2 Different Review
Review 1
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.

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