Today sees the launch of the Nokia N85, another top of the range handset from Nokia packed full of high quality features.
Now I loved my N95! But looks wise, well, I called it my little chunky monkey! The N85, is a more modern, compact and slimline model, with a sleek, black fascia. It's 5mm thinner than the N95 and weighs 128g.
Like the N95, the N85 is a dual slider handset. Slide one way to reveal the keypad, slide the other way to reveal dedicated media keys. The media keys change according to the application running. So if you want to play your music, the keys will light up with play, pause buttons etc. If you want to enjoy the N-Gage games, the same keys will light up accordingly.
The typical LCD TFT is no more with the N85. Nope, it's been replaced with a state-of-the-art 2.5" OLED screen. This offers enhanced colour and contrast but also reduces power consumption.
Maintaining its fantastic camera abilities, Nokia doesn't let us down with its 5megapixel camera; Carl Zeiss lens, autofocus and duel LED flash ensure high quality happy snapping. Videos are recorded at 30fps and a secondary lens on the front of the handsets makes for fun video calling. The camera mode is automatically enabled when you slide back the camera's cover.
Now unlike the N96 and its 16GB internal memory, the N85 only has 74MB internal dynamic memory. However, it does have a 'hot swappable' microSD card slot available for up to 8GB.
For those who love their music, this handset gives you direct access to the Nokia Music Store. It's got the 3.5mm jack socket, which I absolutely love! You don't have to use the awful earphones that come with the phone; you can use your own for better comfort and sound quality. Transfer music from your PC super easy via USB connection.
A cool new feature is the FM Transmitter. This lets you send your mp3 tracks over FM radio waves to the nearest radio tuned into the correct frequency. Clever! And perfect for use in the car!
Gamers will be pleased to know that the N85 features Nokia's N-Gage gaming service. The handset comes with 15 pre-installed game demos. And, oh so kindly of Nokia, your handset will come with a code to active one of the games for free!
The N85 plays back a variety of popular formats in crystal clear quality and the TV out socket lets you view your home movies on the telly direct from your mobile.
Touch screen isn't for everybody and Nokia have refrained from joining in with this trend. The handset uses a standard D-pad for menu selection and navigation. The D-pad is also touch sensitive and doubles as a 'navi-wheel'.
Great connectivity is something I reckon everybody is looking for and the N85 doesn't disappoint. 3G enabled, the N85 supports 3.6Mbps HSDPA. It also features EDGE, GPRS, WiFi connection and A2DP Bluetooth. Make use of Nokia Maps Service with built-in GPS and Assisted GPS for quicker location and geo-mapping of your piccies.
The handset features the latest version 9.3 Symbian operating system, with Feature Pack 2. The N85 offers fantastic quality and performance. It promises a standby time of 363 hours, a talktime of nearly 7 hours (that's a whole lotta talking!) and a mega 25 hours of music playback.
It all sounds pretty good to me! Apparently to buy the phone sim free, it's much cheaper than the N96. So with the credit crunch upon us, the N85 may prove a popular choice with Nokia lovers.
Image Sources
Nokia N85 Review at Dial-a-Phone
For full tech specs click here.