MWC: The Nokia N86 8MP, imaging at its best
Published by Steve Litchfield at 7:52 UTC, February 17th 2009
Nokia has now officially announced the N86 8MP, its latest imaging champion, with 'SLR-like optics'. The N86 8MP features an 8 megapixel camera with variable aperture, large sensor and mechanical shutter. The device has plenty of metal detailing, a N96-like kickstand for video watching, AMOLED screen, N-Gage compatibility, 'scratch resistant' glass, GPS, Compass and the usual S60 connectivity specs. More details, photos and high-quality video below, plus hands-on time through the morning.
The device is called the 'N86 8MP' to make its camera stand out, name-wise... rather than because it's one of a range.
It's reported as having a '3rd generation dual LED flash', rather than the N82's Xenon. This is about the only downside of the N82 to N86 8MP transition, but maybe the LED flash will surprise us? Nokia claim that "Xenon flash would have increased the thickness by 4mm" and that even Xenon flash has a limited range whereas the specially-optimised optics inside the N86 8MP can handle greater low light distances on their own. This is one I'm VERY much looking forward to testing.
The N86 8MP has a mechanical shutter, operating at 1,000th of a second. It has 'Wide angle Carl Zeiss optics', with f2.4-4.8 'large variable aperture' (F2.4/3.2/4.8) meaning better photos in all light conditions - the first camera phone to seriously challenge standalone cameras?
- 8GB of internal flash memory
- Lens has been "engineered to offer sharper image contrast and better colour representation"
- OLED QVGA screen, 2.6"
- Assisted GPS and Compass
- Standard 3.5mm headphone/TV out socket
- FM transmitter for sending songs wirelessly to your in-car stereo
- Dimensions: 103.4 x 51.4 x 16.5 mm
- Weight: 149 g
- Supports up to 16GB MicroSD memory
- Talk time: Up to 3.9 hours (3G), 6.3 hours (GSM)
- Video playback: Up to 7 hours
- Music playback: Up to 25 hours
Availability: Q2 2009. 375 Euros before taxes and subsidies.
Availability is also in black or white, as shown here. The overall form factor is almost identical to the N85.
I think it's fair to say that this handset has got me, for one, fairly excited. The low-res screen and the lack of Xenon flash are tempered by the use of AMOLED again and by Nokia's enthusiasm for the optics used here - I need some serious hands-on time with the N86 8MP in order to assess it properly.... 8-)
Steve Litchfield, AAS, 7.45am Feb 17 2009
PS. Two videos for you, both well worth watching, both presented here in HQ versions, and both courtesy of the Nokia Conversations team.
Interview with the N86's product manager:
Hands-on with the N86:
Categories: Hardware, Events
Platforms: S60 3rd Edition
News Discussion
khalidraffali
i've been very happy with the pictures that the n82 had given me. the flash has always been amongst the strongest point that the n82 had over the competitors. hopefully the n86 will surpass it in other areas.
rvirga
They've removed some minor flaws of the N82 (easily scratched screen, washed-out display, won't stand up on its side), but they've also removed the one major feature that made living with all these minor flaws worthwhile: the xenon flash. Overall, one step forward, two steps back.
Unregistered
Weight 149g? Hahahaha
khalidraffali
the phone build looks solid. will definitely wait for a more in depth hands on review. :icon14:
Nemoi
Now Nokia has made it really tough for me (us?)... how will I ever be able to make a choice next June between this, the N97 and the e55. They all look so great and yet, every one involves a compromise...
On a different note: Any idea what this '3 friends online' on the homescreen alludes to that is visible on some promo-shots?
On a different note: Any idea what this '3 friends online' on the homescreen alludes to that is visible on some promo-shots?
Dr Tran
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Nemoi
Now Nokia has made it really tough for me (us?)... how will I ever be able to make a choice next June between this, the N97 and the e55. They all look so great and yet, every one involves a compromise...
On a different note: Any idea what this '3 friends online' on the homescreen alludes to that is visible on some promo-shots? |
Insane Reindeer
I will most likely deeply regret making this comment, but here goes.
To the person who commented at 10:32 today, why the laugh at the weight?
