$399 N95, Worth it?

Forums › Legacy mobile platforms (Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Web OS, Symbian, Meego, Blackberry) › $399 N95, Worth it?

Renkin

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#31406 16-Mar-2009 22:43

Hey guys,

Recently screwed up my N70 (its unable to charge now), so I thought I'd look for a cheap replacement.

Got a friend who is renewing an on account plan with vodafone, and with their special deal I could get a N95 for $399.

I understand that its an "End of line" phone, but from what I've read about it, its pretty solid and has got a great set of features.

So my question is, would it be worthwhile to get a N95 for $399, or is there something better around that price range.

Cheers

gb5757870

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#201861 18-Mar-2009 09:36

I've had an N95 for about 1.5 years and I still think it's an excellent phone. I don't know anything about the N70 but probably the only minuses I can say about the N95 is the short battery life and the USB 1.1 port. Other than that, it's a brilliant device and i think $399 is a fair price.

heavenlywild

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#201866 18-Mar-2009 09:53

Yep, definitely worth it. I have had it for 2 years now and still am happy with the functions and specs. Sure, it is showing signs of wear but it is still a very respectable phone in 2009.

brentbart

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#201871 18-Mar-2009 10:17

I went from the N95 Plum to the N95 8GB and both were awesome devices. Probably the 2 best phones I've had, so definately recommend.

NZtechfreak

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#201893 18-Mar-2009 12:28

Its a good deal, you won't even get anything else to touch it features-wise in that price range.

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coffeebaron

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#201901 18-Mar-2009 13:26

The only downside is the N95 is not 3G 900 capable, so outside the main centres it will be 2G only. This may not matter to you, so then the N95 at that price is a great option.

If 3G outside the main centres is important, then there are a few other options such as:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=40&TopicId=31374

But you'll either get less features, or pay a lot more; e.g. $1500 for a N96, though the Nokia 5800 @ $699 could be worth a look too: 5800

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stevenz

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#201926 18-Mar-2009 15:39

Good phones other than internet functions are nigh useless anywhere except CBD due to no 3G signal (works, but slow as sin) and the USB on them is USB 1, therefore painfully slow. Not so bad if you get the N95 instead of the N95 8GB as you can then just use a card reader. A non-issue if you don't want to use it as an MP3 player, and then only if you're impatient.

I could never get the GPS to work reliably on mine, it'd take a good 2 or 3 minutes to get a signal (standing in a clear area), and then it was usually out by about 50 metres or so. At least they provided the NZ maps for free though.

For $399 it's a good deal. The WiFi on them is pretty useful, and they come with a lot of extras. (Running the phone as a UPNP server is bizarre, but it works).

Renkin

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#202006 18-Mar-2009 19:34

Thanks for the great replies guys.

N95 seems good, any other phones I should consider? Wouldn't mind extending the budget by a reasonable amount if the phone is worthy :) 5800 seems pretty good too, the camera is a bit of a let down though isn't it?

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heavenlywild

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#202008 18-Mar-2009 19:45

The 5800 does look very sexy and being a N95 user I am tempted. However, I plan to wait for the Nokia N97 to come out in June.

Go for the 5800 if you are into listening to music, going on the web (great screen for it) and taking the ocassional photo. Yep, that's right, the camera isn't that flash but hey, you get a great touchscreen and all kinds of great connectivity.

Canterbury

177 posts

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#202717 23-Mar-2009 08:29

The camera on the n95 is not what its cracked up to be... with it not being much if any better than a 2MB camera.. atleast with the default software installed with the phone.. i currently own the n95 8Gband it's camera isn't any better...

These are my opinioins :) so take as such...
Dissapointing 5MB camera
Wireless works well ....
Love the big screen - alot better than the BB 8310 though no where near as good as the iphone
I use the n95 constantly for browsing the web - but have to turn on the pc any time i want to write anything cause i hate txting without qwerty

Vodafone NZ is 2 versions behind in firmware (at least with the n958GB which means over a year of missed updates) so you'll have to debrand if you want to upgrade...
I dont like the keys compared to the Blackberry or even the iphone
The music player is awesome especially the keys at the top with work no matter what else or doing with the phone. (headset that came with it was hopeless - especially for a "Music phone")

Having said all that and visited n95users.com the old n95 is still priced above the new 5800 in the UK.

