N85 vs N96, The Cold War Returns
It’s not everyday that you find two flagships coming around from the same manufacturer at the same time. But it’s also not everyday that you can see a global manufacturer grab 40% market share in a certain domain, and keep asking for more. We can probably argue about the relevance of the N85 and N96, in the Nseries line and in the full Nokia portfolio, but do we know better than the people behind this immense market growth in a few years? Do we know better than the people who introduced the N95 one full year before anyone else on the market was even close to offering a similar handset? Probably not.
So what are the N96 and N85 in Nokia’s opinion, what consumers are they targeting, and more importantly, how do they compare to each other?
Below you will find some side-by-side pictures of the 2 handsets, so feast your eyes, and make sure you have a towel next to you to pick your drool.
On the physical side, the N85 is noticeably more compact than the N96, but as I stated earlier in their respective reviews (read: N96 and N85), the N96’s slider feels more solid. Although the screen is larger on the N96, the quality wins it over, for me, and I really love the life-like excellence of the OLED on the N85. The N85 also has a camera lens cover, which should protect the lens from dirt and smudges.
Putting the physical aside, how do these handsets fit in the Nseries strategy?
The most frequent word I heard when the N96 was being introduced was “video”. It’s a handset geared towards video, be it through TV-out or on the handset with the kickstand, be it recorded or live TV. And although the N96 packs just about everything, the main advantages are the 16GB expandable memory and the huge 2.8″ screen that play an essential role in video viewing.
The N85? Well, even though it will be able to accomplish almost all of that, it won’t do it with the same superior experience than that of the N96. But it still has a few aces up its sleeves that won’t let it be dismissed easily. The OLED screen is one of them, and probably the most important one. As for market strategy, like I stated earlier in the N85’s hands-on, the N85 is being introduced the same way the N81 was, by concentrating on its gaming and music capabilities.
Overall, some people will ditch the better battery for the bigger screen, some will prefer the 2.6″ OLED over the 2.8″ LCD screen, some will go for bigger internal memory, but the majority of people will either pick these for the way they look or for the “flagship” title written on the N96’s forehead. In other words, Nokia’s goal is to leave everyone else aside and compete with itself: a fight to death, but in both cases the Finnish manufacturer wins, so where’s the harm?
Aah! at last the fabled brothers meet!!! I wish I had both of these handsets now in addition to my N82! oh pray! that I get to test one sooon!!!
Can we have shot of all the N series phones please!!!
Still the N96 is far more elegant than the N85 to me,I love the silver colour frame around the N96 and It adds a solid look to the device,also the Screen size,to me that matters.But on the N85 I love the camera cover,why can’t they put it on the N96 too.
don’t get me wrong but i really feel detested with all this n 96 and n 85 comparisions. Be it all about symbian, the nokia blog, the symbian blog or symbian guru. Everywhere. I can’t do without these sites but then one and the same thing. I think we should wait for the launch now and leave some spice for then! Tell me more about some good apps, nice games, and other stuff rita.
Yes can we have a family photo of all nseries phones together ! pleasE ! :)
[...] At least according to Symbian Guru’s Dotsisx, who reckons that the two devices might well be fighting over the same target market. [...]
I think both these devices are retreads from Nokia. Nokia is done in the hardware business. Innovation will be seen elsewhere, Apple will gain more market share, and Android will replace Symbian as the geek platform of choice. I’ve already ditched my N95-2 in anticipation. Nokia is done.
The harm is all this billions and billions of slightly different handsets, then trying to create software to unify them, (like N-Gage and not utilizing the Floating Point chips (3d chips) because not all phones have them) and confusing the hell out of consumers because the numbers don’t make any sense.
The N96 SHOULD be packing the large battery and oled screen. As a current n95-3 owner, I cannot warrent the purchase of the n96… it feels like a downgrade, but looking towards the N85 makes me feel like I will loose something that my n95 has (maybe the processor speeds are lower… dont really know the specs yet)
AND a xenon flash for picture with led lighting for video should be then end all fix for the handsets.
its a pretty clear list what should be flagship:
oled screen
awesome battery
xenon flash pic
led light for focus, video, and flash light
[...] + MicroSD Karten könnte für das N96 sprechen. Wer noch überlegt kann sich die beiden Handy beim Symbian-Guru im Vergleich [...]
Nokia is FAR from being done. Unlike Apple, who basically lies about the price of the I-Phone 3G, Nokia doesn’t have to worry about that. And if I remember coreectly, the (Next Gen) I-Phones have bugs of their own. Like the inability to connect at 3G speeds being one.
Innovation is nice. When it works.
N96 for me keypad looks better and although bigger, it’s prettier and more ‘n95′ like (being the n96 might have something to do with that). I think it’s brilliant for Nokia having two flagship phones battling it out. Also I actually like it because it’s bigger. Need some shots of the top and the right side on n96 to see the ports etc.
Aqui esta la imagen de la familia nokia serie N
http://symbianespanol.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/serie-symbian-s60-comparativa-de-todos-los-modelos/
MAN THIS IS BULLSHIT. I WANT ONE I JUST DONT KNOW WHICH ONE!!!
[...] N85 vs N96, The Cold War Returns [...]