Nokia N86 Mobile Phone

With the onslaught of touch screen smart-phones these days, it seems like a precarious step in dangerous territories for the Nokia N86. But the N86 didn’t just step in, toes first, testing the cold waters warily. No. It charges in roaring valiantly, 8 megapixels camera in hand, to stand among the competition. This is a great smart-phone, even among its touch-screen competitors.

Nokia settled smartly with a dual slide design that worked well; slide one way and you get the number dials. Slide the other way and you get the media playback buttons. Despite that, it still manages to look classy – the overall look spells dark simplicity, and it fits rather comfortably in the pocket.Perhaps its most notable feature is the 8 megapixels camera, complete with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. The picture quality is crisp and clear, and we’re happy with the camera options available. The panorama mode, specifically, lets you stitch pictures together effortlessly, which makes for some interesting photos. The dual-LED flash works fine, but we’re almost glad with the challengeable aperture settings, for better pictures in light or dark situations.

We’re also satisfied with the video recording feature,
even if the quality is in QVGA. Media playback quality
is good at most,
which worked well with the playback buttons. There’s
even a kickback stand at the back, so you can prop it
up for easy viewing.

The N86 uses the Symbian OS S60 3rd Edition, so you
can expect the same operating system as the N85 and the N96. We’ve had a little problem with the GPS and digital compass, which didn’t start up for awhile, but functionally it works pretty well.

Comparably, the N86 can stand up to the competition. Pricing in at US$554, it’s admittedly rather pricey, but if you take into account the price of most smart-phones today, touch-screen types included, the price actually denotes its value. It will unfortunately, be overshadowed by its touch-screen competitors, but if you’re willing to go simple and classic, this phone doesn’t disappoint.

Pros : Quality camera and photo options, Great designCons : Probably overshadowed by touch-phones
Nokia N86 Specifications :
Frequency : Quad-band EGSM 850/ 900 / 1800 / 1900
Screen : 2.6 inch Active Matrix OLED screen at 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA)
Connectivity : Bluetooth, USB2.0, Wi-Fi, HSDPA
Others : 8 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens
Dimensions : 103.4 x 51.4 x 16.5-18.5mm
Weight : 149g