Nokia N86 8MP

GSMArena team, 18 June 2009

This latest Nseries offshoot can be many things and will probably strive to satisfy quite a lot of your daily digital media and connectivity needs. However one thing's for sure - it's been a while since we last saw a cameraphone as revolutionary as Nokia N86 8MP.

Nokia have been quite late coming up with their own player in the megapixel race and they are still falling behind in pure numbers. However their wide-angle, variable aperture, mechanical shutter camera changed the way we think of shooting stills with cameraphones much like the Omnia HD reshaped the digital video recording on a mobile phone.

Nokia N86 8MP official photos

The goodies on board the Nokia N86 8MP make quite a count, including but not limited to a 2.6-inch AMOLED screen, dual-slide form factor, an active kickstand, 8GB of internal memory, a microSDHC card slot, FM transmitter, Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity and a digital compass, a 3.5mm audio jack and TV out. There's also quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA support for a truly worldwide voice and data roaming.

But have a look at the specs yourselves.

Nokia N86 8MP at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
• Form factor: Dual-slide design
• Dimensions: 103.4 x 51.4 x 16.5 mm
• Display: 2.6-inch 16M color QVGA AMOLED display with scratch-resistant surface
• Memory: 8GB storage memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• OS: Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 UI 3rd edition with FP2
• Platform: ARM 11 434 MHz processor, 128MB RAM
• Camera: 8 megapixel auto focus camera with dual LED flash, wide 28mm Carl Zeiss lens, variable aperture, mechanical shutter, geo-tagging, time-lapse shooting and VGA@30fps video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP, standard microUSB port, standard 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS and Ovi Maps
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, active kickstand, FM radio with RDS, FM transmitter, digital compass
• Battery: 1200 mAh battery

The Nokia N86 8MP is quite an accomplished smartphone with rich equipment. Perhaps the only disappointment is the screen - we couldn't help a sigh over the now aging Nokia N95 8GB 2.8-inch screen, not to mention that QVGA resolution hardly cuts it anymore.

Camera-wise however, the N86 8MP seems to reduce the distance to point-and-shoot digicams quite successfully. Its camera performance is yet to stand trial by fire but the specs look impressive.

Nokia N86 8MP held in hand

Let's not waste any more time then and slide the Nokia N86 8MP up for a quick preview of what it's worth. We promise, the fully detailed review is just around the corner - it should hit our homepage some time next week. Until then, hop on the quick and dirty preview bandwagon.

Nokia N86 8MP 360-degree spin

At 103.4 x 51.4 x 16.5 mm, totaling a volume of 69 cc the Nokia N86 8MP is a medium-sized handset considering its features. The dual-slide design that Nokia seems so keen on certainly adds a few millimeters.

The weight of 149 grams though is a whole other story, making the Nokia N86 8MP the heaviest 8MP handset to date. The solid feel that this kind of weight gives was much appreciated in our team but some users will think differently and will probably have every right to do so - it's heavy, there are no two opinions on that.

Design and construction

Placing the Nokia N86 8MP and the N81 side-by-side reveals striking resemblance. However the devil is in the details and in this case the whole difference in the world lays in the different materials used. While we are still not particularly happy about the shiny fingerprint-gathering front, the plastic on the back panel feels really nice and looks just the same as Nokia N97.

Nokia N86 8MP next to Nokia N81

We also have to admit that the fingerprints on the front panel aren't as easily visible as with some other phones, except fort the metallic frame which can easily be turned into a smudgy mess - the front frame is practically the same as Nokia N97 as well.

We do like the new materials though

The Nokia N86 8MP front panel is mostly taken by the 2.6" 16M-color AMOLED display of QVGA resolution. It seems identical to the one found on the Nokia N85 once again pointing out the fact that the N86 8MP was meant more as an update of N86 than a totally new phone.

AMOLED technology is still exciting enough with all its benefits, but the QVGA resolution is starting to seem outdated. In times where LG and Samsung are introducing feature phones with WVGA screens, having a flagship of any kind with less than a quarter of their pixel count is hardly a commendable achievement.

The AMOLED display is pretty decent, despite that it only comes with QVGA resolution

The keys below the display are easily operated and seem to work just fine in most of the cases.

Most of those keys are too tiny for our fingers

At least the D-pad with its sloped sides is much more comfortable than it looks. While it's a bit on the smaller side, hitting the confirmation center is about as easy as the directions, although at first glance you may guess the opposite.

