N95: Power up!

Pic from All bout Symbian.

Now, its time to talk about the N95’s battery life.

• Battery: Nokia Battery (BL-5F) 950mAH
• Talk time: up to 160 min (WCDMA), up to 240 min (GSM)*
• Stand-by time: up to 200 hours (WCDMA), up to 225 hours (GSM)*

That’s what the brochure says.. But in truth and in fact… hmmm.. lets see..

I use the N95 for a lot of things. And since I’m reviewing it, i should try to see all its features which… makes the battery drain faster.

Fyi, the N95 that i got for review had been previously used. And it looks like it had been used for a bout a year now.

But in reality, that’s if i have an N95, i’ll just use it for the following:

• As Modem / internet connection (with third party applications)

I use the N95 more as a tool to access the internet. And because of this, it drains up the battery quickly.

My laptop’s batteries would only last for about an hour. So when i used the N95 as modem (3G/HSDPA connection) with my laptop while “on the go”, i got to see how long the batteries would last. And the verdict was, the N95 drained first than my laptop’s batteries. So what I do is I always find a power outlet where i can plug both the N95 and my laptop to be able to surf for hours.

Same thing happens when i use 3rd party applications such as Gmail mobile and Yahoo go.

• Watch Videos/Streaming

Watching streaming videos (also using 3G or HSDPA) is like surfing the net and adding the use of the video player. So don’t expect the N95 to last for an hour!

But here’s what’s surprising… I have been watching CSI miami. I borrowed the complete series from Season 1 to 5 from a friend. Each episode will last for about an hour. I converted the files into 3gp and uploaded it on the N95. I watched 4 episodes on the N95 and after that i checked the battery level … Guess what… it was still above half the meter! whoah! lets just say it was a 3 hour video. nice huh?

• Music

I haven’t really tried to drain the batteries when using the music player or listening to music. But what i can tell you is that a fully charged battery won’t budge after 2 hours of continuous music playing.

• Take pictures (because of its 5 mp camera)

Since the N95 have a 5 megapixel camera, I used it during my recent vacation. I took about 900 pictures all in all.

Based on experience, a fully charged N95 will only last half a day taking a total of 300 pictures. I had all my camera settings to full (for 5 mega pixel, high quality, etc.). Also, i changed the settings to SPORTS instead of the default capturing setting. This makes the shutter faster. And i’m able to take pictures faster.