The Nokia C5 is the first of the Finn’s new C Series devices to hit the market. Nokia classes the C Series as its ‘voice-centric’ device, so it’s designed with the chattering classes rather than message-heavy users in mind. However, you’ll find a host of features, such as email and GPS for free satnav, which don’t normally pop up on a Pay As You Go phone. So how does it stack up? Find out in this part of our Nokia C5 review.
Read the rest of our Nokia C5 review
Nokia C5 review
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The first thing you’ll notice about the Nokia C5 isn’t how solid it feels in the hand, which it does, but how large the buttons on the front look and feel. Passing it around, it’s the first thing people have commented on, and no doubt it’ll be the same for you.
It’s the standard 12 button arrangement of three columns with four rows of numbered buttons also doubling up with three letters per key, which makes its reasonable for firing out texts and emails. Sure, it’s not as agile as a more dedicated messenger, such as a BlackBerry, INQ Chat 3G or Nokia E72, but the good-sized buttons make it comfortable to use. If you’re a heavy email user you won’t readily take to the Nokia C5, no matter how fluent you are at texting.
It’s only once you’ve had a little play with the keys that you notice how well balanced the Nokia C5 as a whole is. Made from stainless steel with an aluminium backplate, it has a good feel to it but with an overall weight of just 89g, it’s still nice and light in the hand. What’s more, the candybar design makes it easy to slip in and out of your jeans pocket.
There is a very minimal look to the Nokia C5. On the top you’ll find a 3.5mm audio jack and USB port for syncing with your laptop, while on the right-hand side there are the standard volume and zoom controls. There’s also access to the microSD slot with a better quality cover than we’re used to seeing on phones at this price point.
On the back of the Nokia C5 you’ll find a 3.2 megapixel CCD camera, which feels very much an entry point rather than a bragging point down the pub, but with a single LED Flash you can use it pretty much anywhere and get decent results. You won’t find a dedicated capture button, so you need to press the D-pad but there are zoom controls on the side that work well.
Flip it back over and the Nokia C5′s 2.2-inch screen sits above a decent sized D-pad and standard menu button affair. The screen is sharp and bright and runs Symbian S60 3rd Edition OS, the same one found on the heavy-hitter business devices like the Nokia E72 and Nokia E55.
With this in mind, you’ll find the Nokia C5 has a rather business feel to the homescreen and interface. Email and your calendar sit in the middle of the screen with a scroll bar for your favourite Contacts above it. Along the bottom of the screen there’s enough space to plonk your five favourite apps.
The big omission on the Nokia C5 has to be the lack of Wi-Fi however, so you’ll be relying on the 3G connection for staying in touch.
Where the Nokia C5 excels though is in battery life. Nokia claims this phone can handle 12 hours of talktime and over the last few days we have to agree with their findings as we’ve charged it once, used it loads and still not needed to top it up yet.
In terms of build and design, the Nokia C5 is fantastic for the price. It feels great in the hand and it’s packed with enough features to make it great value for money. However, it’s worth bearing in mind this is very much a mobile phone with smartphone features, rather than the other way round, so anyone looking for a fully-rounded email and Wi-Fi device may be disappointed.
Read the rest of our Nokia C5 review
Nokia C5 review
Nokia C5 review: Best budget Nokia ever?
Nokia C5 review: Symbian S60 slimmed down
