Nokia N85 Review : Best buys for Nokia Phones UK : Nokia N85 Reviews

Nokia N85 3G SmartPhone Overview

Expected UK Release Date: Available

Key Features
WLAN Wi-Fi Technology
GPS Navigation System & AGPS Function
3G HSDPA Technology
5 Megapixel Camera with 20 x Digital Zoom & Auto Focus with Assist Light
Main Camera Video Recording with 8 x Digital Zoom with Stabiliser
VoIP Internet Call
6 Hours VoIP Talk Time
Music Player with Playlist & Equaliser

Our Summary
The Nokia N85 comes in a high gloss black coloured casing & comes with high speed built in technologies such as 3G HSDPA technology. The N85 is a slide opening handset which has a super smooth slide action & comes complete with a built in GPS navigation system with AGPS function, a music player with equaliser & a five megapixel camera with 20 x digital zoom feature. The N85 supports WLAN Wi-Fi technology & VoIP Internet call feature. This beautiful 3G Smartphone for Nokia will get everyone communicating in style.

Design

71%

Usability

75%

Features

77%

The above ratings are average figures, which have been generated from submitted mobile phone reviews.

Nokia N85 3G SmartPhone Review

The N85 is an amazing looking 3G Smartphone which comes in a gorgeous high gloss black coloured casing which both looks stunning & comes with easy to use built in features. The Nokia N85 is a two way opening slider phone which allows the user to slide the casing in one direction to access the keypad & in the other direction to access the media controls. The slide out numeric keypad is situated below the screen & the slide out media keypad is located at the top of the handset. This highly useable casing design allows the user to access & control their Smartphone's feature with ease. The user can control menu selections by using the smoothly operated Navi™ wheel control & the slide out keypad is illuminated which makes it stand out when in use. A large QVGA screen is 2.6 Inches in size & displays up to 16.7 million colours on a beautifully lit screen. The screen comes with a light detector & a brightness control which allows the user to view the screen in duller lighting conditions as well as in brighter environments. The casing has a solid feel which weighs 128 grams & also fits in the user's single hand when in use which measures 16mm deep, 50mm wide by 103mm tall. The Nokia N85 is a member of the Nokia N series which includes other stylish Smartphone's including the Nokia N78, Nokia N79 & the Nokia N96.

This well equipped 3G Smartphone comes with a fully rechargeable battery which can provide up to 4.5 hours of WCDMA talk time, 6.9 hours of GSM talk time or approximately 6 hours of voice over IP talk time. When the battery is fully charged the user can enjoy up to 3.5 hours of video playback time, 7 hours of gaming time, 5.7 hours worth of Internet browsing time or up to 30 hours of music playback time. The Nokia N85 provides long standby battery time when the handset is not in use which is up to 363 hours of GSM or WCDMA standby time or even 172 hours of WLAN standby battery time. The N85 works on a Symbian operating system version 9.3 with S60 software & comes with seventy four megabytes of internal memory & supports up to eight gigabytes of expandable memory in the form of a swappable MicroSD™ memory card. This beautiful handset comes with 3G HSDPA technology which provides high speed Internet connectivity at broadband speeds & the user can enjoy multitasking skill on the handset. The user can connect wirelessly to a local WLAN using the built in WiFi technology to connect their Nokia N85 to the Internet. The user can connect to other devices by using either a USB cabled connection or a Bluetooth® wireless connection. The user can connect their handset to other devices to transfer files or print data. The user can get directions to their next meeting location by using the built in GPS navigation system with an AGPS navigation function complete with Nokia maps application. The Nokia N85 is a quad band technology handset which covers World Wide roaming but the fully coverage is dependent on the user users chosen network service provider.

