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Full Review

4 May 2006 - Nokia is rapidly getting to grips with this 3G malarkey, and this handset is possibly its best third-generation handset yet. The 6280 is a Series 40 mobile, and features an updated version of the popular operating system. It’s also a little bit on the chunky side, especially for a slider phone, and looks large when compared to recent 3G offerings from rivals Motorola and LG.

However, it still manages to catch the eye with its slightly odd good looks, and the top part of the sliding mechanism puts us in mind of Nokia’s Art Nouveau style handsets of a couple of years back. However, while those phones were feature-free zones, this handset offers a wide range of thrills and frills, including the now de rigeur 2 megapixel camera and a top-notch 262k colour screen. It also has a rather discrete camera on the front, which doesn’t spoil the looks and is ideal for video calling.

You can also download videos, and the 6280 comes with a hot-swappable miniSD card slot – there’s a 64MB card bundled in the box. The handset also supports both EDGE and Push to Talk, although the latter is missing off the versions of this handset that you’ll get from 3. It also boasts Bluetooth for connecting to a hands-free headset, and the ability to synchronise your contacts and appointments with the impressive on-board organiser was good.

Call quality with the 6280 was first rate, both voice and video, and for a handset that offers so many features and such a bright screen, battery life was good, allowing us to get through a hectic social weekend with no problems at all.

There are some problems, and while the nice design is all well and good, Nokia fans will miss the dedicated hard menu button, and if you are into your video calling you may want a dedicated button for that too.

Verdict

A solid phone that looks larger than some of the recent 3G offerings but is still a very decent handset.

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