Nokia N85 - Hands-on first impressions
Published by Rafe Blandford at 15:36 UTC, August 29th 2008
Rafe takes a preliminary look at the Nokia N85. Looking at the key differences with earlier devices, new technologies and the evolution of the dual slider.
(Those looking for a full review should start at part one of Ewan's review of the N85 production hardware).
Introductory note
Please bear in mind that these impressions, observations and pictures come from prototype hardware and software. As such they should be seen as indicative only, we will have to wait for production hardware and software before drawing any final conclusions.
Design
The N85 follows the design language of the Nseries, first seen in the N81. However there are subtle differences; it is generally more rounded and smoother feeling than its predecessors and fits comfortably into the hand. First impression opinion on design is, as ever, very subjective and personal; for me, the N85 didn't have the same wow factor as the N78 or E71, but there's no immediate objective criticism I can offer either.
The front casing, a glossy black plastic, still attracts fingerprints, but seems to be easier to clean than the N78/N96. The sides of the device have the same hard plastics - this time in a brown colour. The back of the device has the familiar 3D 'adzed' plastics, also in brown. Colour variants are expected to be available sometime next year.
The overall build quality is excellent, the slider mechansim feels very solid and there is no side to side wobble, a definite improvement over the N95 family. The upper slider is slightly thicker and heavier than the N95, but if anything this makes the handset feel more balanced when held in the hand.
The screen is 2.6 inches in size, this is the same as the N95 classic, but 0.2 inches smaller than the N95 8GB and N96. For those looking to move over from the N95 8GB, this is the only real downside, but given the AM OLED screen technology (see below) is probably worthwhile.
The control cluster is generously spaced compared to previous dual sliders. The N85 8GB was restricted to a small area, for example (mainly because of the bigger screen). The D-pad/NaviWheel is well sized, which should make it easier to use. The S60, cancel and softkeys have intelligent illumination, they will fade away when not in use (e.g. in camera mode). Similarly, the multimedia controls on the top slide can change between being media controls (music and video) and gaming controls (N-Gage).
On the left hand side of the device there's the microSD card slot, while on the right side there's the camera capture key, a keylock slide button (a welcome return), and the volume rocker (doubles as a zoom key in Photos and Camera application, as usual). The twin stereo speakers are on opposite ends of the right side of the device.
The top of the device houses the power key, the 3.5mm audio jack (also used for TV-out), the microUSB port (connectivity and charging) and a lanyard connection point. The numeric keypad is made of a single piece of flat plastic with small ridges separating each row. Each key still has its own key-dome (underneath the plastic) and tactile feedback is good. In its current state I'd rate the keypad as about the same as the N95 and better than the N81.
The back of the device houses the 5.0 megapixel camera, the lens of which is protected by a simple slide. The slide is easy to operate and built to last - an improvement over the N95 classic which tended to be a bit fiddly and 'gunge' up. In good conditions, you can expect broadly similar results to Nokia's other 5.0 megapixel camera devices. In dark conditions you should get better results, especially at close quarters, thanks to the improved 'dual LED' flash. However, it is not just the fact that there are two of them for improved performance - the micro optics have also been tweaked. The overall result is a flash that is roughly three times brighter than that of the N95 classic. While the dual LED flash will not freeze the moment like a Xenon flash does, it should go a long way to improving photo taking in low light conditions.
AM OLED screen in the real world
The difference that the N85's AM OLED screen makes compared to earlier Nsereis devices is immediately apparent when you switch on the device. The screen is brighter and the colours sharper, but what really stood out, for me, was the accuracy of the darker colours. On the AM OLED screen black really is black; this is because there is no backlight, as there is for LCD screens, to cause light leakage. The N85 has the best screen I have seen on a small mobile device and unquestionably sets a new standard for the Nseries.
I talked about some of the technical improvements that come with AM OLED technology in our N85 news story, but it really is a case of 'seeing is believing'. Personally I feel this technological improvement is at least as significant as an increase in screen resolution.
This photo gives a reasonable idea of the differences in the screens between the N85, N78 and N9 58GB
The difference is less noticeable in this photo, but it doesn't really do the AM OLED screen justice.
This photo demonstates the improved viewing angle of the AM OLED screen,
but also gives a good indication of the brightness.
For video the AM OLED screen is also a boon, the addred brightness and colour definition is particularly noticebale in fast moving videos. More generally any application of theme that uses dark colours benefits from the improved contrast ratio. Overall the screen is more readbale too - small fonts are less of a strain than previous devices.
