Nokia N86 8MP review: Lens wide open

24 June 2009
You may’ve thought Nokia lost their touch, you may be out of love with the Nseries but the Nseries are always keeping an eye on you. Their wide-angle, variable aperture eye. On you. Whether the Nokia...

Sort by:

  • A
  • Angry Machine
  • nrD
  • 04 Jul 2009

mi6lethaltool, 30 Jun 2009Anyone wants to Know how the N86 performs on low ligth cond... moreAmazing !

This is the only good thing in this phone !

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • iKv
    • 04 Jul 2009

    Dude this is an eye catcher :) should iget it insted of my w880i

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • kbe
      • 04 Jul 2009

      Ill keep my N95 8GB until a Nokia Device says "Intel Inside" and have all in one, no need to make so much N devices, Nokia just make ONE with all the best of all the N's on it thats the trick Apple have just one model if u do that and also optimized symbian ur going to send Steve Jobs back to the Hospital for another liver!!!

        • C
        • Chris Ayumi
        • PyW
        • 01 Jul 2009

        what is the estimated price?

          • m
          • mi6lethaltool
          • YeK
          • 30 Jun 2009

          Anyone wants to Know how the N86 performs on low ligth conditions?
          Check This!
          http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/9965_Camera_group_test_Nokia_N86_8M.php

            • u
            • uhuhu~~~
            • P$$
            • 30 Jun 2009

            i need some advice~~im looking for a touch screen phone,and focusing on a phone that give the best gps system~~some advice me to get the n97,but,some said its not worth it to have that phone for that kind of price~~so,n86,n97,5800 @ se satio??

              • P
              • Pide
              • wdU
              • 30 Jun 2009

              Gr8 fone!
              nokia...well dun!!

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • PyN
                • 29 Jun 2009

                Anonymous, 29 Jun 2009Hi James. I worked on both the N82 and the N86 :-) What ... moreNo doubt N86 is a masterpiece achievement.the main diff wht is low light performance has been overlooked by gsmarena.whtevr said its the best 8mgp phone in market!!!

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • MYk
                  • 29 Jun 2009

                  James, 26 Jun 2009A very detailed explanation. Thank you very much for the in... moreHi James. I worked on both the N82 and the N86 :-)

                  What you haven't been able to see (as yet it would seem) is really the difference in low light. For example, you can shoot in half the light level with N86 vs N82 before it wants to fire the flash. This is a difference many have not seen yet. It also means that you'll get to a point where an image captured with N82 (and other comparable devices perhaps ;-) ) will be literally black. Whereas with the N86 you'll still be able to record an image worth keeping.

                  The results recorded with the N86's LED flash in the tests we've conducted are as goood if not better in some regards than the N82 with its xenon flash. Although, xenon is still better for freezing a high speed subject, but this depends also on ambient lighting levels, as moving subjects in higher ambient lighting levels could still have noticeable movement.

                  I think the aspect of colour is very much down played. I believe colour reproduction is why N82 is so popular with its users. With the N86 we've made a number of improvements which mean an increase in consistency in colour performance.

                  Both low light and colour are aspects which have nothing to do with megapixels, of course in terms of low light performance adding pixels can equate to a reduction in low light performance, which is why we prefer to use later generation, more sensitive sensors, rather than the typically less sensitive 1st generation sensors. At least this is what history tells us.

                  Whether you feel these aspects are sufficient to change, only you can decide of course, but then of course N86 also adds a lot of other benefits such as 28mm wideangle lens, 8GB internal memory, OLED display, digital compass, FM transmitter, long music playback times, active kickstand, multiple SW enhancements in comparisons with N82 etc. which you may find useful.

                  atb

                    • R
                    • Ricardo-Mexico
                    • Lsa
                    • 28 Jun 2009



                    This phone is better than the people think..


                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • pWL
                      • 28 Jun 2009

                      Marqueetha Chang, 28 Jun 2009Butt ugly and cheap-looking. Sliders aren't as sturdy & hav... moreButt ugly and cheap looking..?
                      Okay..yeah..u are entitled to your opinion, but..
                      Have u seen the phone in person?

