North American Nokia N95 8GB now available

We just got a call from our friendly local Nokia flagship store, and lo, it seems the mythical N95 8GB with HSDPA 850 / 1900 is now in stock. The all-black monster of Nokia's current Nseries lineup will run you a stiff $799 -- so get your credit card out, get your 3G on, and find out exactly what 8GB of music you want to carry with you.

[Curtis the Claw Game Master V2 @ Mar 6th 2008 5:37PM]

$800? I love nokia phones but that just seems a little rediculous...I'll be honest, I don't know much about this phone, so what makes it worth this much?

[Alijah @ Mar 6th 2008 5:44PM]

Everything.

[Totalfixation @ Mar 6th 2008 5:47PM]

Some of my friends have it and quite honestly its way over priced, nothing new does that thing bring to the table. Only thing it has over the iphone are 3g, and a higher mp camera. Other than that its nothing great. One reason why i didn't even consider this phone was the lack of touch screen, it does have a nice gui, but compared to the iphone its nothing close. It was great when it first was introduced......what a year and a half ago, but now it kind of seem outdated.

[Curtis the Claw Game Master V2 @ Mar 6th 2008 6:19PM]

"Everything"

Um...nice try, your as bad as the Apple fanboys.

[huh @ Mar 6th 2008 11:24PM]

I would agree the device is expensive, but it's not really an ... apple to apples comparison. The iphone has a more polished ui, and apple supports apps with upgrades as long as they can be supported, while the n95 has a good quality camera (too many devices have a high megapixel camera that is horrible) and many other features the iphone doesn't have, such as GPS, that are interesting in theory. Though to be honest I find the n95 to be a jack of all trades, master of none, except maybe the camera. And since they have a large number of product lines and don't provide comprehensive upgrades for any, except maybe their tablet series, there's little hope any of it will ever become excellent; they'll just keep promising the world for each new version, but you might as well buy from another manufacturer because your current Nokia just became obsolete.

[Cozy @ Mar 7th 2008 9:46AM]

? Cant you get Nokia phones via contract in states?? No wonder iphone had impact in states.

[Doze @ Mar 7th 2008 9:55AM]

Well places where Nokia actually is present(everywhere exept NA) you can have N95 8GB free or almost free with 2 years contract, but price for states is of course really high because any of the carriers dont have Nokia's(something i dont get world biggest mobile phone manufacturer isnt present even if Europe and Asia are bigger markets for them ) + europe vs dollar currently and Nokia's smartphones being niche in states wont probally do much good for the priceys.

[Al @ Mar 9th 2008 2:18PM]

You can multi task 3rd party apps, like Garmin or Quickoffice.
You can do torrents or broadcast live video in 640x480 resolution over 3G.
You can download podcasts over 3G, listen to them on the stereo speakers and delete them when you are done.
You can share your 3G connection.
The bluetooth can connect to computers, other phones, keyboards and stereo headsets.
The camera can geotag pictures and upload them to flickr.
The web browser has flash support, so you can watch video content beyond just youtube.

Is there anything else that can do all that?

[namtastic @ Mar 11th 2008 11:21AM]

@Cozy, no, in the USA, all the good Nokia phones are unsubsidized. There are a few high-end phones that Nokia has played with customizing for the American carriers like the N75 on AT&T, but I heard AT&T made enough of a mess to it to cram in their own services that it may not even be running S60 anymore.

Nokia doesn't want to commit to mucking up their major phones to suit carriers (Verizon & BREW, anyone?) but that puts them in the bad position of selling those models without contract at full price. That's why Nokia has such a weird image in the States because people know the brand name from their mid- to low-end phones like the 6263 which the carriers do carry.

[bob sakamano @ Mar 6th 2008 5:43PM]

i have played with the european version, it is a nice phone, the speakerphone is really loud, plays videos, cool interface. but for 800? no thanks

[wootman @ Mar 6th 2008 9:59PM]

if anyones interested, pretty decent fake versions go for about 170$.

[Sukhminder @ Mar 6th 2008 5:44PM]

I like the N95, the 8GB are even better. Wish list: touch screen and a QWERTY (What's a tytn?)

[Darkest Daze @ Mar 6th 2008 6:19PM]

I think it would be worth the price if it had those two things. I love physical keys when typing anything and sometimes a touch screen can be very useful. I would say the best setup would be a full touchscreen on the front, to maximize screen real estate and then a slide-out keyboard.