As far as I can tell with a weight of 145g that puts it right with all of the other "high end" mobile devices from most makers. The Nokia N97 comes in 5g heavier, the X1 is 13g heavier and the latest iPhone is 12g lighter. My N85 is 128g, and after moving from a N91 (4GB) that weighed in at 160g the difference is noticeable. A phone that comes in between these two would be ideal for many people. So would you care to share your thinking please?
As for my thoughts on the N86 8mp, well Nokia have bowled me over! After the release of the Samsung Omnia HD yesterday I was building myself up for a bit of disappointment in terms of camera centric phone announcements from Nokia at the MWC this year. I will admit to being completely lost at this line at the beginning:
But that could be explained by the fact that most of the coverage of MWC that I read comes from this website and several others who also do not tend to go in for covering leaks and so on. But my faith has been restored. The lack of Xenon flash is not a total disaster if Nokia's claims with regards to the lens and LED flash can be verified. I will admit to being initially frustrated at not being able to lay my hands on a N82 through my preferred operator here in Finland but am quickly adapting to to the camera/flash set-up on the N82, and after the first 4 days am starting to get some pleasant results.
Obviously we all know that Nokia will issue firmware upgrades that will, I hope, further boost the performance on the N86 8mp as well as my own phone, and that is where I feel this phone will rise above the Samsung Omnia HD and Sony Ericsson Idou, with the help of these firmware updates this phone will continue to lead the way in the camera phone end of the market.
As far as the styling goes, well obviously I love that! :) And I like what they have done with the multimedia key, more reminiscent of the N91, just on the "opposite" corner so to speak. The all glass front plate looks great and if the screen on the N82 is anything to go by then this will be fantastic! Out on a frozen snow covered lake this morning with a clear blue sky the screen was still perfectly readable and usable for taking pictures even with the sun shinning directly on it.
A note to Steve, am very eagerly awaiting a full hands on review of this phone, the summer can't get here fast enough.
To the person who commented at 10:32 today, why the laugh at the weight?
As far as I can tell with a weight of 145g that puts it right with all of the other "high end" mobile devices from most makers. The Nokia N97 comes in 5g heavier, the X1 is 13g heavier and the latest iPhone is 12g lighter. My N85 is 128g, and after moving from a N91 (4GB) that weighed in at 160g the difference is noticeable. A phone that comes in between these two would be ideal for many people. So would you care to share your thinking please?
As for my thoughts on the N86 8mp, well Nokia have bowled me over! After the release of the Samsung Omnia HD yesterday I was building myself up for a bit of disappointment in terms of camera centric phone announcements from Nokia at the MWC this year. I will admit to being completely lost at this line at the beginning:
Quote:
| After yesterday's inadvertent own-goal leaks, Nokia has now officially announced the N86 8MP |
Obviously we all know that Nokia will issue firmware upgrades that will, I hope, further boost the performance on the N86 8mp as well as my own phone, and that is where I feel this phone will rise above the Samsung Omnia HD and Sony Ericsson Idou, with the help of these firmware updates this phone will continue to lead the way in the camera phone end of the market.
As far as the styling goes, well obviously I love that! :) And I like what they have done with the multimedia key, more reminiscent of the N91, just on the "opposite" corner so to speak. The all glass front plate looks great and if the screen on the N82 is anything to go by then this will be fantastic! Out on a frozen snow covered lake this morning with a clear blue sky the screen was still perfectly readable and usable for taking pictures even with the sun shinning directly on it.
A note to Steve, am very eagerly awaiting a full hands on review of this phone, the summer can't get here fast enough.
Unregistered
Since I only recently bought an N82 I'm slightly annoyed but this N86 will cost about twice the price of my N82 when it's released. I'm sorry to see the awful face buttons from the N85 kept, they feel tacky and inaccurate. Everything else looks pretty good. I'm especially liking that great battery life which I wish the N82 had.
As for not going with a Xenon flash I can't help but think that's a mistake. There is so much difference between a night shot with Xenon and without even if it is '3rd generation LED'.
Overall looks like a great phone though and something I wish I could get. Well done Nokia.
As for not going with a Xenon flash I can't help but think that's a mistake. There is so much difference between a night shot with Xenon and without even if it is '3rd generation LED'.
Overall looks like a great phone though and something I wish I could get. Well done Nokia.
snoyt
Looks like the ideal (only) Nokia candidate to have a shootout with the new Samsung Omnia HD. Both 8 MP, both aspiring to have decent flash. Which one is the beter camera, videorecorder and media player?