The alphanumeric keypad is a mixed bag - the keys seem sufficiently spaced, but they could have been even larger (there's quite a bit of wasted space) and their press feedback is a bit insufficient for proper use.

Not really a looker, the keypad still does the job

When you slide the Nokia N86 8MP the other way around, the four multimedia keys get revealed. You use them to control the music player or the gallery. The middle pair can also be used for gaming and is quite handy with some of the N-gage titles.

The other part of the slider screams Nokia out loud

The left side of Nokia N86 8MP hosts a tiny lock/unlock slider, which as the name implies, toggles the keypad locking.

We can't really understand why Nokia chose to incorporate the thing anyways - sliders rarely need dedicate lock/unlock keys, as the locking feature is easily toggled by the slider mechanism itself.

Sliding the camera cover automatically unlocks the phone as well, so this little slider seems quite redundant to us no matter what Nokia focus groups have to say about that.

But it's already there anyway, and if it doesn't help much, at least it doesn't get in the way, so we don't really mind its presence.

The lock slider is again too small

Design and construction (continued)

The camera key on the other side is comfortable enough, making a satisfying click, each time it is pressed. The volume rocker doesn't make any noises but is equally pleasant to use.

The camera key on the other hand is just great

The power key may be a bit too small to our liking but you'll probably end up using that quite rarely anyway. The microUSB slot and the 3.5mm jack, which share the N86 8MP top with it, aren't protected at all from the daily dirt and grime - especially if you carry your phone around in your pocket.

The power key is on top, along with the microUSB and the 3.5mm jack

The Nokia N86 8MP back side is easily our favorite part of the handset due to the sleek looks of the plastic used - think N97 style. It hosts the 8MP wide-angle camera and the dual-LED flash, hidden under a small protective cover.

The back is where the fun starts

The active kickstand is there around the camera and by default it starts the image gallery when you flip it open. We would rather fancy watching videos with the phone on its kickstand, so Nokia have added an option to customize its behavior to suite the individual needs.

The kickstand is active, automatically starting the gallery once opened

Under the hood lays the 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery, which sounds quite decent on paper. Nokia quote it to last for up to 312 hours of stand-by and 6 hours and 18 minutes of talk time in 2G network, while using 3G should give you up to 264 hours of stand-by and 3 hours and 54 minutes of talk time. Unfortunately, we cannot publish any real-life figures - we'll probably leave that for the upcoming detailed review next week.

The 1200 mAh battery promises decent endurance

The slider mechanism seems finely tuned with the effort required to put it in motion just about perfect. It gives away a satisfying click every time it locks in one of the three positions. The rest of the build quality also seems pretty fine at first sight, making the phone a joy to handle even with a hefty weight like that.

We enjoyed holding the N86 8MP even though it is on the heavy side

So at first glance the Nokia N86 8MP is not that fun to use - its design is heavily based on another phone announced almost an year ago (read Nokia N85), there are hardly any novel controls on it and finally, it's a quite heavy phone. On the other hand, the build quality seems top-notch and all the materials used are the same as the high-ranking Nokia N97 so you can rest assured you get Nokia's best.

We really didn't mean this to sound bad - judging the exterior is quite frequently a subjective thing, so when you consider our observations, bear in mind that they are really OUR OWN and they won't necessarily impose on you too.

Ok, if you've had enough of this eye inspection, head on to the next page for a quick and dirty Symbian smartphone walkthrough.

New icons, old Symbian

It's been a while since we last welcomed a classic Nseries device at our office. Nokia N85 was the last one to call by, and now we meet its successor - the Nokia N86 8MP. The seven-month long gap naturally brings some new UI graphics and some changes under the hood and there they are implemented on the Nokia N86.

The first thing you will notice is the new icons all around the UI. We already met them in the touch controlled 5800 and N97.

The standby theme and main menu have no changes as we speak of functionality. All the usual suspects are here and remain the same - Maps, Tools, Settings, Messages, etc.

Nokia N86 8MP theme and menus

The standby screen has the three familiar styles - vertical bar, horizontal bar and a basic view. They are also updated with the Symbian touch edition icons.

In the end, it's the same old UI, but in new, more elegant and modern clothing.

The white theme

Spinning wheel of images

The gallery of Nokia N86 8MP uses the good-looking and well-known 3D rotating view that has been reserved for Nseries turf only. However we saw the same gallery on the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic, so we guess even old traditions break under the pressure of modern competition.