:) If you can txt (i can't) then the n95 is still a awesome phone/device..but dont buy it thinking the camera is exceptional - cause it aint... - but for $400 its a great buy...
i would choose the 5800 over the n95 though... but thats another $300.....

gb5757870

119 posts

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#202725 23-Mar-2009 09:13

Canterbury:

The camera on the n95 is not what its cracked up to be... with it not being much if any better than a 2MB camera.. atleast with the default software installed with the phone.. i currently own the n95 8Gband it's camera isn't any better...

These are my opinioins :) so take as such...
Dissapointing 5MB camera
Wireless works well ....
Love the big screen - alot better than the BB 8310 though no where near as good as the iphone
I use the n95 constantly for browsing the web - but have to turn on the pc any time i want to write anything cause i hate txting without qwerty

Vodafone NZ is 2 versions behind in firmware (at least with the n958GB which means over a year of missed updates) so you'll have to debrand if you want to upgrade...
I dont like the keys compared to the Blackberry or even the iphone
The music player is awesome especially the keys at the top with work no matter what else or doing with the phone. (headset that came with it was hopeless - especially for a "Music phone")

Having said all that and visited n95users.com the old n95 is still priced above the new 5800 in the UK.

:) If you can txt (i can't) then the n95 is still a awesome phone/device..but dont buy it thinking the camera is exceptional - cause it aint... - but for $400 its a great buy...
i would choose the 5800 over the n95 though... but thats another $300.....

@Canterbury: I can't disagree more about the quality of the camera. I think it must be the old firmware version offered by Vodafone. Since v21 firmware, I have found the camera to be exceptional. In fact on a recent podcast by All About Symbian, the guys were comparing the camera quality of the new models released in 2008 (N77, N85, N96 and others I think) and they were even mentioned that the camera quality of those cameras are still inferior to the N95.

Perhaps look at unlocking your phone?

Canterbury

177 posts

Master Geek

#202727 23-Mar-2009 09:27

gb5757870:
Canterbury:

The camera on the n95 is not what its cracked up to be... with it not being much if any better than a 2MB camera.. atleast with the default software installed with the phone.. i currently own the n95 8Gband it's camera isn't any better...

These are my opinioins :) so take as such...
Dissapointing 5MB camera
Wireless works well ....
Love the big screen - alot better than the BB 8310 though no where near as good as the iphone
I use the n95 constantly for browsing the web - but have to turn on the pc any time i want to write anything cause i hate txting without qwerty

Vodafone NZ is 2 versions behind in firmware (at least with the n958GB which means over a year of missed updates) so you'll have to debrand if you want to upgrade...
I dont like the keys compared to the Blackberry or even the iphone
The music player is awesome especially the keys at the top with work no matter what else or doing with the phone. (headset that came with it was hopeless - especially for a "Music phone")

Having said all that and visited n95users.com the old n95 is still priced above the new 5800 in the UK.

:) If you can txt (i can't) then the n95 is still a awesome phone/device..but dont buy it thinking the camera is exceptional - cause it aint... - but for $400 its a great buy...
i would choose the 5800 over the n95 though... but thats another $300.....

@Canterbury: I can't disagree more about the quality of the camera. I think it must be the old firmware version offered by Vodafone. Since v21 firmware, I have found the camera to be exceptional. In fact on a recent podcast by All About Symbian, the guys were comparing the camera quality of the new models released in 2008 (N77, N85, N96 and others I think) and they were even mentioned that the camera quality of those cameras are still inferior to the N95.

Perhaps look at unlocking your phone?

:)
Thats one of the reasons i went to n95users.com and debranded my phone cause the current firmware from vodanz is a yr old.... after debranding and updating i found the camera better (and with out all the vodanz crap in it :) ), but still not a leap from 2MB camera....- dont get me wrong - its still better than the camera on both the BB and iphone, maybe i was expecting more ....