Out goes the Nokia N95 8gb, in comes the Nokia N82 black. Do I miss the N95-4? Not really.
Well...maybe a little bit.
Holding the Nokia N82 again after 3 weeks with a large slider phone makes me remember why I love candy bar style phones so much. One solid piece, no moving parts. In and out of my pocket with no problem and I don't feel like I'm holding a baby all the time. My particular N95 didn't have a wobbly slider, but the slider still didn't feel as tight and solid as it should like other phones. It was too easy to open and close, maybe because of the dual slide. My girlfriends Sony Ericcson slider phone she got from AT&T for $30 dollars has a much tighter slide and would be something I can actually live with.
Of course I'm gonna miss the N95-4's North American 3g internet speeds which is something the Nokia N82 doesn't have.Connecting to my built in email application's inbox was fast and easy and browsing the web was more like a real desktop computer with the larger screen and smaller load times. Like I've said in a previous article of my N95-4 review - I have never browsed the internet or used as much data. During my trial with the beautiful N95 I used over 200mb of data in about 3 weeks according to AT&T. With the N82 I average about 150mb in a month. So there obviously is a huge difference in the way I used the N95. Even file uploads was much easier. I was more likely to post my pictures to Flickr or Share On Ovi by uploading them from the N95 instead of from the memory card and computer like the N82.
For European users that own the twin brother of the N95-4, also known as the N95-2, these internet speed comparisons don't apply. The N82 already has European 3g bands.
So what we look at next is the screen size. When I unboxed the Nokia N82 black and held it in my hands the first noticeable thing was the smaller screen. I am normally an N82 owner but after using the N95 8gb and the 2.8" screen for 3 weeks, it made the N82's 2.4" screen seem miniature. Consuming media is a lot better with a larger screen. Reading the internet and checking maps were really different with the N95. When viewing web pages you see more of the page at once at makes you understand why people love browsing on the iPhone so much. Viewing images in the gallery and watching movies is so much better. It's closer to feeling like you have a laptop with you. For people with bad eyes I highly recommend the N95.
The keypad of a phone is of course an important issue when people purchase a phone. You have to ask yourself a question. "What kind of keypad user am I?". Do you love pounding out text messages like crazy? If you do then you want to have a keypad that is better for speed. Or maybe you do lots of emailing and need a keypad that will be more comfortable for those long 3 or 4 minute emails. Personally I am the first option. Short text messages are fast on the Nokia N82. The keys may be small, but they are very spaced out and easy to feel the difference between each key. No look or one handed texting is a breeze. There is no slider to worry about so when you send the message you just slip in back in your pocket.
The N95 on the other hand has larger buttons that are right up against each other. They are very easy to press and very comfortable on your thumbs. The keypad is wide enough to hold it with both hands and use both thumbs. Actually holding it with one hand is kind of uncomfortable because when the slider is open the phone is longer and I was always scared to drop it. Almost like a top heavy feeling. Long emails or texts on the N95 is much easier on your thumbs as long as you are able to look at the keypad more closely. Which do I like better? Obviously the N82 better suites my needs. I check emails like crazy on my phone, but I don't often respond to them until I get to a computer.
Internally both phones are virtually the same. The N82 has faster camera software, but thats the only difference that I've noticed. I feel like the N82's UI is slightly faster than the N95's but maybe it's just my imagination. Of course the xenon flash of the N82 is much better if you love taking pictures in the evening, night, or indoors. Check out this article with photos I took at the bar with the N82. It just feels closer to a real digital camera than any other phone I've had. Outdoor photography during the day won't show much of a difference on either phone.
Personally I like the Nokia N82 better. What if the N95 had xenon flash just like the N82? Hmmm that would be a tough one. It would come down to larger screen or a more compact phone. I'd probably still go with the N82. What if the N82 had NAM 3g but no xenon flash and the N95 had NAM 3g and xenon flash? Then maybe, just maybe I would sacrifice having a slider phone. It all depends on the user.
Which phone do you prefer? Have you tried both? If you have any questions about my thoughts on either phone be sure to ask.
Well...maybe a little bit.