A built in Internet browser comes complete with a mini maps feature & the user can experience HTML, XHTML MP, CSS & WML browsing. This Smartphone comes with many messaging services which allow the user to communicate with others without making a call but by using the user friendly messaging features. The handset supports a mobile email service complete with email attachments, email filtering & wireless email services. The user can enjoy sharing pictures & video clips with others via the multimedia messaging service. The Nokia N85 supports text messaging complete with predictive text input method which allows the user to create a text quicker with less strikes of a key with this input method, as the word is predicted for the user as the user starts to type. The user can enjoy many call features which makes communicating with others easy for the user. The call features include a speed dialling function, call waiting, call hold feature, a call divert feature & the user can enjoy a conference call with up to six contacts per one call. The user can use the voice over IP Internet call feature to have low cost calls with other compatible contacts & use the flight mode feature whilst in restricted mobile phone areas so that the sensitive equipment is not affected by the use of certain features on the N85. A push to talk call feature works like a walkie talkie style conversation which allows the user to push a talk key when talking to their contact & on releasing the talk key the user can hear their contact talking back to them. A hands free speaker phone feature allows the user to rest their handset on their desk or in their lap whilst on a call which allows the user to continue working whilst hearing their contact over the phone speaker system. The Nokia N85 comes with voice activated features which include a dialling feature & a command feature which is all activated by the uses voice alone.

The built in camera feature is a five megapixel camera complete with a CMOS sensor & a twenty times digital zoom function. The camera has an auto focus feature with assisted light to ensure a clear shot is captured by the user. The camera has a focus length of 5.45mm & a focus range of approximately 10mm to infinity. The built in flash is a dual LED flash which has a flash range of up to 3 metres. The N85 comes with a dedicated camera key & the lens has a slide protective cover which allows the user to take a quick snap using their Smartphone as a digital camera. The five megapixel camera comes with Carl Zeiss optics & a high quality Tessar™ lens. The Nokia N85 camera feature has all the user on the move could ever want from their new stylish 3G Smartphone including picture editing functions, flash modes, colour tone settings, scene settings & even a photo slide show complete with Ken Burn effects & sound for a perfect viewing experience. The user can choose the flash setting to suit their imaging needs which include a flash off, flash on, red eye reduction or automatic setting. The user can select to capture their pictures in still mode, sequence mode, self time mode or video mode.

The N85 comes with high quality video recording, playing, streaming & blogging features which allow the user to enjoy moving video footage on this wonderfully designed handset. The Smartphone supports video playback in MPEG4, H263, H264, & 3GP video format. The user can record video in MPEG4, 3GP, H263 & H264 format & record up to one & a half hours worth of video clip on their new handset. The video feature comes with a video light & a video recording stabiliser feature which allows the user to gain a smooth wobble free recording. The user can select either an automatic video mode or a night video mode when recording their footage. The main camera located on the back of the Nokia N85 comes with a eight times digital zoom feature & supports video recording with 640 pixels x 480 pixels in VGA format at up to 30 frames per second. The camera located on the front of the Nokia N85 comes with a two times digital zoom feature & supports video recording up to 352 pixels x 288 pixels at up to 15 frames per second. An integrated FM radio feature complete with radio RDS information feature allows the user to tune into their preferred radio station & enjoy listening whilst reading onscreen information gained by the RDS feature. The N85 comes with an Internet radio feature & has high quality 3D stereo speakers which allow the user to enjoy their music out loud. The music player comes with dedicated music keys & volume controls which are accessed by simply sliding the handsets slide mechanism upwards. The music player supports a playlist feature & album art display which makes the handset turn into a portable MP3 player for the user to enjoy on the move. The user can select their music by album name, artist, composer or genre using the search feature & the music player come with a built in equaliser feature which allows the user to gain the best possible sound to suit their style of music. The Nokia N85 is a sunning business & entertainment 3G Smartphone which will suit all users alike.

Nokia N85 Specifications & Features

Screen
2.6 Inch 16.7 Million Colour QVGA Screen (320 x 240 Pixels)
Screen Brightness Control & Light Detector

Imaging
5 Megapixel Camera
Carl Zeiss Optics Tessar™ Lens
CMOS Sensor
20 x Digital Zoom
Auto Focus with Assist Light
Dual LED Flash
Dedicated Camera Key
Slide Lens Cover
Photo Editor
Photo Gallery with Navi Wheel Scrolling
Photo Slide Show with Ken Burn Effects & Sound
Flash Mode (On, Off, Auto & Red Eye Reduction)
White Balance (Sunny, Cloudy, Auto, Incandescent & Fluorescent)
Capture Mode (Still, Sequence, Video & Self Timer)
Colour Tone (Sepia, Normal, Black & White, Vivid & Negative)
Scene Mode (Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close Up, Sport, Night & User Defined)
Video Player (MPEG4, 3GP, H263 & H264)
Video Recorder (MPEG4, 3GP, H263 & H264)
Main Camera Video Recording with 8 x Digital Zoom
Front Camera Video Recording with 2 x Digital Zoom
Video Stabiliser
Video Light
Video Modes (Auto & Night)
Video Streaming
Video & Picture Blogging
TV Out
Video Calling
Picture Caller ID