Insane Reindeer
Further to my previous post, they have obviously added "real" keys as the whole front is now glass compared to the N82's plastic lower fifth with the "keys" embedded in this so to speak. But can anyone tell where the traditional S60 Menu key is on the N86 8mp? I may be going blind but I can't see it anywhere! The pics show what I assume is the keylock slider on the left side of the phone as you look at it and the camera shutter button and volume keys on the right as you look at it face on. Would it now be what I called the multimedia button in my first post?
Thanks. :)
Thanks. :)
Unregistered
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Unregistered
As for not going with a Xenon flash I can't help but think that's a mistake. There is so much difference between a night shot with Xenon and without even if it is '3rd generation LED'.
|
Quote:
| The pics show what I assume is the keylock slider on the left side of the phone as you look at it and the camera shutter button and volume keys on the right as you look at it face on. Would it now be what I called the multimedia button in my first post? |
Insane Reindeer
Quote:
| N86 8mp's menu key is the same as N97's. The diagonal long bar. (Personally not a fan of this button design.) |
malerocks
The video shown here seems to be a wide screen video. Any idea if its been shot on a mobile device?
Unregistered
2 things phone cams need before they can be as 'good' as even the most basic digi cam.
-xenon flash
-at least 3x optical zoom
and a ccd sensor would be nice too (but yes, unrealistic given size/battery reqs)
-xenon flash
-at least 3x optical zoom
and a ccd sensor would be nice too (but yes, unrealistic given size/battery reqs)
Unregistered
*sigh* why only 2.6" screen? must be at least 2.8".
talhamid
That d-pad, call and end keys, and the soft keys, worry me. They worry me a lot. What is it with Nokia's imaging flagships? Do they have to have awkward form factors (N93) or horrific keypad (N82) or bulk AND horrific d-pad (N86)? I mean, when will they take out an imaging centric phone that is NORMAL in all respects?
Oh, I forgot the 6220 classic ;-)
Oh, I forgot the 6220 classic ;-)
Unregistered
"Standby time: Up to 11.5 hours (3G), 13 hours (GSM) "
Is this a mistake? I sure hope so!
Is this a mistake? I sure hope so!
Nemoi
@Dr. tran: It might actually also be Skype. See here:
http://conversations.nokia.com/2009/...nokia-devices/
http://conversations.nokia.com/2009/...nokia-devices/
CHS
The first phone to really go a step beyond the N82. The new lens technology sounds extremely promising, and if the LED light works during video capture, that'd be great. If I were shopping for a new camera phone in a few months time, I'd get this, although I'd miss the N82's candybar form factor.
But at the same time... it's not such a quantum leap over my 10-month-old N82 that I feel the need to upgrade. Still just VGA video recording, even though I find myself making a lot more videos than photos.
My N82 is still functioning perfectly, so I think I'll just try to wait out this generation and go for the successor to the N86. Fully expect 16GB internal memory, optical zoom and higher-resolution video capture for that model -- I can wait for that. I did two years with my E70 before getting the N82, I can do as long with this phone.
But at the same time... it's not such a quantum leap over my 10-month-old N82 that I feel the need to upgrade. Still just VGA video recording, even though I find myself making a lot more videos than photos.
My N82 is still functioning perfectly, so I think I'll just try to wait out this generation and go for the successor to the N86. Fully expect 16GB internal memory, optical zoom and higher-resolution video capture for that model -- I can wait for that. I did two years with my E70 before getting the N82, I can do as long with this phone.
Unregistered
It seems sort of wierd that all the nerdy guys posting in this forum still have the ancient N82. Why are the people not comparing the obvious i.e. N85 vs N86 ?
fidolatry
Gotta love that porno kickstand... :rolleyes:
rvirga
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Insane Reindeer
As far as I can tell with a weight of 145g that puts it right with all of the other "high end" mobile devices from most makers. The Nokia N97 comes in 5g heavier, the X1 is 13g heavier and the latest iPhone is 12g lighter.
|
Secondly, in we're in 2009, and nothing with T9 as its only input method can be considered "high end" anymore. All 3 other devices that you cite have large (>2.6") touchscreens.
