Nokia N95 vs N80i

The new Nokia N95 and the Nokia N80i are two fantastic phones. Thanks to the Nokia Blogger Relations program I have the opportunity to try and test both of them, hence now I would like to share my thoughts on the main differences between these two devices.

First of all we have to say that these phones are much different, even if they share some similar features. Both are phones with a sliding dialpad (this form factor is called two-way slider) and with integrated Wifi and VoIP support. The N95 is a little lighter and integrates a fantastic 5Mpix camera, while the N80i is the only N-series phone to offer a high-resolution display.

As you can see in the photo above, the N95 has a bigger display (even if not high resolution) and it’s a little bit bigger but thinner, as you can see from the photo below. Even if the resolution is lower, thanks to the sharp display and to the antialiasing fonts, everything looks great on it.

The additional multimedia keys are again on the right side of the phone, as the Nokia N73.

The camera of the N80i is the worst among the N-series phones I’ve tried so far (N73, N93, N80i, N95). The quality of the lens is not as good as those of the other phones, all by Carl Zeiss Tessar, leader in that field.

As already posted, the camera of the N95 is definitely fantastic. You can see some photos here. The viewfinder is protected by a cover that can be opened as soon as you need to take a photo/video. I recommend to close it if you don’t need the camera, since it drains lot of battery power.

Finally, the old Nokia connector on bottom of the phone has been substituted with a standard mini-USB port. This is a major upgrade for me, so you don’t need to buy a specific cable from Nokia (BTW, a USB cable is already available in the box).

Speaking about battery life (N95 is supplied with a 950 mAh BL-5F, while N80i with a 820mAh BL-5B) , my experience tells me that N95 is better than the N80i, even if others are experiencing the contrary.

Like N800, N95 accepts micro-SD memory cards only (not provided in the package). High capacity, small size, low cost. I’ve bought a 1GB card and paid only 12€. It is enough to contain more than 1.5 thousand photos at the higher quality.

In the photo below, you can see (right to left) the micro-SD slot, infrared and the standard headphones connector (finally!).

As already mentioned in a previous post, the menu of the N95 is better organized than the N80i and now you can see a small arrow on any application already opened (see the “Applicazioni” folder down here). As you can see, the “search” and “Download” applications are in the main menu and there are less folders.

[N95 menu]

[N80i menu]

In addition, the multimedia menu available in the N-series phones has been improved, becoming a well-designed and quick-to-use menu that could potentially substitute the main one.

The last main improvement of the N95 is the integrated GPS. I’ll post a specific review later.

In conclusion, I goes on repeating that both of them are great phones. The N95 is the more “multimedia”-oriented of the two devices, while the N80i, thanks to the high resolution of the display, can offer a better browsing experience.

What I would recommend? You can now find the N80i at a lower and fair price, so if you don’t need GPS and a great camera, the N80i is for you. On the other hand, if you want GPS and a 5mpix camera, the N95 is definitely a phone to buy. BTW, if you use GPS, don’t forget to buy a car charger, it’s a must-have.

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