Design/Construction
I tested the N95-Classic before I bought my N95 8gb and the latter definitely has superior overall quality especially the keypads and the slider mechanism. I just hate the lack of a camera cover but I don't think it would be a problem for me since I do take care of my phones very well.
I can't say anything negative about the design and construction.
Keypad/Keys
Keys are quite easy to use and texting is a breeze. One of the best texting Nokia phones I have had in a long time.
Display
2.8" display is also one the best in the business with outstanding sharpness and is one of the best for movie playback and web surfing. The huge display is also a luxury for the built-in 5MP camera.
User Interface or OS
User interface is pretty much your typical Symbian OS-based phone. Layout is standard fare for Nokia S60 phones and you can't complain about it since it is definitely user-friendly. Just be careful when installing 3rd party apps.
Multimedia
Video playback for me is a surprise since I converted some of my downloaded TV series into .mp4 format and playback is very smooth and quality is oustanding for such as small screen. It is really like playing movies in a small laptop to say the least.
As for audio quality the built-in speakers is outstanding and you can actually tweak it to suit your taste. The bundled headphones is not that impressive however but with a 3.5mm jack you can always look for a good set of headphones. Not much of a problem imho.
Connectivity/Browser
Browsing is also quite good since I am using a Wireless router at home. The N95's ability to capture Wireless signals is outstanding coz I have tested it when I had my vacation last month in Singapore. Some people complain about the lack of a touchscreen but personally I don't like touchscreen phones. Pages even those with heavy flash movies can be viewed without any problems although Youtube movie playback via the browser is not yet supported as of the moment (although a recent fix via firmware v.15 has addressed this issue but this is only available for Euro versions). I can't wait for firmware v.15 for Asian versions.
Performance
128mb of RAM with demand paging plus a fast 330mhz cpu makes the N95 8gb perform like a dual-core laptop. There are no more lags and almost everything comes to you in an instant. Thanks to the laggy N95 Classic and Nokia has learned its lessons very well. Battery life is also a strength of the N95 8gb. Even with heavy browsing and texting it would take 2-3 days before the battery totally runs out. Again, thanks to the Nokia N95 Classic's poor battery life.
Conclusion
The N95 8gb version is quite pricey at 29-30k. But all I can say is if you need a Do-it-All phone then this one is for you. I never had any regrets in purchasing this phone. Numerous useful features, outstanding performance, huge memory capacity, superior multimedia playback, pc-like browsing experience, GPS, FM Radio, 5MP Camera with Carl Zeiss optics what else can you ask for in a phone? Who needs a Xenon flash anyway? Given the same lighting conditions such as in the outdoors the N95 8gb can definitely go head to head in picture quality with its N-series cousin the N82. I don't need the Xenon flash because my point-and-shoot digicam takes care of my photography needs.
I am just glad to have a Do-it-All phone. ;)