Nokia N85 size - the dual slider shrinks
The N85 measures in at 103 x 50 x 16mm which makes it around 25% thinner than previous dual sliders (N95 8GB: 21mm, N96 20mm). What this means is that the N85 - slide closed, in the hand, feels much closer in size to the N78 and N79. It doesn't match the thinness of phones like the E71, but goes a long way to making the dual slide form factor more pocketable. Given that the N85 matches the N95 8GB, feature for feature, and manages to add a few extras (FM transmitter, USB charging), the N85 is an extremely impressive engineering achievement.
N95 8GB vs N85 thickness: the N85 is notably thinner.
There's no IrDA on the N85, but the audio jack position is much improved.
N85 vs N79 vs N78 - all these phones are similar in size. Although, of course, the N85 feels bigger
with the slide open. However the N85 is significantly heavier, which maybe a factor for some.
Charging with a difference
The N85 supports USB charging via the microUSB port found on the top of the device. The N85 will include the Nokia AC10 charger in the box, but you'll also be able to charge by connecting a standard cable to any powered USB port on any computer. This is a very welcome, and long overdue, change for the Nseries. Being able to carry around just one cable for charging and connectivity is a real boon, especially as microUSB is also used by a variety of other devices.
The N85 does not have a 2mm power port so you'll have to wave a fond farewell to all the old style Nokia chargers (although there's a good chance adaptors will be available).
The new style microUSB charger
The N85 has a 1200 mAh battery, another improvement over the N95 family, and should be enough the last through a day even with relatively heavy usage. The power efficient properties of both S60 3.2 and the OLED screen will further boost the battery usage time.
Software suite
The N85 runs the Nseries edition of S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. It is essentially the same as that found on the Nokia N78 and you can read our N78 review (part 2 and part 3) for more details.
The only difference of note is that the N85 will ship with more recent versions of Nokia's Ovi services: Nokia Maps 2.0 (N78 has version 1.2) and the full N-Gage client (N78 has a placeholder).
Concluding thoughts
The N85 may not be the giant leap forward of the N95, but it is most definitely a significant evolution; I think it is the most important in the last 2 years [for Nseries hardware]. The new screen technology, USB charging, added WCDMA bands and size reduction all add significant extra value. Those upgrading from the N95 family will also welcome the addition of an FM transmitters, RDS support in the FM radio and an upgraded version of S60.
The N85 will be a best seller - a critical factor is a reasonable price point; the N85 will launch at a price of 450 Euros (before taxes and subsidies). Competing devices, such as the Nokia N96 and Samsung I8510 (INNOV8) are likely to have a significant price premium over the N85 and this could be critical in consumer and operator take up. While the top end of power users will look to the N96 and I8510 as their next phone, the majority of people will look at the value equation of functionality against price and opt for the N85. Indeed, the N85's biggest competitor is likely to be the N95 8GB. The N85 does have a number of significant advantages over the N95 8GB in hardware terms, but the core phone and multimedia functionality is very similar.
Nokia continues to impress with its high-end hardware and still doesn't really have a true global competitor in this space. When you step back and think about what the device can do you really do appreciate that they are engineering marvels.
The N85 will be a key product for Nokia in the first half of 2009. In due course, Nokia will be announcing its first touch-enabled S60 device, which will no doubt attract a lot of media attention. Despite this, the N85 (and its sister device the N79) are far more significant overall. Touch is undoubtedly going to have a place, but the majority of users will stick with one handed, softkey based devices for the foreseeable future.
Nokia N78, Nokia N79, Nokia N95 8GB and Nokia N85
See Also
News: Nokia N85 - the dual slider evolves: OLED, USB charging, tri-band WCDMA
Gallery: Nokia N85 (including high resolution images of photos on this page)
Review: Part One of the N85 Review of the production/retail unit.
Share This (Digg, del.icio.us, Facebook, etc.)
Categories: Hardware
Platforms: S60 3rd Edition
Feature Discussion
Steamer
Make no mistake, Nokia packaging all that into such a small device is a MASSIVE improvement over anything before. For my needs, nothing touches the N85. Small, discreet and powerful.
Tzer2
The cat picture comparison is the most impressive example IMHO, the N85's image looks like a printed photo while the other devices look more like computer monitors.
Tzer2
By the way, where ARE the S60 and C keys? :-)
I know they're unlit when not in use, but they don't seem to be visible on any of the photos.
Kazutoyo
Very cool. Sure hope that Nokias next xenon flash candybar (whenever it arrives) will use OLED and support USB charging.
argh
Yeah, an idea of what keys are available (no pencil key, right?) and possibly a picture of the slider slid in the other direction would have rounded the preview off nicely.
Rafe
The S60 keys and cancel keys are at the button between the D-pad and send/end keys - right and left respectively. And yes there's no pencil key - the hash key can be used instead.