Messaging
SMS (Text Messaging)
MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
Email (SMTP, IMAP & POP)
Email with Attachments
Email with Filtering
Wireless Email Support
Predictive Text

Sound
Music Player (MP3, AAC, WMA, eAAC+ & eAAC)
Album Art Display
Music Selection (Album, Artist, Composer & Genre)
Playlist
Equaliser
FM Radio with RDS
Nokia Internet Radio
Audio & Music Streaming
Dedicated Music Keys
Dedicated Volume Keys
MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, Polyphonic & Video Ringtones
3D Stereo Speakers
Voice Commands
Voice Dialling
Voice Recorder
Stereo Microphone

Entertainment
Java™ Games
Embedded Games
Downloadable Games

Organiser
Phonebook
Calendar
Notes
Clock
Calculator
Flight Mode
Conference Call (6 Contacts)
Push To Talk
VoIP Internet Call
Handsfree Speaker Phone
Vibrating Alert
Call Log (Dialled, Missed & Received)
Call Waiting, Call Hold & Call Divert
Speed Dialling
Navi™ Wheel Control
Key Illumination
GPS Navigation System
AGPS Function
Nokia Maps 2.0 Application
OS Symbian 9.3 Operating System
S60 Software

Connectivity
3G HSDPA
Bluetooth®
Micro USB
EDGE
WLAN Wi-Fi

Network
Quad Band (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900)

Internet
Nokia Web Browser with Mini Maps
HTML, XHTML MP, CSS & WML

Memory & Talk Time
74 Mbytes Memory plus Supports Up To 8 Gbytes of MicroSD™ Memory
6.9 Hours GSM Talk Time
4.5 Hours WCDMA Talk Time
6 Hours VoIP Talk Time
363 Hours GSM Standby Time
363 Hours WCDMA Standby Time
172 Hours WLAN Standby Time
3.5 Hours Video Playback Time
30 Hours Music Playback Time

Weight & Size
128 g
103 x 50 x 16 mm

Nokia Phones Best Buys

Your Nokia N85 Reviews

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Reviewer: Steve - Oxford, UK
Date: 1st Jun 2009

Had the phone about 6 weeks. It's OK but has developed a problem that whenever I answer or make a call, the phone just cuts out & loses power to the screen & audio. I then have to turn it off then on again so I am limited to texting, slide mechanism seems a bit lose & also the camera lens cover keeps on opening in my pocket, thus turning on the camera & draining the already poor battery life. Thinking of sending it back & getting a Samsung as never had problems with these in the past.

Design

60%

Usability

75%

Features

90%

Reviewer: Martin - Cardiff, UK
Date: 6th Feb 2009

I've been using Sony Ericsson's for many years, I was due an upgrade & read hundreds of reviews of different phones. I really wanted another S.E Phone, I am sure Sony phones used to be great, w810i, brilliant, k810 ace. Now w910 turned itself off CONSTANTLY & they don't seem to have made a single c905 with a functioning earpiece. Something is definitely going wrong with their new phone productions, which is really disappointing, so I had to change manufacturers!

Don't want touch screen either, unless it's an iPhone it's not worth the hassle. So went for this, read some decent reviews about it too.

I am always sceptical about batteries on Nokia's from what people write but compared to anything else I have had this phone lasts ages between charges. Reviewer below says he gets 2 days on standby, which seems ridiculous, must be a faulty battery. Mine could go easily over a week on standby. I use it heavily, GPS, Wi-Fi, hours of calling, music, camera & it goes three days no problem.

Screen is amazing, haven't seen anything like this on a mobile before. Plays videos, BBC iPlayer, etc really well. Basically, everything this phone has, it does brilliantly.

That said, I have only found a couple of issues with this phone that I expect a software update would fix. These are.

- On silent mode when you're listening to music through headphones, you get a text or a call & the music you're listening to comes out the phones speakers really loud. That's quite bad.
- Sometimes (rarely) the software freezes for a minute but always returns to normal.
- Not to do with software, but the slide mechanism has a little give in it. No real problem though.

