I bought my Nokia N95-3 almost a year ago, in December 2007. Despite once saying I was passing on the N95, I simply couldn’t withstand the lure of HSDPA on an S60 device here in the U.S., and I was hooked since I got it. However, at 9 months old, it’s aging, and I’m itching for something with a few more improvements.
Welcome my next new phone, the Nokia N85. Just announced today, this baby looks to be the perfect replacement for my other love, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The Nokia N85 is a dual-slider, like the N95 and N96. It is also the first S60-powered smartphone to feature tri-band WCDMA (850/1900/2100MHz), microUSB charging, and an AM OLED display. The tri-band WCDMA means you’ll be able to take advantage of 3G service with AT&T in the United States, and any number of 3G providers throughout Europe and Asia with the same handset. MicroUSB charging is something that we’ve wanted/needed for a LONG time, and means that you’ll be able to charge your phone through any standard microUSB cord, including while synchronizing with your computer. The 2.6″ AM OLED display uses organic compounds which do not require a backlight, which means that it draws far less power, and at the same time, offers brighter, more crisp colors.
The rest of the features on the N85 are standard for a high-end S60, such as a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash. The return of a physical lens cover is welcome, and I rather like the design, as well. WiFi and GPS are on board, in addition to Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support for stereo headsets. The dual-slide design means that sliding the top of the handset up reveals the standard numeric keypad, while sliding down shows the dedicated music playback keys, which also double as N-Gage gaming keys.
The Nokia N85 is powered by S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2, which offers several enhancements, and also features a microSD card slot, and Nokia is wise enough to include an 8GB microSD card in the box. There’s a built-in accelerometer, and from the press shots, it seems to support 2 different landscape orientations, though I’ve not confirmed that quite yet. The FM radio, which I usually find to be quite useless, has been paired up with an FM transmitter that should prove rather useful when riding in a friend’s car, or a rental car. The 3.5mm audio port doubles as a TV-Out port, which is something I actually use rather often.
The gang at MobileBurn.com had a chance to play with the Nokia N85 recently, and put together this video:
| Nokia N85 Technical Specs | |
| Operating System | Symbian 9.3 S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 |
| Band | GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz or 850/1900/2100MHz |
| Data | GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/WiFi |
| Size | 103mm x 50mm x 16mm (4″ x 1.9″ x .6″) |
| Weight | 128g (4.5oz) |
| Battery Life | Estimated 12.5 days standby time |
| Estimated 4 hours talk time | |
| Display | 2.6″ 16 million color QVGA AM OLED, 240×320 pixel resolution |
| Camera | 5 megapixel autofocus with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash |
| Video | VGA resolution 640×480 record at up to 30 frames per second |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 with A2DP |
| Memory | 70MB internal, microSD memory card slot with 8GB card included |
| Other | Built-in GPS receiver, TV-Out, FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio port, Accelerometer |
| Availability | Planned Q3 2008 |
| Pricing | EUR450 (US$665) before taxes and subsidies |
| Download the Nokia N85′s Data Sheet | |
