N95 8GB vs N95-3
As luck would have it, I was recently given the opportunity to test out a Nokia N95 8GB (link) and pit it against my Nokia N95-3 (link), the 3G US release of the N95. At first look, you can see the obvious. The 8GB has a larger screen, comes in a sleek black housing, and is a little bulkier than the 3G.
The very first thing that I noticed about the 8GB is the screen slider. Compared to the 3G, it’s flimsy feeling, lacking that stable, sturdy feel I like so much about the 3G. Why would Nokia do such a thing?
Otherwise, the phone is awesome. It’s fast, it’s filled with great features, strong hardware, and 8 GIGS of storage! Granted, I have an 8GB micro-SD card in my N95-3, so that point is a little moot, but, it is handy to have space on a phone, no matter what. The 8GB also shipped with the updated firmware software that I’ve since downloaded and installed on my 3G.
I’ve raved about the N95 in comparison to the iPhone for months. The camera, the ability to do real video, the interface, software and features, the fact you can take out the batter and SIM card at will, use standard USB and headphone plugs to interface with the handset, and the Nokia PC Suite sofftware that comes in the box for the the phone… all awesome, and both the 8GB and the 3G boast the same awesome.
Nokia N95 8GB price: $595.00 (Froogle, average)
Nokia N95-3 w/ an 8GB microSD Card:$565.00 (Froogle, average)
The benefit of the N95 8GB is obviously the larger screen, which is very pretty, but the fact that it’s very flimsy, compared to the N95-3, and mixed with the inability to add more memory to it? I’m going to be happy with the N95-3 with the smaller screen, and a 16GB microSDHC card when it becomes reasonably available.