The speed of photo browsing increases if you press and hold the direction buttons on the D-pad. This allows quick skipping of tons of files if you're not in the habit of cleaning up your file system every now and then.

The image gallery

Otherwise, the Nseries gallery brings no changes in terms of features - pictures can be viewed in both portrait and landscape mode and zoomed in up to 400%. Zooming speed has received a small boost and while it's not a record breaker by any means, it's noticeably faster than say, a certain Samsung INNOV8, which runs the same OS.

You've already seen the nice little kickstand that Nokia N86 comes with. It's probably good to know that it's active meaning that when you flip it open, the image gallery automatically kick in on screen. The image gallery may be the default application top launch, but in fact that behavior is customizable and you can set some other feature or even an application or a game to launch when you hit the kickstand open. The same goes for the shorter, reversed direction of the slider as well.

Configurable active kickstand

The music player, just like the gallery and most of the user interface, does not come with any changes. It's the familiar Nseries player we (and probably you as well) have met so many times before.

The music player

Quite naturally, the music player can also be minimized to play in background. In this case a tab appears on the stand-by screen indicating the currently running track.

Video player is still intact - the Real player. As usual DivX and XviD decoding is not supported and you'll need third party software to add that.

Ovi Maps onboard

If you haven't heard already, Nokia have went as far as renaming the good old Nokia Maps as Ovi Maps to secure a strong foothold for their fledgling online Ovi services.

There are no differences besides the name - it offers the same functionality and controls. As usual it does an excellent job - especially when you activate the voice guided navigation that comes with a free three-month licence.

The Ovi Maps

Nokia N86 8MP also features a digital compass. It's available through Ovi Maps and for it to work you need the map zoomed on your current GPS position. And don't forget to check if the phone sensors are turned on from the settings menu. If these requirements are fulfilled you'll see the small compass icon lightning in green and the map will automatically rotate as you do.

N-Gage powered

After the completely lack of any N-Gage presence in the N97 (although it was said to support it much like every other Nseries device out there), it seems that Nokia have managed to ship N86 8MP with N-gage support right out of the box.

The N-Gage app

There are some good 15 trial titles pre-installed and one full unlocked game. Don't expect too much - it's just the Tetris, but you will enjoy some of the other games and most of them cost only a few bucks.

Playing Star Wars

Well, that's about it - there aren't really many new things to share about the current S60 implementation. But that doesn't mean Nokia N86 8MP doesn't hide a good number of other exciting features. You are welcome to jump on the next page for a scoop of what the 8 megapixel camera offers on this thing.

Focusing on the 8MP wide-angle camera

The key selling point of the Nokia N86 8MP, as painfully evident by its name, is its 8 megapixel camera. Sporting 28mm (in 35mm terms) wide-angle lens, autofocus and dual-LED flash it is pretty well equipped as far as hardware is concerned. A xenon flash would have left very little more to be demanded but we guess Nokia doesn't favor those anymore.

However being the first handset to feature 28mm lens, the Nokia N86 8MP is still guaranteed to excite every proper geek out there. For those of you unfamiliar with the material we will explain that the 28mm lens gives you roughly 20 percent larger angle of view when looking through the viewfinder.

To make this advantage even more obvious, here's a collage illustrating the framing difference between a regular cameraphone and the wide-angle Nokia N86 8MP.

28mm vs 35mm lens angle of view

The wide-angle lens is especially useful when taking landscape and architecture photos as you don't need to go as far back to fit the whole subject in the frame.

On the negative side wide-angle lens aren't as suitable for photographing portraits from close range as people's faces turn out unnaturally distorted. It's not that 35mm is that great for making portraits either but 28mm is even worse.

Another disadvantage of the 28mm lens is that fitting more stuff in the same frame means that the things in it are actually smaller (described by fewer pixels, if you wish) and if you don't need the extra angle of view you are just wasting resolution.

Mind you, granted all other things are equal, we would take a 28mm wide angle cameraphone any day - it's just seems more suited for all-purpose walk-around uses.

Another cameraphone innovation found on the Nokia N86 8MP is its variable aperture. It's not technically a first since the Motorola Motozine ZN5 was the pioneer here but it's still rare enough.

In layman's terms, theory says the variable aperture allows the camera to choose either the benefit of better-than-standard light sensitivity or better-than-standard sharpness throughout the whole depth of the photo.

