Up Close With The Nokia N86 8MP
The Nokia N86 8MP cameraphone is due to be released in the US any day now, although it’s been available in Europe for a few months.
In this short review I’ll identify some of the main selling points that are bound to make this phone a best seller.
This cameraphone is the follow-up model to the Nokia N85, which only came out less than a year ago. Both of these smartphones share many of the same features—they use the Symbian S60 operating system, are dual-slider phones and come with a slew of applications, including GPS and Microsoft Office read-only support.
They also support 3G connectivity for fast Internet access in regions where HSDPA connectivity is offered on a cellular network. They are also quad-band cell phones, meaning that you can use them anywhere in the world. I almost forgot to mention their support for WiFi signals.
It’s also a great music cell phone with support for popular file formats, including .mp3, .wma, .aac, eAAC and eAAC+. It also includes a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.
However, the Nokia N86 8MP smartphone has two main advantages over the N85—namely 8GB of internal storage (vs. 85MB in the N85) and an 8 megapixel camera, making it the highest-resolution imaging device that Nokia offers. But like the N85, the N86 is not a touchscreen phone, so if you don’t like the idea of pressing physical buttons any longer, you might want to consider another offering, perhaps the Nokia N97.
The camera stands out from other high-end Nokia models that only have 5 megapixels with its amazing Carl Zeiss Tessar wide-angle 28mm lens. The focus range is 10 cm to infinity, while the macro focus is between 10 to 50 cm. It also offers a maximum shutter speed of 1/1000 sec, so Nokia is indeed very serious about making this phone compete aggressively with other cameraphone offerings from Samsung and Sony Ericsson.
There’s plenty of debate online about the quality of images that the Nokia N86 produces, but if you bother to print out one of the full-resolution images that are available on phone review sites like I did on my inkjet printer, you’ll realize that the phone does an indisputably fine job. Maybe not as great as a mid-range point-and-shoot camera like the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 (which takes phenomenal photos), but it holds its own.
The Nokia N86 8MP employs a dual-LED flash, which has received criticism among some cameraphone users since it is a step backward from the Xeon flash used on the Nokia N82, the much-touted previous imaging flagship device from Nokia. Nevertheless, the N86 tips the scale in its favor with its amazing low-light capabilities, meaning that you will get more natural looking photos without the need for an oppressive flash going off in your friend’s face while you’re dining in a dimly lit restaurant.
The video footage that the N86 produces is also quite impressive. This video cell phone takes the revolutionary offering of the groundbreaking Nokia N93 several steps further with improved resolution and better low-light support. You can also use the dual-LED flash as a video light if you’re shooting in dark places.
I’ve already preordered the Nokia N86 8MP, having been sold on its imaging capabilities. But quite honestly, I don’t know if I need another phone. I’m still happy with my two-year-old Nokia 6131 basic flip-phone, but I do want a device that takes great photos and can slip into my pocket.
In any case, if you want a great cameraphone put the N86 at the top of your list.
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