Nokia N95 8GB

The Nokia N95 smartphone ($750 direct) is a multimedia enthusiast's dream, offering stellar audio, video, gaming, and photo capabilities in a nifty dual-slider form factor. The new N95 8GB is a modest update of that design. Like the original, it's an unlocked GSM device that works with both AT&T and T-Mobile SIM cards. The N95 8GB trades in its silver shell for a more fashionable black body, along with a slightly larger screen. It also packs in 8GB of internal storage for your media files (hence the new name), but it leaves out a media card slot. On the whole, it's merely an evolutionary upgrade, but the design feels fresh nonetheless.

The N95 8GB measures 3.9by 2.1 by 0.8 inch (HWD) and weighs 4.6 ounces. While the casing has changed color, the handset retains the original model's rubber side and rear grip. The shiny chrome ring around the camera lens on the back is now a classier gunmetal gray. It does look decidedly sharp, even if the whole effect is a bit flimsy for a $750 phone. The new TFT LCD screen is larger than before, at 2.8 inches—a 0.2-inch improvement—though it retains the same QVGA (240-by-320-pixel) resolution.

I like the form factor: Slide vertically to expose the roomy numeric keypad, or turn the phone sideways and slide it the opposite way to reveal its small bank of multimedia controls. Button layout is virtually the same as on the previous version. The only difference—and it's a step backward—is the lack of a microSD card slot on the left-hand side of the phone. While 8GB of internal storage is generous, the lack of a card slot limits media transfers, since now you're forced to synchronize the handset with a PC.

An unlocked, quad band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) device, the N95 8GB works on both GSM and HSDPA networks. That puts it ahead of the otherwise stellar Nokia N82, which can't connect to AT&T's 3G network here in the U.S. Meanwhile, the N95 8GB's Wi-Fi radio also connects to WPA2-encrypted 802.11g networks—it found mine on the first try and locked on without a hitch—and it automatically picks up cellular Internet settings the same way the N82 does. The handset can also be used as a high-speed modem for a laptop; expect speeds in the 400-to-700-kilobit-per-second range.

Voice quality was decent overall. Callers thought I sounded good, and the phone doggedly held onto an AT&T GSM signal even in more remote areas 25 miles outside of Boston. But on my end, the earpiece sounded a little distorted and scratchy, no matter where I set the volume level. Audio quality improved noticeably on my end when I used a Samsung WEP700 Bluetooth headset, but the speakerphone was weak and brittle sounding.

Built-in GPS works with Nokia Maps and looks like a miniature version of Google Earth, with 2D and 3D map views along with nearby points of interest. The bundled Quickoffice app only views Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents; it doesn't create or edit them. The Web browser is one of the better ones around, offering slick page rendering and fast scrolling, although it can't display Adobe Flash or Java. The e-mail client works with POP and IMAP accounts, and also supports push synchronization with Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007 servers. Without a QWERTY keyboard, you won't want to do much typing, though.

Like all Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition phones, the N95 8GB can run thousands of third-party applications. It feels snappy in most tasks (with the exception of the camera—see below), due to its 332-MHz ARM11 CPU and hardware 3G graphics acceleration. There's 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM—a boost from the original N95's 64MB RAM—which leaves a generous 90MB available for user programs. The N95 8GB also supports Nokia's new N-Gage gaming platform. The phone's built-in 3D accelerator chip excelled on the included FIFA 07 demo, delivering ultrasmooth animation and brilliant color.

For video playback, the handset handles MPEG-4, H.264, and RealPlayer files; in action shots, videos looked smooth, sharp, and clear in both portrait and landscape mode. Nokia's free PC Suite desktop software can transcode files in other formats. In the box you get a composite video out cable, which can display the phone's interface as well as media files on any standard-definition TV.

The 5-megapixel autofocus camera features a Carl Zeiss lens and a somewhat usable LED flash. There's still no optical zoom, however, and it lacks the N82's stellar Xenon flash. My test handset took sharp, detailed, colorful pictures in broad daylight, but disappointed indoors with typical cameraphone graininess and blurred images (flash or no flash). The phone records 640-by-480-pixel, 30-frame-per-second video with a touch of noise but good overall quality. There are plenty of user-configurable options for the camera and video recorder, too. (Skip the video stabilization mode; it adds a wobbly, seasick effect in recorded videos that makes them impossible to watch.) The phone's response slowed noticeably in its various photo and video modes, which was frustrating.

AAC, MP3, and WMA files are accepted by the music player; like all non-Apple devices, the N95 8GB can't play tunes purchased in the iTunes Store unless they're unprotected iTunes Plus files. The bundled earbuds sounded horrible, but when I plugged in a set of Creative Zen Aurvana earbuds, I was treated to sonic bliss. (The N95 8GB features a standard 3.5mm stereo headphone jack.) A paired set of Bluetooth stereo Etymotic Ety8s fit somewhere in the middle, with decent bass but a muddy and indistinct stereo image. There's also a built-in FM radio that works with the included wired remote.

Battery life was average for a GSM phone at 8 hours 58 minutes of talk time (with Wi-Fi turned off)—this despite a 1,200-mAh battery, which is slightly larger than the N95's. So the battery was a bit of a disappointment.

With the introduction of the Nokia N95 8GB at $750 direct, the original has now been marked down to $582 on the Nokia site (nokiausa.com), making it a good deal for those who don't need the internal storage. And when you compare the 8G version with our Editors' Choice N82, the new N95 includes HSDPA compatibility and the storage but lacks a media card slot and the Xenon flash. What's more, it costs almost $200 more, so the N82 keeps its Editors' Choice award. In the final analysis, however, as long as you have the cash and you don't need a QWERTY keyboard, it's tough to go wrong with either one of these powerful devices.

Benchmark Test Results
Continuous talk time: 8 hours 58 minutes (GSM, with Wi-Fi turned off)
Multimedia Score: 85
System Score: 40
Business Score: 67
2D Gaming Score: 501
3D Gaming Score: 524
3D Gaming HQ Score: 525

Compare the Nokia N95 8GB with several other mobile phones side by side.