N86 / N85/ N96…!!! what to select!!

It would be interesting to compare the three same design phones N86, N85, N96..just to see how far Nokia’s dual-sliding form factor and multimedia Nseries range has gone.

As you probably already know, the Nokia N96 was Nokia’s second handset to come in a dual-sliding form factor, the Nokia N85 the third, and the Nokia N86 8MP the fourth (and latest).These phones actually exhibit how a media-centric Nseries phone should look like, with external music keys, large screens and loads of connectivity options for sharing content. Nokia’s been messing around with these types of phones for quite some time now, and with the Nokia N86 8MP, it looks like they’ve hit the proverbial jackpot once again.

The Nokia N86 8MP is only a tad larger than the Nokia N85 (0.4 x 1.4 x 0.5mm to be exact). This means that newest of the bunch is just as pocketable as both of its earlier versions.

The Nokia N96 didn’t exactly wow the crowd with its 5 megapixel camera and dual-LED flash, and neither did the Nokia N85 (the biggest reason being the Nokia N82, with its vastly more powerful and useful built-in Xenon flash). The Nokia N86 8MP, however, is a different story, as it is Nokia’s very first 8 megapixel cameraphone. This is a landmark phone for the company, and as usual it also comes with a Carl Zeiss lens and Tessar optics for better image quality. Actually an update was required here,( as usual, a dual-LED flash which hampers it to become great built-in camera).

If you notice, they all also have the easy access external music control keys when they are slid down, which first appeared on the Nokia N95. All three designs look the same, except for the Nokia N86 8MP, whose buttons look more rounded, and appear to have zoom in/out keys. This is probably intended for use when taking photos, which means that Nokia decided to move the zoom in/out function from the volume keys to these buttons.

As for their screens, well, the Nokia N96 is a bit out of place since both the N85 and N86 8MP feature OLED screens, which have been proven to kick LED arse any day. Screen size is the same across al units at 2.6-inches, displaying up to 16M colors in 320 x 240 resolution.

Nokia N86 8MP Nokia’s new imaging flagship, since even though it has an 8 megapixel camera, it’s still no match for the 5 megapixel Nokia N82 with its Xenon flash. And it’s just about the same as the old Nokia N85 or even the Nokia N96 in the form factor, software, and overall features front, so I can’t see where Nokia will position this handset. Guys who have the Nokia N85 won’t be eager to upgrade to this thing, and the question remains whether the 8MP camera will be enough to sway some users.