Nokia 6085 and Nokia 6086

Nokia 6085 and Nokia 6086 continue the range of fold phones for middle-to-budget market. For convenience, we may place these two between Nokia 6103 and the 6125, without deeming them the successors to Nokia 6060 (as the index suggests), as they stand too far apart in terms of functionality.

At the same time the distinctions between the two devices reviewed today are minimal, specifically these are different sort of plastic applied to some parts and Wi-Fi connectivity in Nokia 6086. And that’s pretty much all about the enhancements of the senior device, apart from a variety of color solutions. This is the main reason (another one is the feedback on the forum) which encourages us to keep on our experiments with making up comparative reviews.

In this review we will center on Nokia 6086, going into description of the two devices at once where it is possible. Corresponding marks and notes within the text of this article will point out all the differences.

Design and controls

The model maintains classical fold phone’s design, being a handset measuring 92x46x23 mm and weighting 84 g. Being portable in size, this clamshell readily slips into just about any pocket or purse, at that your breast pocket will not be weighed down either. Dimensions and weight parameters are identical for both models.

The 6085 comes in three trims. The silver-finished variant has light-colored fascia, display rim and the keypad, whereas the spines and other parts are made in black. The pink and gold editions show off silver keypad with the coating of the shell matching the color scheme’s name.

As for the 6086, for the time being it comes in two colors – entirely black casing (including its interior) and pink-pale, with the latter color scheme boasting all-back internal elements. In the near future more trims might be coming out; specifically the black scheme for Nokia 6085, which would be a consistent step, especially for the Russian market.

As a matter of fact the folder design here reminds of the Nokia 6290, even though it might be challenging for many to pick out this point, since they belong to different types in the first pace. However for curiosity sake you can go on and face off the two and look at what’s similar and what’s not.

With the clam closed, the place where the halves fuse makes the phones look-alikes. The design of edges, exposed on the faceplate, is practically the same for both devices. Camera location and the external display rim add some similarity as well.

The same goes for the keypads, however this seems to be an unintentional step, just physically similar-looking fold-out mechanism.

The approach to materials used in these offerings is also interesting, at that Nokia 6086 got a dash better treatment in this respect. But first things first.

The front panel, as well as the rear, is made of conventional-looking plastic with a sole difference, though – its exterior is finished in two coating types. On the upper end and a part of the back side, the glossy finishing makes the surface glitter in the sun, while the rest of the details are patterned with horizontal stripes lending them a feel of polished timber, but in a different color. The 6086 houses one more highlight worth mentioning – almost all parts of the casing, specifically spines, keypad and the interior itself, are made of soft touch plastic which (thanks to Motorola) is now becoming one of the hottest trends in cell phones. Its usage is undoubtedly the right thing, as holding a handset coated in soft plastic leaves far more pleasant feelings, making you wish to get a grip on it again and again.

Naturally, these traits are quite difficult to spot in real life, and I can hardly imagine anyone focused on how his handset shines in sunlight. But I should confess when I first got my hands on the device these highlights actually did catch my eyes. Another newsworthy fact is that Nokia employs not-so widely spread trick for mid and budget segments, specifically, not only does it put the feature pack and slimness of the offering into the limelight, characteristic and catchy material also gets its share of hype.

Made of standard plastic, which is a classic material, used nearly in every modern phone, the sideplates and the inside part of the 6085 are of no interest.

The face plate houses external monochrome display rimmed with metal-like plastic and the camera lens. On the rear is a small stripe matching the display’s edging color, where the loudspeaker and the logo are inserted. The rest of lower half beneath this stripe is occupied by the battery cover. To detach it you should just move it down, as it employs ordinary slot fastening, making for no wobbly feel or gap, unless you start pulling it down on purpose. Under the cover sits the battery, which we are going to talk about a bit later. Having detached this detail you’ll see the SIM-card bed which is quite typical for some Nokia-branded models – a folding cover and a slot for the card inside.

The volume rocker key and the dedicated camera key are located on the left-hand side.

On the right you see the microSD bay (former TransFlash). The device supports memory expansion card up to 4 Gb big and allows hot swapping them. The slot is covered by a plastic flap, which doesn’t require you to hold it when changing the card and is next to impossible to lose.

The upper end is free of any widgets, as for the bottom, slim charging port and typical for Nokia Pop-port are mounted there as well as the holes for a carrying strap, but to put it through you will need to take off the battery cover first. At the foot, next to the SIM-card slot, is the ridge for attaching a hand or neck strap.

Flipping the handset open, your eyes get focused on the keypad which takes almost the entire real estate of the bottom half of the folder. About a third of keypad is occupied by the navigation block, the rest – by numeric keys. Size of each particular key and pads bulging out of them make for overall comfort feel. Texting with a keypad like this is a breeze - you really do not notice how you press the keys, which indicates quality of the keypad. The keys are big enough to prevent you from pushing wrong buttons, especially if you already have some experience of handing Nokia-branded devices.

The navigation block used in Nokia 6085 and the 6086 is quite common among the models by this maker. It comprises a four-way navigation key with OK in the centre, flanked by four buttons (two soft-keys and pick/hang up keys). These navigation controls are a cinch to use, mostly owing to the navi-pad being very convenient.

The volume rocker switch mounted on the right spine is right under your forefinger during a call, but a tad too springy feel makes for somewhat difficult usage while having a phone conversation.