Nokia
N86 8MP

The N86 8MP was ostensibly a revamp of the Nokia N85, which had been announced in August 2008, but to a phone connoisseur it was much more, with tempered glass fascia and flagship camera system. It’s tempting to look at it as the ultimate successor to the best-selling Nokia N95, from 2007, but the unfortunate naming (N8x rather than N9x, with the ‘8’ bit meaning a focus on imaging) meant that it got somewhat overlooked by consumers. The dual slider design and button layout mimicked the original Nokia N95, but the build quality, fit and finish were significantly better. The camera system was next generation (for its time) with a variable aperture (f/2.4-f/4.8), mechanical shutter, dual LED flash, plus a physical shutter button/launcher and lens protection slide. Full of useful design touches, the N86 8MP had a kick-stand built around the camera island, which was best appreciated in conjunction with its stereo speakers for watching videos in landscape orientation. Software upgrades were plentiful and over the air, adding camera features, including face detection, and the Ovi Store, Nokia’s app store brand. Launched perhaps a year too late into the market, as was its successor, the ill-fated Nokia N96, the N86 8MP remained a powerhouse imaging option for those not being sucked into the world of full-face capacitive touch on the early iPhones and Android devices. But those who loved it, really, really loved it. Photos taken on the N86 still stood up to inspection very well over a decade later.