There's a picture of the upper slide in the gallery linked at the bottom of the articles. However the key illumination was not working properly on this proto (though you can see it in the video attached to the N85 news [linked at bottom of article]). Incidentally this is why it's a first impression article not a preview (let alone a review). We'll revisit much of this once we have production hardware / software - however thought people would appreciate a write up now. :)
I'll see if I can get a better picture and add it to the article tomorrow (or look
here).
Antoine of MMM
First with the E71 and now the N85; Nokia's engineers are impressive as all get out in terms of what they are packing into these devices. Its really pretty amazing.
Makes me wonder what the real jump in tech will look like for them; because in some respects the N85 seems like a play until something bigger comes.
sjhong
Looks like a nice device and it makes me wonder if Nokia didn't shoot itself in the foot by not making the N96 available earlier. It looks like both phones will be available at the same time and, considering the feature packages and the price difference, the N85 is clearly a much better product.
Unregistered
wow, that AMOLED screen is a huge improvement. look at the screen in the last photo comparing the 4 phones. the theme is the same on the N95 8GB, N78 & N85 but the black on the N85 is truer than the others. this should make for some real good picture and video watching.
can' t wait for the next nokia phone with a 3" AMOLED and wide VGA screen. my pocket is burning so bad right now to get this phone but the lack of xenon kills it for me. take a lot of photos at parties and stuff and it sure comes in handy.
by the way nokia, here's a suggestion, how about incorporating xenon and LED flash into your next flagship phone. that should cover photos and videos. just ma 1 cent :)).
gregg003
This will definitely be my next upgrade from Nokia N82, maybe at about 3 months after its initial release where the price will be lower. Can you do a comparative review of this phone and nokia N95 8gb. thanks!
ashu
tzer2. Yes. I too believe that the cat here is the deal clincher. However, i will still wait for a xenon one along with the capabilities of n 85. Most of the parties happen in late evenings or night (at least the ones i attend) and i tend to take lot of pics there. Ever since the advent of xenon in my life in the form of n 82, i have stopped carrying my digi cam. Like someone said, the lack of xenon kills it for me but no denying the fact that this gonna be the killer phone of 2009.
junchao8
Ya sure, hardware will get better as time progresses in this industry. Though n95 was a top spectrum s60 phone for a real long time, and no matter what, at the end of the day n85 shall just be another midrange device with somewhat cliched spec you would typically expect nowadays, but upgrading from n95 or even n95 8gb to...err this junk? Seriously? Fine, Combined fp2 with the new screen, the battery is naturally longer, music quality is probably a touch better; it also includes a few tiny tweaks here and there, at what cost? No pen key / iR port, no more TV remove in the pocket; an arguably inferior and less futureproof overall processing solution in comparison to the older yet more powerful OMAP 2420 platform, so dont expect to try any of those 3d hardware accelerated game ports on one of there; and finally, arguably less stylish look than the likes of n95 8gb, I mean it looks rather too cheap on the side, and not being a fan of n81 design does not help either.
The more important thing is that while nokia once again attempted to push out something that tries to improve upon the last generation devices, it can not be denyed that this time improvements are too small in many cases, and even negative in some other areas to justify the cost of the existing last generation flagship Owners would have to pay for the upgrade, assuming they want to; cos even with the updated n85, it will still only be jacks of all trade, beside I can think of many more economic way to burn hard earned cash. And if peps get n85 what Would their reaction be on the next day when nokia push out the true successor of the current flagship? It really pisses me off how nokia is not trying anymore, how long have they got n96 prototype now? Its so long its not hysterical anymore; and now whats the idea putting dual led in the 3 short term higher end devices? I just dont n85 or even n96 as a proper upgrade of n95 8gb, at least getting n96 has got new feature of the tv turner, the former is a bit too boring for my taste as an upgrade.
Unregistered
I hope that usb charging can be disabled, just like some winmo phones AFAIK, otherwise battery life will be seriously reduced (say hello to one charge cicle every time you connect it to the pc.. too bad).
Bigmike
Hello.
Could you tell us something about the position of the internal GPS? I mean on my n95 8gb it takes a long time to connect and sometimes its better to turn the phone over to got a faster sat-fix because the GPS is on the bottom of the phone (!?).
On the n82 of my wife its a LOT faster to connect and I must not turn the phone over :)
regards
Mike
nj7
It does not seem to me like a new phone, but more of the same, with some tweak here and there. For someone who already have an N82 or N95, it give some little things more, and lost a great thing (Xenon Flash from N82). What itīs need is something real new, some more innovation, that Nokia does not want to do! N85 itīs only a money catch, nothing more.:frown:
Rafe
Bigmike - the GPS aerial is located on the back of the device around the camera area - this should mean notable better reception than the N95 classic. Fairly similar to N982 I would imagine. But have to wait for final hardware.
junchao8 - interesting point about the Infrared (especially in Asian markets), but I think most people will be willing to let that go. The pencil key really is not necessary - you can use the hash key '#' for the same functionality (multiple select in lists etc.).
