The Nokia 603 has just been unveiled by the folks at Espoo: complete with NFC and revised Symbian Belle, it looks more like an Android phone than any previous touchscreen smartphone we’ve seen out of Espoo. Just as pressing a question: is this Symbian’s very last hurrah before Windows Phone takes the baton?
For €200 (£175) unlocked, wee have to admit that the Nokia 603 sports some impressive specs. A 3.5-inch version of Nokia’s excellent ClearBlack display is the centrepiece, and it’s powered by a 1GHz processor. It comes in no fewer than six different colours, and is due out before the end of the year.
Like other recent smartphones out of Espoo, it’s NFC enabled and Nokia’s cleverly using the contact free tech as a means to easily pair Bluetooth devices: alongside the Nokia 603, the company has launched a new €69 (£60) Luna Bluetooth headset, which sits in its own charger a little like the Jabra Stone. It can be paired with the 603 with just a tap however.
It all sounds great right? Before you go hitting the pre-order button, do be aware Nokia likely has one, if not more, brand new smartphones on a brand new platform being announced later this month: Windows Phone. The first fruits of the Microsoft partnership are widely expected to be unveiled at Nokia World in London on 26 October.
As for Symbian? It’s already been outsourced to another company, Accenture. Get a good gawp, people. This might just be the last Symbian phone we ever see from Nokia. Too much too late?