And to use the proper terminology, Nokia N86 8MP shoots at F/2.4 to let more light in low-light conditions and to F/3.2 or F/4.8 when light conditions allow it. Technically the photos at smaller apertures (indicated by a larger F-stop value) should be sharper and with larger depth of field than photos shot by any other 8 megapixel cameraphone on the market.

Unfortunately Nokia didn't give the users any kind of manual control over the aperture value and it is all automatic. We are not saying that such an option will be used too much but why not give the occasional enthusiastic user the choice.

The camera UI of Nokia N86 8MP is the same as the one back in N85. It offers extensive settings - starting from manual white balance and ISO sensitivity (up to ISO800) and including exposure compensation, sharpness and contrast settings. Various effects are also at hand, labeled color tones. You can also customize the toolbar by deciding which options to appear and in what order.

Camera user interface

Another nice camera feature is geotagging, which by the way, works with videos, too. GPS locks are comparatively fast but you still might want to wait about a minute before your first shot.

An area where the Nokia N86 8MP disappoints compared to its rivals is camera features. We aren't talking about settings here but rather about those nice little perks that almost all midrange point-and-shoot cameras sport for quite a while now.

In other words, there is no face recognition, blink detection or smile recognition. Not to mention the 120fps and time-lapse video recording modes found on the competing handsets. This is not an issue big enough to ruin the whole deal but it is nice to have them onboard a camera flagship.

At least the panorama mode is present and it works pretty good. It automatically detects the direction in which you are rotating the camera and takes the shots at the required interval. The size of each individual shot is 1280 x 860 pixels but some of it gets wasted due to the vertical movement of the camera. Still we managed to make a 3-shots panorama with a height of almost 800 pixels which is pretty impressive stuff. And with the 28mm lens 3 shots are probably the most that potential users are ever going to need.

Panorama mode interface

The Nokia N86 8MP also offers a nicely customizable time-laps stills shooting mode that lets you leave the phone on a nice vantage point and have it shoot at custom intervals for as long as you want. The resulting photos can be compiled into some really nice looking videos if you have the little technical knowledge needed to process them on a computer later on.

Since this is only a preview we are doing here today, we aren't going to get too technical on the Nokia N86 8MP image quality. We are only going to mention that we did notice some strange artifacts as a result of processing algorithm imperfections here and there. The fine detail also doesn't seem well resolved but the rest of the components are about right. We will be able to tell you more when the full review is completed next week.

So here go the photos that we managed to do for the short time given, for you to enjoy. We will start with a few side-by-side comparisons between the Nokia N86 8MP and the Samsung i8510 INNOV8, which is certainly one of the best cameraphones available on the market. Just have in mind that angle of view thingy before you rush to any conclusion.

Nokia N86 8MP • Samsung i8510 INNOV8 • Nokia N86 8MP • Samsung i8510 INNOV8

Nokia N86 8MP • Samsung i8510 INNOV8 • Nokia N86 8MP • Samsung i8510 INNOV8

And here go some more Nokia N86 8MP samples for you to enjoy.

Nokia N86 8MP camera samples

We also snapped our resolution chart with the Nokia N86 8MP. The results are much better than the ones we got from the Nokia N97 - you can really tell the advantage of the 8 megapixel camera over the 5 megapixel one.

Nokia N86 8MP resolution chart photo • 100% crops

Nokia N97 resolution chart photo • 100% crops

28mm add fun to video recording

As for video recording, the N86 8MP camera shoots in the now-midrange VGA resolution at the sweet 30fps. Videos are captured in MPEG-4 format and can have automatic or manual white balance. The other available settings are night mode, exposure and color effects. You can also choose whether the dual-led flash should be turned on to act as a video light.

Leaving the fact that VGA is no longer top-of-the-ladder achievement aside, the quality of the videos is pretty good. There is plenty of resolution and the details are nicely sharpened. The colors are also well reproduced and the 28mm lens adds a really nice touch to the videos. The perspective changes more than one might expect to produce some pretty interesting videos.

Nokia N86 8MP camera sample video

First impressions

The Nokia N86 certainly is an interesting device. We did enjoy the short time we spent with it and most of our first impressions are quite in its favor. We may have a grudge or two with ergonomics, as well as screen size and resolution, but that's about all one can have against it.

The first 28mm cameraphone most certainly won't be able to stay out of the spotlight even if it wanted to. An interesting device it certainly is, but if it deserves the GSMArena thumbs-up remains to be seen.

Our upcoming review proper will hopefully clear up any remaining doubts about the N86 8MP full potential.