Introduced by Nokia as the N95-follower, the N85 is probably that and more. This is the handset that is making a lot of bloggers and Symbian fans drool around the world, even our very own Guru. I will also admit that even though I might probably not get an N85 myself, for financial reasons, I will keep eying it for a while, because it is a sort of answer to my question “What if the N78 and N81 were one?“, and even more of an answer to “What if the N95 and N81 were one?”
Ever since I’ve held the N81 in my hands, I’ve loved how it looks and feels, but I’ve hated the specifications that it came with: a mere 2MP no autofocus camera, a small internal memory of around 15MB, no GPS, no accelerometer, … So the N85 comes to correct that: it’s a multimedia powerhouse that will mainly focus on gaming and music like the N81, but that will also feature everything else that you might need. The similarities between the N85 and N81 might not seem flagrant to you when you look at their pictures separately, but put them next to each other, and you will be astonished. The size and design of these two are extremely similar, and if it wasn’t for the dual-slider and the different slider design on the N85, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart that easily.
Here are a few comparison shots between the two, as well as hands-on video with the N85 that also features the N81.
A few notes from the pictures and the video:
- The N85 carries the same design language of the N78 when it comes to key lights: when it’s not being used, you can’t see the labels on the keys.
- The green and red call keys are as big as the label, ie they are these small protuberant keys that come out of the black plastic. If you press the plastic around, nothing will happen, you will have to press the small green or red button. I don’t know how practical this will be, but given that I got used to the N82’s keypad, I don’t think there might be a big issue adapting with that.
- Camera start-up time isn’t as fast as that of the N79, but then again, the N85 that we had was extremely early prototype whereas the N79 looked more like a finished project.
- The N85’s slider isn’t bad: it’s not as good as the one on the N96, but it is as good as that of the N81. It’s spring-loaded and gives you a nice satisfactory feeling when you open and close it.
- The keypad lock switch isn’t on the top of the handset like the N81 or N79, it’s on the right. Moving it to the side makes sense, but I would’ve preferred if it was placed on the left, as it would be much easier to use for right-handed people. In the video, you will see me use my left hand to lock/unlock.
- The multimedia keys light up as you need them, meaning when the music player isn’t launched, you will only see the play and stop button, when a song is playing, you will see all 4 keys, and when N-gage is going, you will find the two gaming keys.
- There is far less light leaks coming from the N85 than the N81 (and the N96 for that matter), as it is built from far less individual pieces.
- The N85’s keypad is shorter and tighter than the N81’s but a welcome change is that there is much more space above the first row, making it much easier to hit the 1, 2, 3 keys.
As for gaming, which is an aspect I have been experiencing on the N81 8GB for a while, my first impressions were that the N85 is much more ergonomic than the N81, the keys are less stiff, two factors that should make for a better gaming experience.
The N85 is probably an N95 in an N81’s dress, that also manages to pack a few quirks like the Navi-Wheel, the better battery and the 8GB microSDHC in the box, but most importantly, the 3 features that Ricky mentioned: OLED screen, microUSB charging and tri-band HSDPA. The OLED screen, in my opinion, makes all the difference, and this is something I showed you a few days ago. Pictures look more sharp, more real, and lose that white-tint that LCD screens tend to give to everything.
Overall, is the N85 as good as everyone is claiming it is? From my first impression: hell yes!
But if the N79 is the phone to beat in the market and the N96 is the flagship handset, where does that leave the N85? Well, the N85 features everything you can think of, and a bit more, and like the N79 it’s a sign of Nseries maturity, but it is more importantly a sign of things to come from the Finnish giant. It will be the proclaimed flagship by many tech lovers around the globe, it will also be the real tour-de-force coming from Nokia for the next half year.
And if you’re wondering about the fight to death that the N96 and N85 will go through when they hit the market, stay tuned for tomorrow as I bring you a side-by-side comparison between the 2 multimedia giants from Nokia.