[Scott @ Mar 6th 2008 6:59PM]

Maybe you have to pay $1600 to get one with a keyboard or touch screen.

Seriously though, are you supposed to carry around a bluetooth keyboard? What a PITA! Predictive text is not THAT good.

[JJ @ Mar 6th 2008 5:50PM]

ITS NOT THE iPHONE!!

eh I'll pass

Save Up money and preparing for a 3G iPhone. :=D

[Anton @ Mar 6th 2008 5:59PM]

Fail Fanboy.

[JJ @ Mar 6th 2008 9:45PM]

I knowwww rightttt!

[Johan S @ Mar 6th 2008 5:51PM]

$800 ?!? Why the hell would anyone buy this?

It doesn't even have a decent resolution LCD, so web browsing is a pain. It needs a WVGA LCD.

[alexmueller @ Mar 6th 2008 7:12PM]

it's 800 cause theres no BS 2 year contract, yes its still high

[caramelzappa @ Mar 6th 2008 6:05PM]

I always thought the n95 was ugly. I didn't see one in person until GDC not too long ago. It looks nicer in real life but I really think it needs a redesign.

[Jubei @ Mar 6th 2008 6:05PM]

Suddenly all these new announcement from the competitors have become irrelevant.

[Fernando @ Mar 6th 2008 10:40PM]

Competitors?!?!?! Apparently it's not even a competition.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/12/give-up-77-3m-symbian-phones-shipped-in-2007/

Sorry fanboy.

[Jubei @ Mar 7th 2008 1:39AM]

We know your hurt, so its okay. I have nothing to be sorry about at all today. Specially when June comes and all throughout the rest of the year. I suggest you watch the stream and get a taste of some of the games coming. :-)

[Rome @ Mar 6th 2008 6:07PM]

I don’t understand why people are comparing everything to an iPhone. I, personally, think that iPhone’s only good side is it’s looks and transitions in menu. Other than that, comparing iPhone to a N95 is like comparing calculator and computer, N95 is much more superior devise. $800 is very high for this phone, but today is the first day it’s out, it’s always like this. Price will go down, but will never be as cheap as iPhone.

[seki @ Mar 6th 2008 6:34PM]

$800 is about what I paid for my original N95 .. I'm not surprised at this number given its a new model. The iPhone does have a better screen but I'm not convinced by the touch-screen madness. I was disappointed with the spec for the N96 I felt sure they'd improve the screen resolution, sadly no. QVGA doesn't cut it these days. And while 5M pix is acceptable lack of optical zoom in the high-end market isn't.
I'm waiting on the N96 - not holding my breath or desperate for it but that's what I'm replacing my N95 with.

[Scott @ Mar 6th 2008 7:02PM]

A computer with only a number pad for input? Not such a good analogy...

[Fernando @ Mar 6th 2008 6:12PM]

lol @ what this phone has above the iphone.

how about everything besides the fucking screen

[Scott @ Mar 6th 2008 7:05PM]

Um, number pad input? How did you happen to miss that?

[Quix @ Mar 6th 2008 6:13PM]

This Nokia, and frankly ever other cell phone out there, looks even more archaic today after the Apple iPhone SDK presentation than it did yesterday. And at $800? Please.

[Jubei @ Mar 6th 2008 7:03PM]

Agreed. It's going to be an amazing year for iPhone/Touch users.

[Rich @ Mar 7th 2008 5:37AM]

It's only going to be an amazing year for touch users if they pay the $20 upgrade fee.

[amby @ Mar 8th 2008 5:23AM]

You mean the Apple iPhone SDK presentation, which forgot to mention the tiny single-tasking detail in the SDK documentation? You are only able to run one (ONE!) 3rd party application and those quite automatically, when you receive a phone call.

I don't think you should compare the iPhone with the N95. The first have touch, perfect UI and large screen. The N95 have everything else. It's a matter of preference: physical keys vs touch, form vs function, stability through closedness vs openness (and a bit of instability).

[amby @ Mar 8th 2008 5:24AM]

"quit", sorry.

[Devin Brown @ Mar 6th 2008 6:14PM]

funny. i realize expensive phones like this have been around a while, but i look forward to cramming this in the face of any person who complains about the iphone being too expensive. is 3G worth giving up all the touch screen, intuitive interface goodness of the iphone? for $400 more? hahahahahaha

[Pdexter @ Mar 7th 2008 9:43AM]

Thought for you are getting N95 8GB with 2 years contract free in Europe.... For North Americans price is rather much of course after weak dollar and all.

