Nokia 6700 Classic mobile phone review

Full Review

The Nokia 6700 Classic replaces their popular 6300 model, living breathing proof that not everyone wants a smartphone. The 6700 takes the candybar form and our review version was chrome, which looks utterly stunning: it gets a little smeary, but looks cracking.

The 6700 measures 109.8 x 45 x 11.2mm and is only 116.5g, small enough to fit into any pocket or bag. The front is divided between the all-metal 12-key keypad at the bottom and the 2.2-inch display at the top. Between the two is the normal run of calling and navigation buttons.

The screen has a 320 x 240px resolution, so despite its size, it looks nice and crisp and it is bright enough to cope with sunny conditions too. Things are a little cramped on the screen compared to some of the larger screens, but in return you get a compactness those other devices lack.

The phone runs the Symbian S40 user interface, which whilst not exactly cutting-edge by modern standards is simple to use. For those who want a simple handset, then it is free from confusion. To aid you in your navigation the home page does offer a shortcut bar to jump you into Nokia Maps, the browser or Nokia's Ovi sharing portal.

Customisation isn't available to the same degree as on rival platforms but you will be able to tap into the Ovi Store to download relevant applications, such as a Facebook app. But being a simple interface it is fast to navigate and extremely stable.

The all-metal keypad looks good with its single-piece design and gentle backlighting. One thing to watch out for ladies, if you use your nails to press the buttons, you might find that the cut characters on the keypad act a little like a nail file and roughen the ends of your nails. Otherwise we found it fast and responsive and backed by Nokia's reliable T9 system makes for some fast texting action.

But the 6700 doesn't offer retro connectivity, it is packing in the full range of GSM, GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA, so your handset will happily lap up data on the move. It doesn't have Wi-Fi, so you won't get the advantage of fast free surfing at home through your phone.

However it does have AGPS with Nokia Maps, which we found to be good and responsive, whilst Bluetooth 2.1 will allow you to connect to your PC or stereo headset. The bundled headset connects to the Micro-USB connection on the bottom of the phone. It's of the hard plastic ear bud variety and does leave a little to be desired, but incorporates the handsfree kit too. The headset acts as the aerial for the FM radio as well, so you'll probably be stuck with it.

Around the back of the handset you'll find a 5-megapixel camera, a generous offering perhaps, considering the "Classic" tag. It features an LED flash that is as good as useless for anything other than candid shots to share online, giving your subjects a telltale yellow cast. There is a dedicated shutter button on the top of the phone, which is perhaps a little sensitive.

The camera performance is pretty good overall for a basic handset and you'll have no problem capturing still shots in good light, but it doesn't compare to the performance of Nokia's camera phones packing a better quality lens.

Video can also be captured at a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 at 15fps which isn't so impressive, although a smoother 362 x 288 30fps option is available, which will do for basic sharing on YouTube. If video and imaging is important, then perhaps you'd be better off looking at some of the more dedicated handsets on offer.

The Nokia 6700 Classic is miserly, giving you 170MB of internal memory, although our review model came with a 1GB microSD card in the slot (hiding under the back cover). Nokia claim that it supports up to 8GB, although it happily accepted a 16GB microSDHC card.

Verdict

The Nokia 6700 Classic is a great little handset. It looks and feels good without scrimping on features like HSDPA and GPS that you really want. Ok, so some features are missing, but for many, the 6700 will give them that they want: a compact handset which is well connected.

The quality of the metal sandwich construction is unquestionable too and we love that polished chrome finish. For some though, the screen might just a little too small, and the lack of 3.5mm jack is immensely annoying.

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