Welcome to the Nokia 3120 mobile phone review. The 3120 has been around for a few years now and still available because its good basic mobile phone. I mean basic literally - not entry level.
If you only need a mobile for emergencies or just staying in contact every so often then this is a perfectly suitable model to get.
Battery Life
The battery life of this phone is excellent. Left on stand the battery will last up to 10 days with calls it'll go for at least 5 hours continuously. We know because we used it on a particularly busy day!
Speed
The phone is quite fast. Menu scrolling and activation is on par with other basic mobiles.
Construction.
The 3120 is well constructed with sturdy materials. Nice looking and integrated well despite 5 different coloured material used. Most of all it doesn't have any creaking plastics. Even in 2007 the phone looks modern on the outside.
Physically it's probably 1cm too small to be comfortable holding for average sized adults. For teens and younger it would probably be perfect sized.
The keypad is plastic and when you press the keys you encounter very strong spring feedback. Hence it is unlikely that you will need to lock the keypad if placed in a pocket by its self.
Functionality
The Nokia 3120 in 2007 is not a feature rich phone. However there are a few things that will surprise you. The customisation features for example extend to screen savers with timing options!
All the call management basics are there: contacts, speed dialling, last number dialled, call waiting, hold divert and timer and even hands free.
Text messaging including MMS is all there with a few useful bonuses like message counter, message sorting into folders!
Other functions include calendar, calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch and countdown, key pad shortcuts, and even timed profiles and call groups.
Connectivity
It can only connect via a POP-PORT USB cable - not included in the package. Besides with only .5 of a megabyte (512k) to use I don't think you'd need one.
MP3 and video/sound
It doesn't play MP3s only MIDI. The inbuilt speaker is nice and loud though.
Web Browser
It has a basic browser and access the internet via GPRS. So its not very quick but works.
The camera/video recorder
It doesn't have one!
The screens
It only has a 128x128 screen but unlike other basic phones its colour. The image quality is washed out - as per any other CSTN screen. At least not mono like others in this category.
The package came with a wired hands free! However this does not make it entry-level, its still a basic mobile phone.
If Nokia updated it with a OLED screen MP3 player, radio and memory card I can predict more sales.
Call quality and network reception
The call quality is excellent and it is able to hold on even to a marginal signals. Call clarity is typical Nokia meaning good.
Issues
We didn't encounter anything worth mentioning.
Nokia Phone software for Windows
No PC software came with this phone.
Network
You can only buy this phone outright.
Summary
It is a very good basic mobile phone. If your after something reliable then this is perfectly acceptable. Among the best out there.
*When considering its successors the 2626, 2610 or 2650 these look cheap compared to the 3120 but have more features. If you in this price range consider getting a pre-paid package by the same network you're on with a better phone. You don't have to sign-up for a new number if you choose.
Best features
Lots of little things - see above.
Could do better features
Front screen could be higher resolution.
Worst features
Very little on board memory.
Specifications
- Nokia 3120 (Series 40 1st Edition)
- Network
Tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz)
GPRS Class 6
- Design
Candy Bar - Standard Phone
L101.8 x W42.6 x D19.4 mm
Weight 84 grams
White and Grey
- Display/s
4096 CSTN - 128 x 128 pixels
- Camera
None
- Connectivity
USB
- Memory
512K internal memory
- Ring tones
MIDI, Vibration
- Features
SMS, MMS, WAP
JAVA MIDP 1.0
Speaker Phone/Hands free
Customisable backgrounds and font colours
Picture Viewer
- Price history
Under $150 AUS OUTRIGHT 2007
