Nokia 5230

The Nokia 5230 is an entry-level touch screen smartphone with key features such as large touchscreen, A-GPS with Ovi Maps, 3G, downloadable apps from the Ovi Store and a long-life battery. But certain other features might disappoint the customer, as it features a poor camera, a monospeaker, no Wi-Fi or video calling options.

This model stands along the Nokia 5530 in Nokia`s  growing series of entry-level touchscreen smartphones. Still, it`s not a very good idea to compare the two. The have the same contract price, offering similar but complementary features.  The two models have an interesting relationship , as what one of these may lack can be found in the other one , and viceversa. The Nokia 5230 has 3G but lacks Wi-Fi, also having an A-GPS receiver. The display of this new model is larger the one of 5530, the device also being bigger and heavier.

Nokia 5230 is a Symbian S60 smartphone that potential customers can get with the pay as you go and contract options, but being a big market the 5230 is expected to be a relatively high volume handset. This model is the latest in a range of similar phones.

As regarding the appearance of this model, the phone looks almost exactly like its predecessor, the Nokia 5800, considered to be the father of this type of handset. With this, it means that users get a large 3.2 inch display with a high resolution of 640×380 pixels. Well, it`s not exactly like an iPhone , but it has more pixels. It also features a resistive touchscreen, not quite as smooth as the capacitive type but it works nicely and offers the advantage of coming with a stylus. The display of Nokia 5230 is extremely good for web browsing, multimedia or simple operations with the menus. It is larger than its brother, the Nokia 5530 but this is due to the larger screen and heavier battery.

This model is a 3G phone, unlike the 5530, also offering a high-speed HSDPA and download speeds of up TO 3.6 Mbps. Unfortunately, it lacks Wi-Fi. If this would be a priority for you as potential users  then it would probably be more advisable to choose Nokia 5530 instead.  If that is not the case and you need both, choose the 5800. The good part is that it features Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

As this phone is not branded as an Xpress Music Phone, it lacks stereo speakers. Still, it has a music player, FM radio and a 3.5 mm audio jack, and the bonus feature of an A-GPS receiver, with Ovi Mapps supplied.

Unfortunately, it also features a sub-standard 2.0 megapixel camera with no flash or autofocus, being suitable only for quick snaps. The video camera of this model is better but it lacks any video calling option, but the weakest feature remains the poor camera.