Nokia N95 8GB vs N82: Which One is Better?

Nokia is the world’s leader in mobile phones. The company started from scratch as a paper mill on the bank of the river, Nokianvirta and it then later evolved into manufacturing rubber, cable wires, electrical devices, radio telephones and eventually mobile phones. In 1982 the company created its first digital telephone switch. In 1991 Nokia opened up a new standard in mobile phones - the GSM. In 1999 Nokia added internet access and another innovation in mobile phones was sparked.
When Nokia first announced its N-series, it was ridiculed. Critics believed that it would be impossible to put the functions of a desktop computer into a mobile phone. But the company proved them wrong and the introduction of the N-series to the world was a big success.
The Nokia N95 8GB is the flagship mobile unit offered by Nokia, a combination of smartphone and multimedia computer. It was designed to do a lot of things but remain small enough that it could fit in anyone’s pocket. On the other hand, the Nokia N82 was foreseen as the next bestseller Nokia could offer. Likewise it is a multimedia computer and a smartphone at the same time.
Design
The Nokia N95 8GB is a slider mobile unit around the same size as a credit card. The dimension of the N95 8GB are 99 x 53 x 21 mm, while the Nokia N82 is a little bigger at 112 x 50.2 mm but with thinner sides of 17mm. The N95 8GB weighs 120 g which is 6 g heavier than N82 which weighs only 114g. Upfront, the Nokia N95 has a silver or black paint finish while on the back and the sides it comes with a soft touch of either black, silver, red, plum or pink. The N82 is finished with a glossy front tinted with silvery-plastic. The N95 8GB has much bigger screen size of 2.8 inches while the N82 has only 2.4 inches. Both Nokia N95 8G and Nokia N82 have TFT (Thin Film Transistor) display screens and screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels defining 16 million colors.
For the keypad section, the Nokia N95 8GB slider moves two ways, it exposes the keypad when you slide it one way and on the other way it shows a series of 4 media playback keys. The media playback keys do not have the best feel and, more than that, they cannot be located by touch alone because the markings are made of plastic strip, however they are still considered fine if they are intended for that specific purpose. The alphanumeric keypad also has its issues. The keys are stiff and located lower on the slider which makes it tough to use for someone with big hands, also the keys are smaller thus making it more difficult to dial or text. On the other hand, the d-pad and its center button works well with the surrounding keys. While, for the Nokia N82, its keys are evenly spaced for easy use however the lining of the d-pad is a bit narrow thus there will come a time when you could accidentally press it. The problems are the tiny sizes of alphanumeric keys, thus texting while not looking is impossible to do.
- Though there are individual differences for taste, I vote for the Nokia N95 8GB for design.
User Interface
Both the Nokia N95 8GB and the Nokia N82 belong in the same N-series that’s why both have the same menu display, arrangement, button functions and control. The system is operated under Series 60 Symbian version 3.1. These phones have dedicated multimedia keys which means, that you can access the media functions through the shortcuts. Those who are familiar with the user interface of Series 60 phones will not have a hard time understanding the N95 8GB and N82.
So, both have the same score for their user-friendly interfaces.
Features
For internet connection, both units are Wi-Fi Ready with Bluetooth and USB ports for data transfer. Another data transfer technique present in both phones is the GPRS (General Packet Radio System) and this featured transmission is faster in the Nokia N82.
The built-in camera for the N95 and the N82 is 5 megapixel with optics produced by the Carl Zeiss Company, the world’s chief producer of high quality lenses and optics. Both have auto-focus but the Nokia N82 can produce better quality photos because of its brighter and sharper capture with xenon flash, while the N95 8GB is packed only with an LED flash.
Both units are A-GPS supported with installed Nokia Maps and can support SMS, MMS, Email and Instant Messaging.
- Two thumbs up for the additional features of the Nokia N82.
Performance
The failing of the N95 8GB and the N82 is their battery life. The N95 uses a standard battery, Li-Ion 950 mAh (BL-5F) that has a standby time of up to 220 hours and a talk time of 6 hours. On the other hand, the N82 uses a standard battery, Li-Ion 1050 mAh (BP-6MT) with a standby time of up to 225 hours and a talk time of up to 4 hours plus on both mobile units the battery meter is not very accurate.
The Verdict
To sum everything up, the Nokia N95 8GB and the Nokia N82 have similarities because both are under the same N-series, but of course one beats the other for its latest additional features. With the N82, it’s like having a Nokia N95 and a high quality digital camera in one.
- KO! Nokia N82 wins!