Holding the Nokia N82 again after 3 weeks with a large slider phone makes me remember why I love candy bar style phones so much. One solid piece, no moving parts. In and out of my pocket with no problem and I don't feel like I'm holding a baby all the time. My particular N95 didn't have a wobbly slider, but the slider still didn't feel as tight and solid as it should like other phones. It was too easy to open and close, maybe because of the dual slide. My girlfriends Sony Ericcson slider phone she got from AT&T for $30 dollars has a much tighter slide and would be something I can actually live with.Of course I'm gonna miss the N95-4's North American 3g internet speeds which is something the Nokia N82 doesn't have.Connecting to my built in email application's inbox was fast and easy and browsing the web was more like a real desktop computer with the larger screen and smaller load times. Like I've said in a previous article of my N95-4 review - I have never browsed the internet or used as much data. During my trial with the beautiful N95 I used over 200mb of data in about 3 weeks according to AT&T. With the N82 I average about 150mb in a month. So there obviously is a huge difference in the way I used the N95. Even file uploads was much easier. I was more likely to post my pictures to Flickr or Share On Ovi by uploading them from the N95 instead of from the memory card and computer like the N82.
For European users that own the twin brother of the N95-4, also known as the N95-2, these internet speed comparisons don't apply. The N82 already has European 3g bands.
So what we look at next is the screen size. When I unboxed the Nokia N82 black and held it in my hands the first noticeable thing was the smaller screen. I am normally an N82 owner but after using the N95 8gb and the 2.8" screen for 3 weeks, it made the N82's 2.4" screen seem miniature. Consuming media is a lot better with a larger screen. Reading the internet and checking maps were really different with the N95. When viewing web pages you see more of the page at once at makes you understand why people love browsing on the iPhone so much. Viewing images in the gallery and watching movies is so much better. It's closer to feeling like you have a laptop with you. For people with bad eyes I highly recommend the N95.The keypad of a phone is of course an important issue when people purchase a phone. You have to ask yourself a question. "What kind of keypad user am I?". Do you love pounding out text messages like crazy? If you do then you want to have a keypad that is better for speed. Or maybe you do lots of emailing and need a keypad that will be more comfortable for those long 3 or 4 minute emails. Personally I am the first option. Short text messages are fast on the Nokia N82. The keys may be small, but they are very spaced out and easy to feel the difference between each key. No look or one handed texting is a breeze. There is no slider to worry about so when you send the message you just slip in back in your pocket. The N95 on the other hand has larger buttons that are right up against each other. They are very easy to press and very comfortable on your thumbs. The keypad is wide enough to hold it with both hands and use both thumbs. Actually holding it with one hand is kind of uncomfortable because when the slider is open the phone is longer and I was always scared to drop it. Almost like a top heavy feeling. Long emails or texts on the N95 is much easier on your thumbs as long as you are able to look at the keypad more closely. Which do I like better? Obviously the N82 better suites my needs. I check emails like crazy on my phone, but I don't often respond to them until I get to a computer.Internally both phones are virtually the same. The N82 has faster camera software, but thats the only difference that I've noticed. I feel like the N82's UI is slightly faster than the N95's but maybe it's just my imagination. Of course the xenon flash of the N82 is much better if you love taking pictures in the evening, night, or indoors. Check out this article with photos I took at the bar with the N82. It just feels closer to a real digital camera than any other phone I've had. Outdoor photography during the day won't show much of a difference on either phone.Personally I like the Nokia N82 better. What if the N95 had xenon flash just like the N82? Hmmm that would be a tough one. It would come down to larger screen or a more compact phone. I'd probably still go with the N82. What if the N82 had NAM 3g but no xenon flash and the N95 had NAM 3g and xenon flash? Then maybe, just maybe I would sacrifice having a slider phone. It all depends on the user.
Which phone do you prefer? Have you tried both? If you have any questions about my thoughts on either phone be sure to ask.
Brilliant. Thanks very much. I've been hunting around for a comparison as I have an 8gb & really wish the camera were better for lighting up the subject (2yr old) &, while I use the media a lot on my N95, I wonder if I need that dual slide. Thanks.
Glad to help with your decision. Not only will the N82 light up the subject better but you will find the N82 is alot faster at snapping the photo and focusing.