 |
|
Welcome to the Nokia 7230 review. The Nokia 7230 was released in late 2009 to cater for the sweet spot between the standard and mid-range 3G capable mobile phones. Price wise the 7230 is in a great position at under $180 outright and even less as a pre-paid package.
Construction wise the 7230 is built very well. However it is a slider phone so expect some slack over time but the demo model we tried was still working perfectly despite obvious hard use. The metal frame and patterned plastic works well and will be attractive to most people. Although one of the cheaper models in the range there is not much to complain about. Conservative and well though out slider.
Nokia has been making variations on the same theme for ages and their experience shows in the functionality that the 7230 has. A decent sized screen, responsive menu system and all you need for voice calls, SMS and emails, Facebook, IM etc. The keypad is Ok to use but we think the button feel designed to cater for those who love to text message rather than the occasional texter.. We still prefer the bigger buttons on the Nokia C5-00 mind you.
The 7230 comes with 2 web browsers, Opera and the Nokia Webkit version. The latest Opera version is the better one to use on a small screen if you want to see full web sites. The screen is larger than most in the category but like the others still too small for full websites regardless of browser. You need to find 'bite size' internet sites to be of real use. It also lacks fast internet data download and upload capabilities.
Call quality was typical Nokia although sounded 'tinner' - it seems to be a trend with the company compared with say the Hi-Fi ish quality of the old 6233. The network signal was relative good despite being in a marginal area - ie 2 bars.
It runs the S40 OS so our software works well with it - just turn bluetooth off if the apps fails to start.
This phone is perfect for those who only want a basic 3G capable phone with some ability to add new software. The large buttons on the surface of the phone will make it easy for those who if the fiddly buttons on other types of phones including touch screens happy. The slightly large screen will definitely make it easier to view what ever information on the screen. The menu system is standard Nokia so you will be able to use it without resorting the the manual.
Overall we liked the 7230 and quite sure you will be happy with it too. It is a simple phone with all the functionality for most of your communication needs. There are also plenty of apps from the OVI store or carrier network store you can download for free or cheaply to keep you happy until the next model arrives. The key selling point is the outright pricing of less than $180 AUD and a pre-paid package of around under $130. Get the outright version so you can use other SIM cards with it.
Strangely we prefer the 7230 to the 6700 Slider. Finally the 7230 is available on most phone carriers except for Telstra at the time of writing.
Specifications
- Nokia 7230
- Network
Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Dual-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country)
- Design
Slider
- L98 x W48 x D14.75 mm
Weight 100 grams
- Display/s
2.4 inch TFT 240 x 320
- Camera
3.2MP
- Video Camera
320 x 240 pixel main video camera 8FPS
- Connectivity
Bluetooth V2.1
Micro-USB
- CPU
xxxMhz
- Memory
Up to 45MB available to user
MicroSD up to 16Gig
- Ring tones
MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features
JAVA Apps
Music and Media player
Organiser/Calender
SMS, MMS, IM, Email
JAVA MIDP 2.0
FM radio
Speaker Phone/Hands free
3.5mm AV/headset
BP-5CT 3.7V 1050mAh
Up to 16 days Standby
Up to 5.3 hours Talk Time
- Price history
Under $160 AUS mid-2010 (Outright)
Under $130 AUS mid-2010 (Pre-paid)