N95 or N95 8GB?

To upgrade, or not to upgrade? That is the qustion for current N95-1 users.
Surprisingly less than a year after the N95-1's release, Nokia is releasing a newer version called the N95 8GB. Most current N95 users will wonder whether to be happy with their current phone, or throw in some extra money and get the new one. So here's a comparison to help some of you out.



First up, Size
The newer version goes by the line "HUGE screen, MASSIVE memory" , which is all true enough. But apparently Nokia forgot to mention "FAT body" as well. The N95 8GB has turned into a fat Chunky Monkey to accomodate the 2.8" screen as opposed the the 2.6" one on the current N95. We cant deny the fact that the screen looks absolutely gorgeous, but even though wearing black is suppose to look slimmer, the glossy black colour isnt going to help the N95 8GB lose any weight.


Power house? We'll see.
One of the most noticable design flaws with the original N95 was that its battery was horribly poor. I even have to carry a spare battery with me whenever i spent an entire day out. This terrible set back stopped the N95 from being ass that is could be (a GPS, WiFi, dual-slider, 3D graphic card, 5MP butt-kicking phone). Well, Nokia has listen to the pleading of their users and swapped in a bigger battery for the N95 8GB edition. This has solved the power issue which is definately a plus, but posed new problems to the phone.


Lens Cover
The bigger battery is undoubtedly GREAT! but to make room for it, Nokia had to remove the the lens cover. Some of you might say "good riddance! we didnt need it anyway, it just slowed down the camera". But thats not exactly true, those who have already gotten their hands on the N95 8GB, said that the lens on the phone was easily greased, dirtied, and scratched due to the absence of the lens cover. And in contrary to what most people beleive, the startup time of the camera wasnt any faster either even though the lens cover was no longer present.


Does it have a good Memory?
1. Virtual Memory
N95 8GB lives up to its name, having 8GB of storage space in its belly. This certainly is a plus side right? Wrong -Nokia has just fixed a 8GB memory card in place of the memory card slot-
This means that you will no longer be able to upgrade your memory. And seeing how Toshiba is planning to release its 16GB microSDs early next year, this isnt a smart move by Nokia.
Current N95 users, if you want that much memory, why not buy the 4GB and 6GB cards already on the market?

2. Physical Memory (RAM)
Ahh, what we've all been waiting for!
As with the battery, the RAM on the original N95 didnt quite pack the punch the device needed. Even after a fresh reboot, users were left with only 18.0MB of free RAM. This made it unsuitable for multitasking, but the N95 is a multimedia computer, its suppose to right? Of course, the new firmwares handle RAM much better, but how can we even compare that when its put to battle against the N95 8GB's Godzilla-like 88.0MB of freee RAM?
We're not quite sure how its going to handle on the device, but it sure looks promising.


Revamped UI - Multimedia Menu
The carousel style Multimedia Menu was a great looking change to the one on previous Nseries devices, but now Nokia has revamped it again on the N95 8GB. We cant quite call it beautiful or attractive, but it is much, much more advanced compared to the carousel of icons.

What we've stated above only are the most significant changes that will help you decide on which to buy. There are many other minute changes such as the white keypad light on the n95 8GB in contrast to the blue one on the original N95, raised media keys, and so on.