- Nokia N86 8MP Review – First Impressions
- Nokia N86 8MP Review – 7 Things I love
- Nokia N86 8MP Review – 7 Things I Hate
- Nokia N86 8MP Review – Hardware
- Nokia N86 8MP Review – Software
- Falling In Love With The Nokia N86 8MP, Against All Odds
- The Nokia N86 8MP Is The Real Nseries Flagship
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…