I see where your coming from the chipset argument, but I think its a debateable advantage at best. Moreover the vast majority of consumers don't care about such things (this ties in with my comment about ultra-power users looking to the I8510).
gregg003 - yes we'll do some comparative reviews once we have some final hardware. For most people the N95 8GB is the current benchmark, but it face competition from N85, N96 I8510 etc.
nj7 and junchao8 - I think whether you regard it as more of the same or a step forward is a matter of personal perspective. As I mentioned in the article it is clearly not like the N95 in this regard. However the screen is one of the things you sue most on a phone so improvement here is very welcome (I would argue probably more so than a camera up step in megapixels). Things like USB charging, tri-band WCDMA are going to be very, very useful for some. Similarly the reduced size means more people will consider it. N82 and N95 users do get FP2 and FM transmitter too + I think its more future proof for future Nokia services (as it runs a more recent version of S60).
I'd be interested to hear what you would consider 'real' innovation?
and finally, generally...
Yes there's always going to be something more impressive around the corner. In 2009 we should see the next generation chipsets coming into play (announcements at 3GSM), but I would imagine the first handset may be on the market towards the middle of the year - that's a long time from now in mobile time.
lookatbowen
As a N95 classic fanatic user for 16 months, I must disagree with you that this would be a phone to upgrade too. I chose the N95 because it was leaps and bounds ahead of any phone on the market in terms of what it could do, and have yet to be disappointed.
The N85 not only looks like the N95, but it only has a few new options (radio, USB charger, clearer screen, bigger battery), but what else?
Nokia is in endanger of losing me unless they can bring another phone that whips every other phone in all areas.
I would love to see alll the features of the Samsung i8510 and Nokia N85 in a Nokia, with the N85 Screen thrown in for good measures and the dual slider from the N95, then we are talking an awesome phone.
Fireseed
Can you please let me know what video codecs will the N85 support, especially will it support VGA H264 videos, like the N96? If the answer is yes, I think I know which is my future phone (I have an N95 now). Regards!
Unregistered
You mention the flash is about 3 times brighter than the n95 classic, so how much brigther is the xenon flash on the n82?
jdushe
This is going to sell like hotcakes and I'll be one of those in line (upgrading from N95 classic). The screen is superb, a real leap forward for mobile devices. The main achilles heel with the N95 was battery life and that has now been addressed. Add that to the other software and hardware improvements, all in a smaller and lighter package and it is definitely a worthwhile upgrade.
Unregistered
Do you have any more information on the chipset? Is it the ST8816 that is also found in the N96? And is that really less powerfull then the OMAP 2420?
ashu
@ rafe.
I am not contesting the fact that this is a fantastic phone but of course it offers me little to sell off my n 82 for a pittance and invest in it.
A real upgrade probably can be n 96 for me. I will ruffle a lot of feathers here of knowledgable minds but seriously, n 96 apart from having host of features also holds an aspirational value which n 85 doesn't.
A second real upgrade for me would have been a ruggedized phone. I have said this on symbian guru also. Charge me 400 but give me my n 82 in a ruggedized version. Something in the lines of casio boulder. Which enables me to carry it any where, shoot and click any where in any season and enhances its life by atleast 2 years of dirty use.
I will throw my money on it because i see a value here for me. As far as, n 96 is concerned, its actually an upgrade for me in my professional life if it enables me to buy that phone without compromising on any of my spend of any month.
Unregistered
Does the N85 have media keys around the D-pad like on the N81 and N96?
argh
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
I hope that usb charging can be disabled, just like some winmo phones AFAIK, otherwise battery life will be seriously reduced (say hello to one charge cicle every time you connect it to the pc.. too bad).
|
I think that you're mistaken. Modern battery technologies last much longer if kept charged, rather than let to drop to very low levels. I have kept my winmo phones connected permanently to USB whenever I'm near a computer and the batteries have still been in top condition 2 years later, lasting longer than my N95 battery did from the start ;)
Who Me?
A agree it's better to top up reguarly to full than draining the battery low, then fully charging. Nice research and articles done at
www.batteryuniversity.com
However I think topping up the battery not fully is not a good thing e.g. charging from 70% to 80%. This will waste many cycles...
It really doesn't matter... Batteries will be cheap enough to replace after a year or two cycles. Phone batteries life span is very good compared to laptops.
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