[varun @ Mar 6th 2008 6:16PM]

Yes - I'm sure this will be well supported, just like every other North American Nokia phone, none of which have received a single update, including those needed to fix bugs.

Don't bother. This one will also be unsupported.

[Jeff @ Mar 6th 2008 6:41PM]

i think that's pretty common (with the notable exception of the-device-we-do-not-name-without-being-called-a-fanboy)

Most phones receive ZERO support, and the manufacturers just expect you to drop another several hundred dollars to get the new version that "fixes some of the bugs that we easily could have addressed with a software update, but won't."

I think the iPhone/carrier revenue sharing thing is actually a huge positive, because the manufacturer has a very real, bean-counter-friendly reason to KEEP people using the handset. (IE: offer support.)

[machiblue @ Mar 6th 2008 6:24PM]

I have a European N95 8gb, and I absolutely love it. Yes, the price is high, but it will go down in the future. Like Rome stated, comparing this to the Iphone is not a real comparison. The two phones are in completely leagues/segments. The possibilites for the N95 are virtually endless, due to its Symbian OS. There have been several programs and apps released that take full adavantage of the N95's abilities. Yes the price is high, and will remain higher than the Iphone, because no US carrier will pick it up. I have no regrets buying my N95, it was money well spent. Web browsing is not a pain, its actually pretty easy, but a full QWERTY keyboard would be great. Web pages load up fast, over wifi, so speed is not an issue. Overall is a great phone, and now with 3G its even better.

[AlphaTeam @ Mar 6th 2008 6:28PM]

My EMEA N95 is worthless once again.

[samirss @ Mar 6th 2008 6:36PM]

Its unlocked, thats why its 800$. I am assuming the iPhone comparison, is only because of price, and not features. In built, "real" GPS, a "useful" camera, native app support (for quite a bit while), and unlocked... The price seems right Of course my wallet doesn't agree... :-(

[Bendert Katier @ Mar 6th 2008 6:37PM]

I bought it for €700 in the Netherlands, please stop complaining ;)!

[bob @ Mar 6th 2008 6:42PM]

Ok, now when is the North American N96 coming out???? :-)

[syntaxerrorx @ Mar 6th 2008 10:12PM]

i wouldn't hold your breath for a NA Nokia N96, if we're lucky we'll see it by the start of the next decade.

[Rome @ Mar 6th 2008 6:56PM]

End of the yeat (this year). But I don't think it's going to support US 3G.

[Adrian Williams @ Mar 6th 2008 7:05PM]

800 is steep but it might be subsidize if Att carry it

[Andy Shokry @ Mar 6th 2008 7:05PM]

Just go to ebay and buy yourself an N82 for $500. It does exactly what the new N95 does except it doesn't have 8GB internal memory (accepts flash up to 16GB). It does have a Xenon flash which kicks ass.

[trumpton @ Mar 6th 2008 8:02PM]

Why haven't Engadget got a poll to see if people are going to buy this phone too?

Oh - silly me! - only a certain brand is granted that privilege!

[enemes @ Mar 6th 2008 8:04PM]

N95 is a nice phone with a really annoying but, I suppose, usable interface. I had one for 2 months. Very nice features. Interface bugged the hell out of me. Sold it. Bought me an iPhone. Miss the features, love the interface.

[Kris @ Mar 6th 2008 8:43PM]

Well, I just used my 8GB N95 to stream some live video of a gig using Qik to my mate in another part of the country using my 3G connection. A gig I got to using the gps in my n95, while listening to music on my n95.

In short I quite like this phone myself.

[stupidnoduhdude @ Mar 6th 2008 10:48PM]

Got a N95-3 (NA 3G) to replace my iPhone on ATT. Paid about $700 for it, but like the N95-4, its features put the iPhone to shame. The big thing for me is laptop tethering, especially since I can do this on my iPhone data plan...$20/month for unlimited 3G data? Yes, please. Additionally, Slingbox over 3G is great, and emTube videos (s60 native YouTube client) load almost instantly over 3G.

I am, however, interesting in finding out if this version of the N95 will have Flash Lite 3 built-in (like the N95-2 got with FW v15)...anyone know?