- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 108 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"One phone to suit all your needs"
Pros: Great connectivity and wide range of software change the way you use the internet.
Cons: Low Battery Life, Easily heated up during long calls or VoIP calls, Music player errors, GPS cant connect, 2-way slider.
Summary: I eagerly awaited the launch of this phone and got it on the first day of launch. It was great in terms of design. Although in many ways it looks like a brick, compared to the N80, the N95 is slimmer and lighter and packs more features.
The best part was the wifi connectivity it offered. Although in terms of battery life, you may not be able to sustain the handphone while surfing wirelessly all day, it did change the way i used the internet. Booking tickets online was a breeze (i could just connect in a hotspot at starbucks). I could still be on MSN while away from my computer. I used the VoIP whenever i could find a hotspot, thus saving on hefty phone bills through free calls. There were many.
Surely the E65 would have offered me the same wifi advantages plus a longer battery life, but this was running on Symbian OS 9.2 and had a larger and clearer display.
The 2-way slider was great when it came to viewing videos. Having such a large screen and speakers that could go real loud, it was almost an ipod video by itself. I rarely used the music player buttons however and the only reason i found myself sliding the other way often is to rotate the display view.
The 5 megapixel camera is a godsend. Although i could not really take clear pictures compared to a normal 7megapix camera, it was great for a camera phone. The bigger deal was the video. Videos have never been this clear on a camera phone before.
I didn't try using the visual radio service as i wanted to avoid any GPRS charges so as to keep my bill as low as possible. So far my bill dropped by about 30% with VoIP calls and wifi surfing instead of GPRS.
Here comes the sad news - This phone can be equally as bad.
I used it almost as i would use PC. Although i cannot view videos on youtube, i was able to download some and view on the realplayer. While i was at it, once i stumbled upon some 50mb video. Halfway through the download i was worried if the phone could support such a large file and cancelled the download. My web became inaccessible. Everytime i clicked on web, it would auto-close application. Even after a few restarts the phone was still the same. I then had to install a browser software to clear the cache (the root of the problem).
Another major problem is that the N95 auto-closes applications when they are not in use for a small period of time. Supposing you were in the middle of a game and had to attend a 2 minute call. Once you're done, your game has already been closed.
I also had some embarrassing moments with the Music player. I'm happy that it came with the headphone jack. However, when i accidentally loosened the connection between the jack and the phone, the music player automatically switched to speakers and started blasting my music in public.
Another problem was that when using the provided earphones with the music control, the music is momentarily played on the speaker for a second or two when you're switching tracks while playing the music. Yet another embarrassing moment.
The 2 way slider is another big problem. So much for advertising "What's in your pocket?" when the phone is so pocket unfriendly. Imagine this, when the phone is put inside the jeans pocket, it tends to slide upwards to reveal the keypad since the slider is that smooth. It slides the other way when it is removed from the pocket. So usually when i take it out, the display is in landscape mode and that makes me look unprofessional sliding my phone all the time.
My 1.5 month old N95 recently went for repairs after the display light died. The phone was still perfectly working. Just the display backlight. It was a slow death from the heavy usage from someone like me. Thankfully there's a firmware upgrade for this phone and i hope it will solve some of the many problems for the N95.
Where to buy
Nokia N95 - black/silver (Unlocked):
$11.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amazon.com Marketplace
|
$11.99 | Yes |
|
%20user%20review%20and%20rating%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/nokia-n95-black-silver/4864-6452_7-32085029-3.html){kind=small}