Nokia N85, N96, N79 - Does Double LED Stand A Chance Against The N82?

I haven't been too impressed with a few of the phones that Nokia has released since our beloved N82. To me the N96 just seems like a copy of the N95 with a few minor improvements. The N79 seems like a downgrade from the N82 if your looking for a great cameraphone and a block form factor, and of course the N78 has completely fell off my radar. I played with that phone for a few weeks and was extremely unimpressed with the build quality and "laggyness" of the menu transitions of S60 3rd Feature Pack 2.

The one Nseries device that has stood out to me though is the Nokia N85 - launching in the UK on Friday. The slider looks to be solid, the 2.6" screen features OLED technology, and it's just so nice and compact. But one glaring thing stands out on all these phones - they all have LED flash!!! A big letdown.

Mark Guim from The Nokia Blog has recently posted a great comparison that I've been waiting for - N85 vs. N96 vs. N82 photo comparison in low light conditions. Double LED Flash vs. Xenon Flash. I was hoping that the double LED would hold it's own and compete a little better than the N95 did against the N82 - but as you can see below this isn't the case.

N82 left, N85 Right...



As you can see the true color really comes out with N82, as apposed to the greenish tint and lack of detail of the N85.

Click here for Mark's entire article with more comparisons and larger photos.

As you can see the Nokia N82 pulls ahead in all photos. Another double LED flash device new on the market is the Samsung Pixon M8800, featuring "face/smile/blink detection, panoramic shooting, image stabalisation and shake reduction software, all of which are to be found on ‘proper’ point-and-shoot cameras", according to that article. But once again still no xenon flash - leading to weak and grainy low-light photos.

Granted all of the devices mentioned here take great pictures during the day and it well lit conditions, but the N82 for those who want more out of their cameraphone. In my opinion the benefits I have with the N82 outweigh those of the N85, despite the lack of North American 3g on our N82. Until Nokia releases another xenon device - I don't think I will be purchasing another Nseries. The N82 is more than enough for my needs.

If you need another N82 vs N85 comparison the dudes from Mobile World Innovation have some great coverage. Click here to check it out.

What do all of you think? Will or have any of you already jumped ship to a newer device? If so - your welcome to keep reading this blog of course - all of the applications featured here will work on most S60 3rd Edition phones. Out of the devices I mentioned here, what impresses you the most.

Disclaimer: As many of you already know, I'm currently working for S60. This article has nothing to do with my job or my views as a Nokia employee.