and N95-3. What I will tell you is this – if you’re in the US, and use AT&T, then there is no reason you shouldn’t get the N95-3. Seriously, it’s freakin amazing to see that little 3.5G in the top corner of my phone, and to know that it won’t die after 3 hours of usage. The N95-3 is what the N95-1 should have been all along. If you have an N95-1, even with the new firmware, you really should ebay it (make sure to open the auction up to people overseas, they’re your best market since the N95-1 has HSDPA for Europe) and spend the extra change to get the N95-3.
Here’s the video of my unboxing. I’m very pleased to say that I’m in love, hardcore, and technically, since I had the N95-1 for so long, this is an old phone to me. It looks the same, for the most part, but it’s so different inside. I’ve got a 6GB microSDHC coming in this week, and I’ll surely be loading it up with tunes for the car.
I agree this is the best phone out there right now, especially if AT&T is your carrier. I don’t miss my Tilt or *gulp* iPhone at all after having this phone. My biggest gripe is build quality, as the slider is somewhat loose (I know there are fixes out there but on a phone this expensive I don’t feel I should have to fix it). The added RAM over the N95-1 is a much, much needed improvement.
I have noticed some slight hairline scratches on my camera lens as well. I try not to let my phone slide on hard surfaces and even use a drink coaster at work to lay my phone on. It just seems like the options for cases for this phone are rather underwhelming. I have only had the phone for a little over a month and I really worry about the long term durability of the lens. So far picture quality hasn’t been affected thankfully. Looking forward to taking the N95-3 on my New Years cruise and taking advantage of that awesome camera!
awesome news rick. I live in cali and using a n95 right now but find myself missing my n73 form factor. Is the 3g what’s keeping you from wanting the n82 more or is it the larger screen. I’m having serious problems deciding which to get. I’m big on photos at night but also heavy internet. Decisions
Congratulations!
And bless us with more hardcore reviews(text + video) of N95-3 in days to come :)
Could you possibly do a comparison of the N95-3 and the N82 whenever you get a chance? I am especially looking to see if you use the Xenon flash more or the 3G (3.5G) and which you feel is more important to you.
yes, i would also like to know the same as cypress. haha i actually live in cypress ca.
anyway, i’m using an n95 with no US 3g and its not all that bad not having it. i use the internet heavily, but not just for browsing. edge seems to be ok for browsing. using internet radio, slick, google maps, is no problem when it comes to speed. the only app that i’d want speed with is symella, but thats only once in awhile.
with that said, i’m a huge fan of candy bar style phones after my n73. and the xenon flash is so attractive since i like taking photos at night/evening.
so my question ricky is… how important is US 3g to you?
heh i kinda assumed that you had one already. What i really want to do with mine is see if its possible to retrofit the 8gb screen/buttons to our 95-3 and have the best 95 yet (after we get firmware 20)
Hows the slider on it? is it nice and tight? :D