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Welcome to the Nokia 6230i mobile phone review. The 6230i and its predecessor the 6230 is classed as a business mobile phone. As such Nokia has tried to fit in everything that a business user could possibly want. As a result it appealed to almost everyone and hence sold in the millions! Initial pricing was top of the line and over the years it has fallen to mid-range and in 2007 it is seen as a value priced mobile. We think this is a great do it all phone
Battery Life
The battery life of this phone is excellent 9 days on stand by and at least 3 days with normal usage (1 hour worth of calls and numerous SMS messages). Recharging with the included charger takes less than 2 hours.
Speed
The 6230i is very fast. That said its not as fast as the 6230 version but by mere micro seconds. Menu navigation activation of any function cannot be criticised.
Construction.
The 6230i is constructed in the traditional fashion with Nokia's famous X-press On covers. So you can choose hundreds of different colors or designs. However beware that non-genuine covers have variable build quality, genuine Nokia covers cost a lot but have superior build quality. Also note that the 6230i although looks identical to the 6230 there are differences and getting covers for one will not fit the other.
Physical differences between the 2 are the the 6230i has a slightly larger screen, mini-USB on the side and a separate center button on the navigation pad. The higher pixel count compared to the 6230 is not noticed as unless you compare it side by side.
Overall the build quality is great and the covers click into place better than the original version. Screen resolution, keypad, all work really well. Light and right are the best description. There a a ton of colors available over the years.
That said in 2007 the overall design is looking dated but it functionality is state of the art and as fully featured as phones released this year.
Functionality
The 6230i reviewed had everything you could wish for in 2007. The list could go on for pages. Basically everything can be customised to suit your taste and style. It is also nice to see updated 3d icons for menus and so forth compared to the 6230.
If you live by your mobile then this is the one to get.
Connectivity
It has Bluetooth, Infrared and USB options so your not missing out on PC related file transfers. However you need to install the software on the PC before being able to do most things.
MP3, radio and video/sound
It has a built in mono speaker that's loud and clear located on the left side. It sounds better than a lot of other phones. It even has a sound equaliser. However the MP3 player application is not as fully featured as dedicated music phones. Video playback is smooth and quick.
The FM radio is as good as it gets, with programmable stations and visual radio options. You can even set it as your alarm 'ringtone' or even use it as a normal radio in loudspeaker mode. However like all mobiles you need to connect the headphones to get radio reception.
Web Browser
They included the standard Nokia web browser and works well considering the small screen by today standards. It has all the usual functions you can expect in a internet browser.
The camera/video recorder
The camera and camcorder function are quick to start and takes OK pictures for a mobile phone. Nothing exceptional about the quality here. Being a business phone that is all you should expect.
The screens
The screen looks good although small by today's standards. the colour and brightness is excellent.
Call quality and network reception
The voice call quality of the 6230i is top rated and it has the ability to keep network reception going even in marginal mobile coverage areas.
Issues
It doesn't have any issues worth mentioning.
Nokia phone software for Windows
This Nokia suite that comes with the phone is very good. It has everything you need includes contact and content manager. Missing from earlier software was the carrier logo editor.
Network
Supported by all GSM networks and carriers.
Summary
All things considered this is an excellent mobile phone. It has all the features you could possibly want and more. It is an improvement over the 6230. You can not compare it to other mobiles that are dedicated for a specific function eg. Blackberry for email, or walkman phones for music. This is clearly designed as a do it all phone - which it does well. Anyway, the physical design is getting old but if you can live with that then it is a must buy.
Our recommendation? It's a must buy if you haven't already tried.
Specifications and price
- Nokia 6230i (Series 40 2nd Edition)
- Network
Tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz)
GPRS EDGE
- Design
Traditional
L103 x W44 x D20 mm
Weight 99 grams
Black/Silver/White/Pink
- Display/s
65K TFT - 208 x 208 pixels
- Camera
1.3MP Camera
Video capable 3GP (176 x 144)
- Connectivity
Bluetooth, Infrared, USB
- Memory
32 MB internal memory
Package include additional 32MB MMC
MMC memory - up to 512MB
- Ring tones
MP3, MIDI, WAV, Vibration
- Features
SMS, MMS, WAP
JAVA MIDP 2.0
Push-To-Talk
Modem for PC
Web browser (WAP 2.0 - xHTML)
Speaker Phone/Hands free
FM Radio + Visual Radio
Chang-able covers
Mobile wallet
*See below for more details.
- Speed :
Vs Nokia 6230
Navigation 10/10
- Battery Life : BL-5C Li Ion
Claimed operating times
Standby Up to 300 hours
Voice Up to 5 hours
- Price history
$350-399 AUS out right purchase 2007
Best features
Lots of features
Very easy to use
Connectivity
Could do better features
The covers could fit better.
Option of metal based covers.
Worst features
Not much really - design is getting old.
Detailed features
Sync data with PC
Alarm Clock, Calendar, Notes, Stopwatch, Task list, Timer
Themes, Customisable backgrounds, Screensaver
Music, Picture, Video 3GP and MPEG4 player
Voice dialling - answer - recorder
Configurable keys
150 SMS in phone
20 dialled numbers
20 received calls
20 missed calls
Calendar
To Do
Memo
Wallet feature
1000 Contacts in phone with pictures
JAVA Games (Runs Java games up to 500K)
