The Switch from N76 to N95

I have the Nokia N95 now for exactly 1 Week, when i made the Switch from N76 to N95 again! So far i must say, that featurewise i'm pretty satisfied with what the N95 offers me. I've downloaded the Maps for Austria this Weekend and made a 3h Trip just with the N95 and had no single Problem, no wrong Turns or anything. Also the Cam speaks for itself, i can't compare a 5 MP Carl Zeiss Cam with a 2 MP Cam (which is pretty bad Quality by the Way). And you all know the great double Slider System, another great Innovation ..

But after 1 Week with Nokia's Multimedia Beast, i've noticed a few Things, that quite pissed me off so to say and i'm gonna give you a little Overview it:

• Horrible Slider Quality: I've received a really buggy Device, must be one of the first N95s available, cause the Slider is horrible, there's a Space on the right Side of the Slider which gives a annoying Noise when you press the Multimedia Key or the "End Call (red)"-Key. Also the Up/Down-Movement is way too big. I'm gonna visit the next Nokia Service Center next Week and let it repair, i hope this will be successfull .. Anyway, here's a Video that should give you an Idea about the bad Quality:

• The RAM Problems: Nokia N95 22 MB RAM after Startup, N76 nearly 45 MB - anymore Questions? I had 10 Apps opened on the N76, incl. Gallery, Web Browser, Player and i had STILL 23 MB free, nearly as much as N95 after Booting! I mean it's pretty disappointing that the N95 forces you to close Applications cause you're running out of free RAM on such a powerfull Multimedia Device! Completely unacceptable if you ask me ..
• Buggy Firmware: The Switch from the old to the new Firmware V12.0.013 was officially a MISTAKE! I had 3 random Crashes/Restarts yesterday, this is Stuff i didn't expect .. I haven't seen any other Problems so far, but the Restarts are crazy .. Crashes on N76? None ..
• Form Factor: yeah yeah i know this is something personal, but i truly loved the N76 Form Factor .. Slim, stylish and sexy. This is something the N95 doesn't have. Also due to the Loads of Features, the N95 is thicker than the N76 (N95: 21 mm - N76: 13.7 mm) and you feel that Difference once you put both Phones in your Backpocket .. I can't help but N76 is a clear Winner in that Case.
• Form Factor II: Try to write a Message on N95 and then on the N76. The Buttons on the N76 can be used with the full Finger, while you have to take your Fingernails to write on the N95 ..

So is it worth to switch from N76 to N95? If you're a Poweruser who wants to combine a good Camera, Mp3 Player Functionality and Navigation on your Phone: Yes of course! It IS the Beast, no doubt about that .. But if you're a "Average" User and think about the Price too, you might have a Look on the Points above .. The N76 is no technical Highlight, but it's a good, solid Phone (with Negatives too) with great Form Factor and huge RAM Amount .. I hope you don't get this Post as a "Forget about N95, better get N76"-Statement - i love the N95 and his huge Possibilities, but Nokia could have done better Work on it for that Price ..

Comments

[Art]

How does the battery life compare between the two handhelds?

[diLin]

You know what i say, the n95 is way better than the n76. ofcourse i accept that the n95 has a lot of bugs with it but that's pretty much standard with the amount of complexity that gos into it. If you need an all-in-one communications, navigation and imaging device and don't mind charging it every night, Nokia's N95 raises the bar in the mobile world. And the battery problem can be solved in many ways too. Like using a solar powered charger from brando or by using the heavyduty n95 battery available now.(i've posted it at http://s603rd.blogspot.com)
about the slider i think the space that comes on the right side of the slider is due to something that is getting worn of there- i say this because when we open or close the slider we mostly use the right side of the slider to press and slide it up, and the pressure must be rubbing on something in there.Anyways it's something that all n95 users have some to accept. Except me that is! i sent it back to nokia the very next day.

[BeerBong]

@ Art: Quite difficult to say! The Thing is that my Provider has a terribly stupid Price Policy for Data Plans, so it's difficult to browse as much as i would like to ..

I've posted a little Overview on the Battery Life on Symbian Freak some Time ago, when i had the Trial Device from WOM World, you can read it right here: http://www.symbian-freak.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=120969#120969 ... The N76 has a worse Battery on Paper but for me it lasted nearly as long as the N95, i think only 30 mins Difference, with nearly the same Activity ..

[BeerBong]

@ diLin: Hi mate, nice to meet your first of all!! :)

i totally agree with you, the N95 is a very complex, feature-loaded Device and i can live with the little Probs it gives, except of the bad RAM Amount and the buggy FW .. i think we have to wait some Time now for the next Update .. The N95 is indeed a superb Device, i don't mind charging it every Night (i think i even have to charge it twice a day).

About the Slider: Nope it's definitely NOT because of the Pressure when you open it on the right Side, it's since been Day 1 .. You can hear the Noise on the Video, but anyway, i'm going to the NSC next Week to replace it and change the Back-Cover to Plum hehe ..

[Ahmad]

I had to return my N95 after two days because of the buzzing noise coming from the screen and the wobbly slider. I exchanged it for another one that had a better slider, but still had the buzzing.

In the end, I asked for my cash back. I'm going to wait for a hardware revision of the whole device before I buy it. Maybe the black N95 would come without these issues!

[Norman John]

Hey,
great review.
Me pissed the quality of the N95 off,too.
The slider and the camera are really bad!
I wish you good luck in the NSC.I was there, but hey didn`t repair my slider, they destroy it :(
However, have a good time with your N95.

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