Nokia's N95 was one of the most anticipated handset launches of the past year or so because of its extensive functionality and unmatched (on paper) 5 megapixel camera. While the handset's UI and software capabilities weren't bound to be much of a surprise to anyone who's used a Series 60 3.1 device, questions about image quality, battery life, form factor, and GPS capabilities made getting one of these babies in hand quite exciting just the same.
After a few weeks with an N95 in tow, I have to say it's met or exceeded all expectations with a few minor caveats. The camera is excellent, but it lacks a real flash. The display is beautiful and the form factor isn't too bad, but the build quality just a shade off from Nokia's high standards. The 3.5mm headphone jack is a music lover's dream, but the music player exhibits a little more background hiss than other quality music phones. The WiFi and GPS functionality work well, but there's no US-compatible 3G data option and some GPS features require a paid subscription.
Still, the N95 is the most full featured cell phone that you can use in the US, and it nudges closer to the holy grail of a camera phone so good it'll replace your standalone digital camera and camcorder all in one. Add to that full Symbian
smartphone functionality, HTML Web browsing with integrated WiFi, and a versatile media player, and you've got yourself a true multimedia computer that also happens to make phone calls.
Is the N95 worth that hefty $750 price tag? Personally, I'd have to be pushed pretty hard to spend more than $350 or so on a phone right now. Technology moves so quickly that other 5 MP camera phones are bound to hit the market before too long, and once they do prices should drop across the board (note how 2MP is now the standard for mid-level phones on US carriers, whereas 1.3MP was the norm only a few months ago). Also, the lack of a true camera flash and the handset's 21mm-thick profile are slight turn-offs for me, the latter especially considering the lack of a QWERTY keyboard. Would those minor issues be deal-breakers on a $200 handset I otherwise really liked? Probably not. But when the sticker reads $750, everything had better be as close to perfect as possible. For some power users and early adopters out there, the N95 is close enough to perfect to warrant the big cash outlay. For me, it's an amazing piece of kit (as the English say) that I'm glad I got to try out. But I think I'll pass on the phone and hang on to all that cash for now.
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