5 Responses to “Nokia N86 Unlocked Phone with 8 MP Camera, Auto Focus, Flash and Carl Zeiss Optics–U.S. Version with Warranty”

1. A. Hochberg Says:
   March 12th, 2010 at 4:29 pm

   I am not an expert, just a regular guy who buys a new phone every year because I like toys.

   This phone has all of the important features I need on a phone. I have had other Nokia phones and this combines all of the great features and adds some that were not present. For example:

   1. 3. 5mm Headphone jack. No more need for an adaptor for a 2. 5mm.
   
   2. Bigger screen. I guess 2. 6 is not comparable to other phones like the iPhone’s 3. 5, but this does not have a touchscreen interface. I can still text without looking using the keypad.
   
   3. The AMOLED display is rediculously clear and vibrant. My wife is using my Nokia E51 and the difference is stunning.
   
   4. 8 gb of storage plus microSD. This is more memory than I could fill up right now.
   
   5. This phone is also much faster than my E51. it takes less than 1/2 second to access any application once selected.
   
   6. Scratch resistant screen.
   
   7. The phone is well built, feels solid, a little heavy, but strong.
   
   8. The battery life is exceptional. I have used the camera for three days taking pictures, video, listening to music while I run etc. and still have 2 bars left.
   
   9. The speakerphone is LOUD. I can have my windows down on the BQE commuting to work and still here the callers over the traffic noise.
   
   10. Font sizes are adjustable and can be made noticably larger. I hate phones with tiny fonts.

   I can go on and on.

   My only concern is the camera. The video capability is great but I have been experimenting with the image quality and I don’t think it is as good as Nokia will have you believe. The 8MP camera takes 8MP pictures, but they come out dark indoors even at close range with the flash. Outdoors they are as good as you would expect from an 8MP camera , and hopefully they will release the firmware update enabling face detection that has been rumored.

   Also, the notification light for missed calls, messages, and emails is kind of weak. My E51 would scream with vibrancy lighting up my bedroom at night, where the N86 is more of a whisper.

   I would reccomend this phone for many reasons.

   Rating: 5 / 5

2. Andrew Siew Says:
   March 12th, 2010 at 7:06 pm

   The Nokia N86 is like a rare, good sequel to a great summer movie. Loaded with enough technical features to give almost any smartphone user a migrain, this new addition to the N-series comes with, among other typical smartphone features, a large 8MP camera sensor, an FM transmitter, a high capacity battery (1200mah) and a beefy, 128mb RAM.

   Nokia has been cramping more and more features into their smartphones ever since the introduction of the N95 two years ago. Physically, the N86 does not appear to be any more compact than the N95. But aside from the additional gimicks mentioned earlier, the N86 also has an additional internal 8GB flash memory and a digital compass to work with its MAPS application. To calibrate the compass, you will have to rotate the phone in two different axes when the MAPS application is active. The N86 has the same double-sliding form factor as the N95, but the front surface of the N86, unlike the N95, is all glass. The control buttons on the top will take a while for anyone to get used to, as other than the C (cancel) button, there is no indication as to what they do.

   The N86 also uses AMOLED for its display, as compared to older N-series models, making the system more power efficient and allows users to stay unplugged for a longer time. Unfortunately, AMOLED displays can’t stay on all the time like LCD displays. Therefore, you will have to rely on the “breathing” menu button LED to tell you if there is a missed call or an SMS.

   Also, for the first time (for an N-series), the USB 2. 0 connector for the N86 lets you charge the phone while you’re transferring music / images / videos in or out of the phone.

   Perhaps the best thing about the N86 is its sheer speed compared to earlier N-series models. Personally i don’t see the point of having a phone that can do everything, but can’t even keep up with a 70-dollar phone when it comes to doing text messaging or taking pictures. The N86, coupled with the 128MB RAM, allows it to be more responsive than earlier N-series models, so it doesn’t feel like a convoluted, heavy mass in your pocket. Other N-series models, like the N96 or the N95, are just trying too hard to do too many things at the same time without the RAM to handle all the tasks.

   As I’m typing this review, I have loaded over 4000 tracks into my N86, thanks to the microSD expansion slot that accepts 16Gb cards. How I wish the phone could accept more. Thanks to the increased speed, the N86 does not slow down even when it is loaded with so many music files. My N82 and N96 refused load the tracks when i go to the user menu to select my ringtone when i loaded 4000 songs into them, but the N86 was more than happy to display all 4000 tracks plus all the midi and aac tunes preloaded in the device for me to choose as the phone’s ring tone.

   The 8 MP camera won the TIPA award for best imaging phone in 2009, and it is quite obvious why. Striking a balance between file size and picture quality, the N86 produces exceptionally clean pictures during the day, and the built-in flash, although LED only, performs better than most N-series models with LED flash. Lagging is quite minimal for such a feature packed phone, and the video recording quality is on par with every high-end N-series out there.

   The FM transmitter works with the music player to broadcast music to any nearby FM radio. As such, you no longer have to worry about not being able to share you music with people that don’t use bluetooth enabled car stereos or stereos that don’t come with line inputs. You can now play your music through any car stereos or stereos that receives FM broadcast from 87. 5Mhz to 108Mhz.

