Ewan, proud owner of the Nokia N85, has decided to do a direct comparison of his phone with the new N86 8MP, widely leaked as originally intended on being the N85 8MP. What are the essential differences between the two devices, how significant are they, and were Nokia right to go with the new model number? Ewan says 'Yes', and Rafe agrees, in a special editorial postscript, although their reasons for agreeing are somewhat different - as you'll see.
Read on in the full article.
Good article and I agree that the n86 is a good device to upgrade to. But somehow, with the 5th edition been out there, it makes me uncomfortable to buy a device that is still on the 3rd edition. Feels like buying outdated technology. Knowing Nokia, you never know when they would suddenly decide that no more support for the 3rd edition devices. We are all aware of the list of devices that they have abandoned.
i think the 5th edition and 3rd edition are markedly different in one is touch centric and the other is not. there is room for the two to coexist. not everyone wants a touchscreen phone. maybe nokia can phase out the s40 phones and stick with the two versions of s60.
It is irrelevant that these phones are further derivations, what is important is that they are damn good. I handled my first N85 yesterday. Solidly built excellent slider phone, feature packed, well spec'd and impressive. Very pocketable and compact. The N85 seems to be going under the radar as the touch 5800 grabs the glory but deserves moer exposure, especially for us outdoor winter gloved hand users.
I had seen on some sites listing a digital compass for the N86. Is this true? That would be another great sensor to have if it can "compass-tag" photos.
I noticed that Nokia have started introducing new processors in their devices. The old ARM11 running at 369MHz, has been used for some years now, including the N85. Whilst the N86 is stated to be runing at 434MHz.
This could have 2 implications, the difference in the battery time and perhaps faster transistions+ photo processing?
Well I hope so.
More style related to the N97, yes I see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc1MuUkD5Io
If only it had 720p video recording 😞
I knew I had forgotten another hardware difference.
Yes it does have a digital compass - this makes a very significant difference to the navigation experience. This applies most for pedestrian navigation. If you get of a tube, for example, I find I nearly always have orientation problems (and will sometimes walk 100 meters in the wrong direction). Compass solves this,
It also has some interesting application related to augmented reality (point and find becomes more useful), and adds a very interesting extra to geotagging.
Could you also post direct camera quality comparative shots? At MWC, I wasn't allowed to beam the test photos I've taken to my other devices (unlike with, for example, the showcased, new WinMo devices); that is, I couldn't directly compare the low-light pic quality of it to my N95.
srw985 wrote:If only it had 720p video recording 😞
Yeah... this is why I'm eagerly awaiting the Omnia HD - albeit I know it'll only have a short battery life in HD recording mode.
Rafe wrote:I knew I had forgotten another hardware difference.Yes it does have a digital compass - this makes a very significant difference to the navigation experience. This applies most for pedestrian navigation. If you get of a tube, for example, I find I nearly always have orientation problems (and will sometimes walk 100 meters in the wrong direction). Compass solves this,
It also has some interesting application related to augmented reality (point and find becomes more useful), and adds a very interesting extra to geotagging.
Well, that steals it for me then. N86 may well be my next investment. I too am getting fed up of walking in the wrong direction while trying to navigate on foot lol.
The percentage of touchscreen phones in Nokia's line-up is extremely low when compared to its main competitors (Samsung, LG, SE). And so it's the percentage of Nokia phones with screen resolution higher than QVGA. To keep releasing even more S60 3rd ed. phones with QVGA screens like the N86 is unconscionable.
no 3D hardware accleration, its not worth considering this device...
I was reading the spec sheet on both phones yesterday and it would appear that the N86 doesn't have a touch sensitive navi-wheel like the N85, is this the case? You're comparison of the two phones didn't list this as being absent on the N86.
I'm not sure whether if its even worth upgrading anymore, I've had my N82 since its launch, and these new Nokia phones feel uninspired as there isn't the big jump in technology I was expecting. I remember owning the good old N73 and jumping to the N82 when it came out and there was a massive difference in terms of technology. I'll pass on the N86, maybe the N97 would be a better option for me.
i heard there's some software problem with N85, which is why there's the N86. is the software bit true? anyone experienced that?
where are camera shots you fucking cock fucker
MANY thanks for the great review!
yea there was some software issues self-unfixable (had to send it to repair). and later on the navi wheel didnt work anymore ,and it crashed my 8gb card. 😞 also the plastic front-keypanel on it cracked and popped off ,also the sliding lock key broke.
other than that the n85 is a great phone ,with tons of good features (btw some 3dgames/aplications works too)
but as for the bad luck ive had withit and my cyrrent money situation. im goin to get the n86.