Nokia N86 - Preview

Since the release of the Nokia N82, Nokia has not had a phone that could compare in terms of camera performance. Whilst their competition spewed out device after device Nokia needed a phone that could take photography to another level, and on February 2009 the world was introduced to the device that was going to get the job done - The Nokia N86.

The device didn't have easy footsteps to follow. The Nokia N97 was perched on top as the flagship and a wobbly pole, as the users were complaining that the Symbian OS which had been modified for touch wasn't performing to match it's heavy competition.

With the N86 Nokia went back to what it had done well. The device has immense success with it's N95, and it's success would only grow with it's dual slider devices like the N95 8GB and N85. The N86 builds on this success giving us a device that we can really learn to love.

The iPhone set the standard for smart phones. Making a touch screen a necessity. Tossed into a world of touch screen smart-phones and heavy competition I am curious if the N86 had any chance of grasping at the flagship position before having to give way to a successor.

My review on the N86 comes more that 2 years after it's release and with the world eagerly waiting the release of the N8. While the hardcore fans would quickly want to move on to the next Nokia phone or check if their phones feature the latest technology trends. There would always be fans who want a stable hardy mobile device, that can stack up to it's competition in getting the job done and features one of the best camera's in the market to date. Thus i start my preview of the N86 8MP.

Key Features

• 2.6 inch OLED display with QVGA resolution supporting 16-million colors.

• 8MP Auto Focus Carl Zeiss Optics with Dual LED flash and AF assist light
• 28mm wide camera lens, variable apature, geo-tagging, mechanical shutter, time lapse and a camera lens cover.
• Video recording at 30fps at VGA quality.
• ARM 11 434MHz CPU
• 128MB RAM
• Quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA 3.6Mbps support
• Wi-Fi with UPnP technology
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality and 3 months of free voice-guided navigation (Ovi Maps)
• Dual slide design with dedicated gaming/audio/gallery keys
• microSD card slot with microSDHC support
• 8GB internal storage
• Built-in accelerometer for UI auto-rotation
• 3.5mm audio jack doubling as TV out port
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS, FM transmitter
• Standard microUSB port and stereo Bluetooth v2.0
• N-gage support plus you get an N-gage game for free
• Digital compass
• Web browser has full Flash and Java support
• Active kickstand
• Nice audio reproduction quality
• Hardware and Software powered by Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3.2 UI.

While the features would have looked impressive a few years ago, for a device released early 2009 it wasn't quite enough. However the N86 was a definite upgrade for the N82 as it took it's place to pave the way for the soon to be release N8.

 

The N86 comes in two colors: Black and White.

First Impressions

Getting my hands on the N86 took some time. I had to wait for one to be available for nearly a month and when it finally got sent, the folks at DHL delayed the delivery due to an issue with my address, but finally i had the package in hand and got it opened up. You can check the unboxing video on my review later.

I was fortunate to get a white edition of the device as I have not seen many white devices in Sri Lanka. The top of the package contains the unit and the battery. The lower part of the package contains the charger, USB, headset, adaptor for older chargers, a U.S. adaptor specially for me along with the documents and manuals. You can read more about the content and watch the unboxing video.

The device feels nice and solid. Something i started to miss in the Nokia devices of late. Being a used device, I couldn't help notice the little bumps and scratches on the body which reminded me that the N-Series devices are quite prone to taking some damage even with the most careful of users.

I love the feel of the N86, i cant help wonder if Nokia can't slip a bigger display onto a device of this size and make it a full touch screen.

The buttons require somewhat of a harder press as they are smaller than i would have liked, they do however look very sleek and professional. The last S60v3 device I used was the N79 and i have to say i notice the OS has been developed quite bit since then.

All in all the N86 is a great device to look at, but in this Mobile OS dominated world I am curious if the N86 has what it takes to survive and how it stacks up today years after it's release. So that's it for my preview...

Please be sure to check out our Nokia N86 review