The defining characteristic of the Nokia N86 8MP is that it is the first 8-Megapixel camera Nokia has integrated in to any device. The fact the Nokia N86 8MP also happens to be a rather good slider phone makes this a device worth considering. See how we got on with the device in our Nokia N86 8MP review…
If you've seen our Nokia N86 8MP Unboxing then you'll know we've been checking this phone out over the last few days. The Nokia N86 8MP is very much follows in the tradition of Nokia slider phones. It’s a solid and reliable mix of plastic and metal that weighs in at a more than satisfactory 149g.
On the front of the device you’ll find a 2.6-inch AM OLED screen, which we think loos fantastic. It’s bright, clear and whether you’re checking out photos, your Calendar or reading email, it’s one of the best screens we’ve seen. The screen has a standard 240 x 320 pixel resolution and thanks to the accelerometer inside, we found switching between Landscape and Portrait mode takes little more than a second.
It ships with the S60 3rd Edition OS on-board, so you won’t find a touchscreen but the omni-directional navigation pad and six function buttons surrounding it make navigating the device quite easy. Being a slider phone, the numberpad is hidden away on a rather firm slider control. The keypad is a good size and the keys are individually mounted. The keys are also backlit, making it easy to type a message or input a number in even dark conditions.
As we mentioned in our First Impressions of the Nokia N86 8MP, the big selling point for this smartphone will be the 8-Megapixel camera. It comes with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash and its own built-in lens cover. We’ll be running a full camera review over the next few days but you can check out a couple of indoor and outdoor test shots below.
Check out the Nokia N86 8MP tech spec
The camera comes with dual-LED rather than Xenon flash, which we find a sensible solution as it keeps the price down and means the phone is more robust than it otherwise would be.
When it comes to features this smartphone doesn’t miss a trick. So, we have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA connectivity and it even ships with A-GPS and N-Gage, making it one of the most all-round feature-rich devices in the N Series line-up.
What’s more, it ships with 8GB of storage, which is great for storing plenty of photos, as well as music. You’ll find a 3.5mm audio jack so you can use standard headphones. If you need to add more memory, the microSD slot will support up to 16GB cards.
Then there are little touches, like the stand on the back of the device, or the use of micro USB that really gives this device a flexible level of use. There is keyguard on the side of the phone, which can be a little awkward to use but other than that, we really like how the N86 8MP works.
There is increasing pressure to make all smartphones touchscreen but the Nokia N86 8MP bucks this trend rather nicely. We’ve found it works well and we’ve really fallen for the Nokia N86 8MP. The build quality is excellent and the overall usability of the smartphone is more than we were expecting. If you’re in the market for a great all-rounder, this could well make the perfect choice.
Check out the Nokia N86 8MP review image gallery:
