Although I love taking pictures and I’m known amongst my friends as the one who usually ends up with the best photographic results no matter what the occasion is, the Nokia N86 8Mp didn’t really appeal to me at first. It was (and still is) undoubtedly one of the most packed mobile devices in that small cubic volume, but I was put off by a terrible experience with previous dual-slider handsets from Nokia. I also thought that a 5MP camera is more than enough for my needs (I have a standalone camera for special occasions, thank you), and that I was ready to move on to the next chapter of Symbian, with the Nokia N97 and its high-resolution screen + qwerty combo, widget goodness, and all the possibilities that a touchscreen has opened in terms of applications and games.
So the first time I found myself with a Nokia N86 8MP in my hand, I was curious, but nothing more, and I left it a few days later with the same prejudice that I came with: “cool camera, but give it to me in a different device and with a touchscreen”. It might have been fate, or just an extraordinary case of circumstances, but I have since trialled the N86 8MP 3 other times, in 3 different situations. The second one, I did a full 5-part review and came impressed but still not fully convinced it was the device for me. That was the case until I received an N86 8MP from WomWorld, and laid my eyes for the first time on the white version and not the grey one. Damn it, this thing is a beauty! If the dark grey N86 8MP is gorgeous, the white N86 8MP is just out of this world: classy, sparkly, glances conveyer, just plain beautiful. It definitely doesn’t feel like a toy the way the white N97 does.
In honor of this, I decided to do a small gallery, with the same Black & White style as my previous N97 & N86 gallery.
Loving the hardware
Other than the actual physical appeal of the device, I’ve found myself, probably for the first time, enjoying and loving the dual-slider form factor. It’s very solid on the N86, and of the 4 N86s I’ve trialled from 4 different countries, I haven’t had any build quality issue on any. That says a lot. I also enjoy the big and spaced keypad and have learned to achieve very decent typing speeds, coming from an E71, the advantage being that I can type without looking. The multimedia keys on the top slider are extremely convenient to have and make it dead easy to swap music tracks on-the-go. I have found myself several times sitting in the subway, holding the N86 in landscape browsing through Gravity, with the multimedia slider popped open to control the music pumping through my headset. It’s a simple task, but it works so simply and so seamlessly that it makes you appreciate the device a bit more. The kickstand on the back is also a killer feature that I use to prop the N86 next to my computer when I’m working on a desk.
Loving the software
Sure, it’s the plain ol’ S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, with a couple of fancy features hidden here and there, but it’s tried and true and it works flawlessly. There’s no bugs, no missing functions, no RAM issues and no tapping yourself on the forehead wondering why you did shell out your whole salary on a device that freezes every 3 seconds. Also all the regular S60 applications are compatible with it so you don’t have to worry about that.
Loving the features
The N86 isn’t just about looks, but also about features and capability. The sheer megapixel number on the camera isn’t everything, as it also adds a panorama mode, face recognition, a wide-angle lens, decent picture results at night, and most importantly true video zooming with no pixelation effect. The FM transmitter might seem like a gimmicky feature for some, but try it once, and if you find the decent frequency, you’ll never stop using it, especially if you do a lot of driving. The Am-OLED screen just adds that small glint when you want to watch a movie, and still remains very readable outdoors. Add to these 3G and HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, decent battery life, TV-Out, and the regular arsenal of features you find in any smartphone, and you have a very complete handset that does a killer job.
I guess I can no longer deny that the N86 8MP has grown on me, considerably, since the first time I tried it. I eventually came to agree with Ricky that it is the real Nseries flagship, and if you’re still doubtfull, I suggest you take a look at The Prodigal Fool’s article to see that we’re not the only persons who think that the N86 8MP is near perfect and being unrightfully overshadowed by the N97.
As I pack this white N86 8MP and prepare to send it home, I wonder if I will eventually buy one. Believe it or not, I’m actually considering getting it instead of the Nokia E72. Weird contender, but yeah. If I do decide to buy an N86 8MP though, I don’t have a single doubt in my head that it’ll be the white one and not the dark grey one. It just looks far less random and makes my heart skip a beat each time I see it. Ah…
Just got the NAM version myself and while I agree
with most of what you’ve stated/implied, I’m left a little disappointed. Two main issues:
1) Incredibly poor GPS performance. The worst Nokia I’ve owned (5800,e71,N78,N95, 6620). It won’t lock!
2) Slider is a bit “loose” already!
Have you had similar experiences?
I love N86 to..the white and with the white themes…but still i dont have an n86..I always love the looks and the camera…
I continually find myself going from my N97 back to my N86.
Some of the images I’ve got off it are just astounding, especially in low light situations.
As dotsisx mentioned the FM transmitter is one of those hidden gems that once you’ve found works well, you just can’t live without, in fact this is one feature that has sold 3 of my friends.
My next wish would be to have the Maemo OS in a X6 body with the N86 camera.
N82 was not a mistake in low light..its just misses the technology for the right sensors and latest hardware specs…
im better for the n82 successor hope it will be a n83 with special buttons just like n81 and 8mp plus a good sensors, 2.8″ touch screen for touch focus plus some numeric keypad..and the integrated gpu.
thats all i need =)
I have a N86 for about a month now.. Definitely better than my old N80 but..
Slider has a wobble (when phone is closed).
No v20 version and not coming anytime soon based on Nokia support
The integrated access points will work for Mail for exchange but not for gmail or ovi mail.
Not clear why we need to press a second link to view HTML messages in gmail
Cannot call directory contacts from mail for exchange
Browser will display messages that java is not enabled while it is actual is.
Here and now needs two presses to work.
Toolbar does not display all the bookmarks
Photos indoors results to freaky white eyes (even with red eye reduction)
Macro mode seems to be always out of focus
Camera button hard to press, results to shaky photos
Battery takes >2h to fully charge
I have the N86 Indigo Black version. The N86 8MP is really a cool awesome device but it lacks in certain areas regarding GPS, Display (Sunlight), Slide Mechanism and Speakers. What I can say is that the support from Nokia concerning the Nokia N86 8MP is totally pathetic. They released v20.115 and I must say the face detection and fixed point focus is a bonus however that firmware is full of bugs and yet still I made several contact to Nokia regarding this issue and yet still the v20.115 is available on NSU/FOTA, it’s really appalling from Nokia as the v20.115 is not a final firmware it’s a (Maintenance Release). Now going back on the N86 the AMOLED display is really a good feature but in direct sunlight its a pain to see clearly. The speakers are really bad as its the same speakers from N85. Nokia could have at least pumped up the volume or gave better speakers. Slide mechanism on my N86 is getting wobbly and loose.
For me the N82 is the king of camera.
I agree about the speaker and sound quality. Quality was better on previous N-series phone (i.e. N80, N75).
Also there seems some conflict between the audio themes and the profiles. Both of them try to set sounds for certain actions such email.
There is a whole list of minor other things that I have found but I am not sure if there are changes or bugs. For example the WLAN is missing from the standby screen and only shows up if you change the orientation of the bar.(Pictures of the N86 show the WLAN as part of the standby screen). Another one is that is that the browser in N80 allowed by hitting close (right top button) to go back to the bookmark page, in N86 this is not possible the same action closes the whole browser.
Love mine too!
Hard, rock solid, but sleek nonetheless.
Rita – Great post – and I also just wanted to say thank you for the link to my story. Much appreciated!
Currently using the white version. I love it as it is a great phone. But should I swap it for the E72?