                      My experience with it is that it's probably one of the best slider phones available. The slider is sturdy and the build materials are great. And in person the phone looks really really good..much better than on the pics.

                      Just my two cents..

                        • M
                        • Marqueetha Chang
                        • 4dR
                        • 28 Jun 2009

                        Butt ugly and cheap-looking. Sliders aren't as sturdy & have flex cable issues. I don't take photos that big, so the N82's 5mp is quite enough. No Xenon. Give me an N97 or an N82.

                          • X
                          • Xpress0705
                          • fuk
                          • 27 Jun 2009

                          Plz Gsmarena team, make some test photos at nigth so we can get an idea,how these new generation LEDs perform!We will know whether they can replace a Xenon flash or not??..

                            • E
                            • Errr
                            • ji{
                            • 26 Jun 2009

                            Hello people just wait coz i contact the nokia careline in uk they told me that they r working on n86 software to fix all the errors

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • Pt0
                              • 26 Jun 2009

                              gsmarena can you please test the variable aperture of this phone!!! thanks in advance

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • pWL
                                • 26 Jun 2009

                                Anonymous, 26 Jun 2009So much for all the Nokia fanboys preaching that the N86 ca... moreI think that innovate and n86 are so close to each other that u can't really say which one is better.
                                - Innovate produces more detailed images (because a bit less processing and it's normal lens)
                                - Nokia N86 produces better and more natural colors.
                                - I think N86 images are better if u don't print full size prints from the pictures (most of us don't)..(this is just my opinion)
                                - Nokias LED flash and variable aperture combination produces much better low-light/night-time pictures than innovates normal Dual-LED flash. (N86 wins here quite clearly, but it's no Xenon of course).
                                - Video of both are pretty much the same

                                N86 feels and looks great and it's a bit smaller (when slide is opened) than the innovate. And it's performance with S60 is better and faster.

                                So maybe you already guessed..I think N86 wins this debate, but this is just purely my own opinion. N86 is a bit better looking in person, it takes slightly better pics in variable conditions, it's more compact and it's software works flawlessly..

                                My only gripe is that it lacks the xenon for taking "party-pics"..
                                But I guess I have to live with that..

                                This was my mini-review, but you can have your own opinion since these two handsets are so close to each other. I just wish C905 would be more better built and smart..then it would be a good contender as well..

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • mCS
                                  • 26 Jun 2009

                                  So much for all the Nokia fanboys preaching that the N86 camera was gonna be the best in the market.
                                  This review proves that its not as good as the 1 year old Innov8 camera.
                                  Face it, Nokia is no longer the innovator. Its Samsung, Apple, HTC, Blackberry.
                                  They are the market leader because of the millions of low end phones that are sold in third world countries.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • pWL
                                    • 26 Jun 2009

                                    Anonymous, 26 Jun 2009Apple sells more than a million iPhone 3GS models June 22... moreAnd what iPhone first day sales have to do with the review of Nokia N86?

                                      • J
                                      • James
                                      • PS6
                                      • 26 Jun 2009

                                      Anonymous, 25 Jun 2009Firstly, it's important to note that 'perfect' image qualit... moreA very detailed explanation. Thank you very much for the invaluable information. I must say that I, myself am using a Nokia N82 and I have found that the images taken by it are stunning. But, sad to say, the cameras on the recent models such as N85 and N79 have showed very disappointing results.

                                      Pardon me, but can you guys produce another phone that can substitute the N82 and at the same time, defeat the other camera phones on the market, just like what N82 did. It is really a shame to find that Nokia had not been able to produce a phone whose quality is better than that of the N82.

                                      So please, create a phone that will astound us and bring revolution to the mobile phone world, just like the N95. Thank you.

                                        • N
                                        • Nokia fan?
                                        • ji{
                                        • 26 Jun 2009

                                        If the camera result is not good then why nokia n86 recieve award at Tipa tel me gsm arena why?