All told, this phone is awesome. Very happy I got it.

Design

90%

Usability

90%

Features

95%

Reviewer: Julie Gilk - Wellingborough, UK
Date: 31st Jan 2009

I absolutely love it. I am a Nokia fan have always had Nokia's & nothing else. The features are really easy to use as with all Nokia's. The 5MP camera is brilliant, good quality photos & all stored in albums on the phone. Never had a slide phone before but this has converted me. Easy to sync with my old Nokia & transfer all my contacts & calendar entries in seconds.

Gorgeous looking, easy to use features amazing what more can I say.

Design

100%

Usability

100%

Features

100%

Reviewer: Manan - Pune, India
Date: 12th Jan 2009

Is a cool phone, just go for it if you are searching for sum high end mobile & a really cool phone, I am enjoying it, its features are awesome & display is awesome too.

Design

95%

Usability

95%

Features

100%

Reviewer: Usman Khan - Haripur, Pakistan
Date: 25th Dec 2008

Rubbish PHONE, DON'T BUY IT. IF you WANT TO BUY mobile phone the BUY Sony Ericsson mobile PHONES ESPECIALLY W990i.

Design

Usability

Features

Reviewer: Gary Wilde - Stockport, UK
Date: 13th Nov 2008

The main thing I like about this phone is the image capability. The camera & video capturing produces very crisp results. It is also quick to operate, sliding the lens cover operates the camera. The downside is that sometimes in video mode it doesn't start up straight away. It starts throwing up loads of silly questions about Internet connectivity & should I close this connection & that connection first. This is very annoying when you want to capture something quickly.

Music is very good on this phone, & I have some decent earphones plugged in. It stores full MP3 files, instead of the ultra compressed Nokia files on other phones.

The video is supposed to cope with MP4 format, although a file which plays perfectly on my Blackberry Bold, does not play on the Nokia, so check this out further if you are intending to watch downloaded video files.

The screen is OLED & very bright & clear.

The phone works OK, although it is not as good as some of the more traditional Nokia handsets, i.e. E51.

The built in GPS receiver is slightly useful. The downside is that you have to be in a good mobile signal area to use the GPS & maps, as it has to access the Internet for it to work. You get 3 months free sat nav service, after which time you have to pay a subscription. I wouldn't bother, go & buy a £100 sat nav from Halfords & buy a cheaper phone without it.

Battery Life, Do not trust the manufacturers claims. I get 2 days on standby, & about 10 hours maximum with very light use. It's one of those phones you need to get used to popping on charge every night.

I find the usability of the set up & menus quite confusing, & the instructions are next to useless. E.g. I tried to pair it with my BMW Bluetooth car kit. It thinks it is an external speaker instead of a full car kit, & there appears to be no way to tell it it's a car kit.

Setting us GPRS access is very confusing, with 3 different areas of the menus to do this, one for destinations & two for packet connectivity. I have an electronics degree, but after an hour gave up.

In conclusion, if listening to music, & capturing video & stills is a priority, in a reasonably compact package this is the phone for you. I like it overall.

Design

80%

Usability

75%

Features

90%

Reviewer: Jack - Mexico
Date: 30th Oct 2008

Amazing phone, it's so stylish & comes with very good features, it's so easy to use & is well balanced. I think everyone should consider this phone because it's very good.

Design

90%

Usability

100%

Features

85%

Reviewer: Scrappy Coco - Philippines
Date: 5th Oct 2008

Hey guys. It is my first time to make a review here.

I am from the Philippines & today I just found out that the N96, N85 & the N79 has been already released. The phone that really caught my eye is the N96. It has an insanely huge screen. But N85 is my pick because it almost has all the features that the N96 has but it has a longer battery life.

The N85's design is very nice but the keypad is kind of small for me because I have chubby fingers & the media buttons are also small. But I bet this is a really good phone. Really want to buy it.

Design

90%

Usability

100%

Features

100%

Reviewer: Ajuk - Cambridgeshire, UK
Date: 13th Sep 2008

Looks fantastic & I can't wait to get one when it's released in October. Everything you could want in a phone, a truly worthy successor to the N95 8GB.

Rated at 50% due to comments only review.

Design

50%

Usability

50%

Features

50%

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