   Unfortunately for the N86, the new-agey chassis and GUI design will take a bit of getting used to. It is a bit loud (especially the white version), and looks funny if you take it out of your pocket during a business lunch. Also, the presence of the USB charging ability means Nokia is not obliged to give you a proper charging port, which will force some of you to go out and buy a new car charger or spare charger as the N86 does not have a standard or mini Nokia charge port. The battery can only be charged through the USB connector, like the Nokia 8600 Luna. It is however nevertheless a speedy and powerful multimedia device and a great upgrade over many of the N-series models.
   
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. Andrew Says:
   March 12th, 2010 at 9:32 pm

   Well I just got mine today. Build quality is excellent, slider is solid, feels great in hand. Buttons are great, glass and metal/plastic case is top notch. OLED screen is also a winner, love the always on power saver clock. Overall, much improved over the N85. Phone feels snappy especially the camera, nokia messaging works well. Call quality is excellent. Pictures leave a bit to be desired, however I am used to this on early Nokia firmware. Shutter button is much improved over the horrible one on the N85. The flash is surprisingly good. The gallery and also photo viewer are still painfully slow to load the thumbnails, they stay blurry far to long, I don’t understand this as my N95 had no problems here. FM transmitter is not as good as the N85, but still a nice feature. Cell and GPS reception are excellent, compass I am sure will prove useful eventually. Overall hardware wise the phone is near perfect! As I predicted this phone is the ultimate interpretation of the dual slider N series design. The firmware is surprisingly good for an early one. I think this phone will get a following with the N95 faithful and as a result will end up with an excellent firmware within the next year. I wish I never had to use the N85 for the short while that I did. If I had been going from the N95 to the N86 I would be overjoyed. As it is going from the N95 to N85 then to N86, I just feel as though Nokia cheated me on the N85.
   
   I feel this is the true successor to the N95, I cant wait for the v30 or v31 firmware, when the software is perfect.

   If you are looking for a powerful feature packed smart phone with an excellent camera, like typing without looking, one handed and don’t mind that its not a flashy touch phone. The N86 is for you. Not to mention, you are free to multitask, don’t have to pay for an overpriced data plan and it is a pocket camera/iPod replacement.
   Rating: 5 / 5

4. J. Higgins Says:
   March 12th, 2010 at 11:10 pm

   Definitely worth every penny and I recommend this to everyone! GREAT PHONE and is loaded with features, great camera and performance!
   Rating: 5 / 5

5. Daniel Golcher Quiros Says:
   March 13th, 2010 at 12:02 am

   Well what can I say, after owning a Samsung, a Siemens, two or three Sony-ericssons and two nokias previous to this one I finally came into the Symbian world.
   
   I must say given the OS and navigation I have always considered myself a SE fanboy, however I took some solid 6 months to review and read about all kinds of phones in order to retire my trusty C702.
   
   It came down to the new LG chocolate BL-40 or something (the one that looks like a widescreen on your palm) and the nokia N86.
   
   Given that I have always thought that phones should be operated using one hand if necessary, the N86 won over the sheer sexyness of the LG. (And besides I loathe touch screens!)
   
   I had my doubts as I’ve always own bar form phones, the less parts that move the better, I still went with the N86.
   
   After two weeks with it I have seen enough to communicate my opinion.
   
   Over all this is a solid phone feels heavy in a good way in your hands, the front is quite a fingerprint magnet but the scratch resistant glass is still flawless as day one.
   
   The dual slider mechanism has an adequate resistance in either way so it is not too hard nor to soft, it is not going to snap in your pocket nor you will break it trying to slide it.
   
   The slider mechanism feels tight so there is next to no twiching or shaking from the phone components when slided either way or closed.
   
   I have huge hands and the number keys are reachable reasonably spaced and sized, however it is another issue with the secondary keys (the ones that control the games and the media player) They are far too small and too close to the edge of the screen so it is quite a pain to use them and the D-pad is not as responsive or comfortable as I would have hoped for in video game action.
   
   The camera itself is just plain outstanding! Awesome pics, in part due to the good lens it has. The low light pictures are amongs the best if not THE best I have ever seen on a cell phone. The dual LED flash is also outstanding. The AMOLED screen is gorgeous and it has a decent readability in sunlight.
   
   I feel nokia over did it with the dual speakers as they really distort the music when played at more than 50% of the volume.
   
   Memory-wise you get 8GB in theory but given all the stuff the phone packs I think I remember seeing 6GB reported on the phone when I started it the first time around, but being able to handle a 16GB micro SD memory card should be able to fix this problem in case you feel 6GB are not enough.
   
   The phone itself is fast and responsive, I could ramble on about a lot of things but I’ll instead try to just highlight my final opinions on it.
   
   PROS:
   
   Awesome camera
   
   Sturdy and well built, does not feel cheap at all.
   
   Great hardware overall with the sole flaw of the secondary slider keys design (too little space for big hands)
   
   AMOLED screen, WiFi, 16GB extendable memory
   
   CONS:
   
   It might be me but I HATE the navigation in symbian, it makes no sense, where is the file manager, why is it so hard to install software made by smaller companies? (torch software, disable shutter sound)
   
   Missing functionality, no way to turn off the shutter sound and no torch light function, (although you can install it read previous complain) NOKIA COME ON !
   
   So far I would rate this phone 4. 5 stars (Given I grow into the whole Symbian navigation) awesome phone highly recommendable.
   
   Cheers !

   Rating: 4 / 5

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