Here’s yet another generic looking cross-between-N81-and-N96 handset from Nokia that’s been designed to be part of their gaming range. The N85 gives the impression that it’s a very capable handset on all fronts with features galore, but allow me to give you a better idea.

Form Factor
The N85 dual slider may be a bit generic in design for Nokia but it still manages to pull off a chic look and feel. It’s quite sleek and sexy to be more accurate. It has a 2.6-inch OLED display that sports a 240 x 320 pixel, 16 million color resolution. The use of this type of display was a smart idea, because it not only has better colors and sharper tones, but also manages to reduce the consumption of power from the screen. It’s a bit of a problem in direct sunlight though. The display tends to get a bit lost amongst the reflections but not too much.


It has a very minimalist look when the front navigation panel and keys are not active. The handset is equipped with Nokia’s Navi-Wheel that can be used for touch sensitive navigation as well as a regular five way-nav pad, a shortcut quick access menu key and rubberized Call Answer and End keys. The open keys although a bit hard under the fingerprint-magnet hard plastic casing are manageable. My issue was with the Menu and Cancel keys. The position is a little too close to the edge and hence they tend to not only be a little harder to press but sometimes a bit difficult to reach. Nothing you can’t get used to though.


The pop sliders are both smooth and very responsive for opening and shutting the multimedia and data entry keypads. Once again we see that Nokia could have a made better use of the keypad space and had maybe little larger keys, but there’re no other issues other than just that. The keys are neatly spaced out and comfortable to use. The multimedia keypad that pops out from the top also doubles as games keys and can also be used for zooming for the 5MP AF camera (with dual LEDs for a flash) that’s protected with a smooth sliding lens cover.


A micro USB port is located on one side at the top. On the other side at either end are a set of stereo speakers. Volume/zoom control, a key lock slider and the camera’s shutter release are located in between. A standard 3.5mm earphone socket, power key and universal micro USB port for the charger and PC connectivity are also placed here.


The N85 is a sturdy looking handset that gives off an air of machismo with a hint of class. If it weren’t for the plastic casing that looks quite bad after usage with fingerprints all over, I’d give it a five out of five on looks alone.

Features and Performance

Interface
A Symbian OS 9.3 with a Series 60 UI coupled with an ARM 11 369 MHz processor makes the N85 a smooth handset for navigation and control. The Accelerometer is quick when it comes to adjusting the screen orientation. However, the sensitivity is a bit too high. Nothing you can’t get used to. Using the Navi-Wheel to get around the menus is bliss and something the super lazy can appreciate. The shortcut menu activated by the dedicated key located near the nav-pad, is handy when you need to access media and such but not much else. The interface, of course, is still something to talk about.