Thirdly, 2 out of 3 have also, in addition to a touchscreen, a physical full QWERTY keyboard. And the one that doesn't is the also the one which is substantially lighter than the N86 - coincidence?
Finally, if you instead compared the N86 to a device of the same class and with similar features, like the Samsung INNOV8, you would have found out that the latter weights only 136g.
ccraig
i think ppl are being little unfair about n86 b/c you getting the best of n85 and n96 with a 8mp camera with improved functionality thrown in for 375euro ,
i paid 500GBp for n96 so n86 is a great bargain
i paid 500GBp for n96 so n86 is a great bargain
ericHNI
Sorry but I just can't be excited about the N86. The main selling point for me (for a imaging flagship device) is the xenon flash. If I'm going to have a LED flash, I could buy the Omnia HD instead which has far better specs although probably it isnt in the same price range.
Nokia seems to have abandoned Xenon flashes for good, thats very sad.
Nokia seems to have abandoned Xenon flashes for good, thats very sad.
shadamehr
I soooooooooooo thought that this was finally the phone to replace my N82...
Until I saw that once again, it's yet another Nokia with LED not Xenon.
And forgive me, but I simply cannot possibly see how even the best LED can compete with a true Xenon... as it's not about the light LEVEL (which I still never see LED being able to equal anyway), but about light 'dispersal'.
Xenon is a burst of scattered light, to boost overall light levels.
LED is far too much a targetted, directed source of light, no matter what you do with it.
Exactly WHY, it should be said, it is good for video. But Photography requires SCATTERED, dispersed light.
So just like the very first two posters, Nokia, Nokia, what have you done..?
XENON ommitted..? oh man.
As for the poster that talks about frying your hand with a constant Xenon on for Video...
DOH.
Firstly, the percentage make-up of those using these devices for video, compared to those using them for photography, is MASSIVELY weighted... massively, far far more use these for stills, than video... indeed, asking my friends, they reckon they shoot about 1 video, for every 50 photos they take, if that. Some have never even shot a video at all, in all the time they have owned their phones (but even those who do, video is a tiny percentage of the two - and night video an even smaller mark).
So I am now SICK of Nokia's repeated weighting towards VIDEO, with an LED light.
Quite aside from the fact, that the simple answer to ALL of this, is a True Xenon for Flash Photography, above the lens, with a twin LED arrangement underneath, for Video, if Nokia are so desperate to see this feature included too, or push video so much.
How hard could that be, in "THE" premium, Flagship Photography device on the market, if this is what Nokia want the phone to be.
So me, I'll still stick with my N82.
To Nokia - I'll give it up ANY DAY, once you bring something better than it out.
But you haven't yet... and the N86 doesn't sound like it will either...
Until I saw that once again, it's yet another Nokia with LED not Xenon.
And forgive me, but I simply cannot possibly see how even the best LED can compete with a true Xenon... as it's not about the light LEVEL (which I still never see LED being able to equal anyway), but about light 'dispersal'.
Xenon is a burst of scattered light, to boost overall light levels.
LED is far too much a targetted, directed source of light, no matter what you do with it.
Exactly WHY, it should be said, it is good for video. But Photography requires SCATTERED, dispersed light.
So just like the very first two posters, Nokia, Nokia, what have you done..?
XENON ommitted..? oh man.
As for the poster that talks about frying your hand with a constant Xenon on for Video...
DOH.
Firstly, the percentage make-up of those using these devices for video, compared to those using them for photography, is MASSIVELY weighted... massively, far far more use these for stills, than video... indeed, asking my friends, they reckon they shoot about 1 video, for every 50 photos they take, if that. Some have never even shot a video at all, in all the time they have owned their phones (but even those who do, video is a tiny percentage of the two - and night video an even smaller mark).
So I am now SICK of Nokia's repeated weighting towards VIDEO, with an LED light.
Quite aside from the fact, that the simple answer to ALL of this, is a True Xenon for Flash Photography, above the lens, with a twin LED arrangement underneath, for Video, if Nokia are so desperate to see this feature included too, or push video so much.
How hard could that be, in "THE" premium, Flagship Photography device on the market, if this is what Nokia want the phone to be.
So me, I'll still stick with my N82.
To Nokia - I'll give it up ANY DAY, once you bring something better than it out.
But you haven't yet... and the N86 doesn't sound like it will either...