Review: Nokia 6110 Navigator

Nokia 6110 Navigator Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: A compact alternative to the Nokia N95, the 6110 Navigator is the best GPS-equipped mobile phone we've seen yet. Whilst the 2 megapixel camera disappoints, the 6110 offers almost everything else: a music player, an FM radio, loads of memory, HSDPA, quadband and Bluetooth. This should be top of the list for anyone seriously interested in a GPS-equipped phone.

The Nokia N95 was Nokia's best-selling smartphone of 2007, and now here comes a second smartphone with built-in GPS navigation: the 6110 Navigator.

The 6110 is a nicely finished slide phone that's more compact than its big brother, the N95, but surprisingly a little heavier. It's definitely a lot more refined than the N95 in the looks department, and we prefer the keypad too, even though the top row of keys are slightly awkward to access if you have large fingers. There are dedicated keys for the Navigator (GPS), the camera, a Symbian application launcher key, and a customisable "My Own" key. As well as a rear-facing video camera, there's a front -facing main camera with a sliding lens protector. The first impressions are very much of a phone that has been carefully thought out and is both nice to look at and nice to hold.

The GPS feature is the main reason for choosing the 6110, and we have to say that we like it a lot. In fact it's a better implementation of a GPS system than in the N95. By pressing the dedicated Navigator key you can quickly get into the application, and finding a location is simplicity itself (you can enter a street address, postcode, or a business name) and fast too. UK & Ireland maps are pre-installed on the memory card supplied and the large 2.2 inch QVGA display shows your location very clearly. Turn arrows are clearly displayed to guide you turn-by-turn to your destination, and voice guidance is also available (recommended for driving.)

As well as basic maps and directions, the system also includes points of interest, such as restaurants, petrol stations and sites. You can access the maps and points of interest quickly using the Navigator key even if you haven't programmed a destination. In addition, there are optional subscription services available, such as traffic reports, weather forecasts and travel guides. The Nokia Map Manager software (included) lets you manage and transfer additional maps to and from your PC. Another novel and useful feature is the ability to send a location map (with directions) via MMS - useful for finding people, or helping them find you! Overall, the Navigator's GPS system is very impressive and works well, within the limitations of a mobile phone. One advantage that the 6110 has over conventional GPS systems is that it uses assisted GPS (APGS), which combines information from the satellite and the mobile phone network to improve its location-finding ability. Neat! We'd be dishonest if we suggested that the 6110 can match the ease-of-use of a TomTom, and the best use of the 6110 is probably for pedestrians. You'll certainly find it very useful when out and about on foot.

The Navigator functions are the big selling point of the phone, but it has all of the other functions that we've come to expect from a high-spec phone too. These include a well-specified media player with high quality audio, plus an FM radio with Visual Radio support, as well as a rather average camera (2 megapixels; no autofocus). 3G video calling is supported, and the phone supports 3.5G with HSDPA for download speeds up to 3.6 Mbps. Push email is supported, with a document viewer, and you can browse the web with the built-in web browser. One interesting feature of the 6110 is the Message Reader application: with one touch of the "My Own" key this will read aloud your text messages and email. This ties in with the idea of using the GPS navigation in a car.

In conclusion, the Nokia 6110 Navigator is a very nicely designed and compact smartphone. Its GPS implementation is the best we've seen, and most features that we'd like to see are included. The camera is a bit of a disappointment, but you can't have everything! Apart from the camera and the lack of a WiFi connection, it offers virtually everything that the N95 has, but at a substantially lower price. We'd recommend it!

Features of the Nokia 6110 Navigator include:

• Series 60 Symbian SmartPhone
• 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and flash
• Secondary video camera for 3G video calling
• Photo and video editors
• Display: 16 million colours, 240 x 320 pixels (2.2 inches)
• Music player
• FM radio with Visual Radio
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Instant messaging, Audio Messaging, push email with document attachment viewer
• Java applications
• Internet: GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA up to 3.6Mbps
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
• Memory: 40 Mbytes plus microSD card (expandable to 8 Gbytes)
• Quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) plus 3.5G (WCDMA 2100 HSDPA)
• Size: 101 x 49 x 20 mm
• Weight: 125g

Nokia 6110 Navigator Consumer Reviews

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Average rating from 34 reviews:

Reviewed by Alex Ben from India on 27th Jun 2008
Good Phone. Only limitations are WiFi rest is the best you can have, if you are looking for good features at low price. All symbian phones have issue of getting stuck and rebooting. May be solved in later software updates.
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Reviewed by mario hoxha from Albania on 19th Jun 2008
i love that telephone
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Reviewed by Andrew T from UK on 10th Jun 2008
This Phone is not a patch on my Sony Ericsson K800i when it comes to build quality. However, the GPS is good (have outrun it's capabilities on the Motorbike). The telephone isn't great, it crashes a lot etc.Glad I kept the Sony!
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Reviewed by jools from peterlee on 9th Jun 2008
this phone is great sat nav is not just for the boys its fun and easy to manage i luv it. it is a bit heavier than what im use to but its great
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Reviewed by Les from Republic of Ireland on 26th May 2008
Sat nav is great and its a real all rounder. The 2 megapixel camera is sufficient for everyday use the multi interface function is really handy although I had a Nokia 6300 before this and the calendar was far far superior in the 6300 which is a great pity as its the only thing negative about the 6110 in my opinion.
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Reviewed by AndyA from UK on 19th May 2008
I have had this phone for a week and got it based on the reviews on here. It's the best phone I've ever owned by a country mile. I had to go to a supplier the other day and was out of my area. I googled for the nearest supplier, punched the code into the Sat Nav and it came up with a route. The whole process took less than 2 mins. My customer told me that I would struggle as her TomTom struggled in the area to get a position and often took 5 mins to work. What more can I say. It's an awesome piece of kit.
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Reviewed by Christ_geo90 from Indonesia on 18th May 2008
I Love It
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Reviewed by Richard Carter from Ireland on 28th Apr 2008
Great phone, have just updated to Route 66 Mobile 8 with new maps, came on disk. loaded up, but found you can not use the Navigator button, you have to go into the menue. Route 66 say it needs new firmware, and Nokia site says there is none. The truth is there is a firmware update, but it seems it is only to europe not UK & Ireland , could not download new maps via phone at a cost of ¤49 had to buy Route 66 sofware at ¤69.00, firmware installed on phone is 3.5 new firmware is 4.2. Seems a pityyou can not use the navigator key, otherwise a great phone had mine 5 moths and no problems.
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Reviewed by David Wilson from UK on 19th Apr 2008
I have had my Nokia Navigator for 6 months now I find it totally brilliant; have just come back from Rome, before I went I downloaded the city map of Rome for 9 Euro, and it was a god send, it took us every where we want to go. I land marked the Hotel on arrival and just entered our chosen sights to visit, it then showed the route, how far it was and how long to walk there, then entered the Hotel to get the route back, just superb. The mp3 player was great for the flight and for music in the room. Every other feature is bril to, my only gripe with this phone is the battery life, lasts about a day, but this seems a trend with modern Nokia phones. This is an excellent phone. 4 Stars for the battery
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Reviewed by anthonywlai@yahoo.com from malaysia on 18th Apr 2008
It hard for me in new place so I need nokia 6110 navigator to take me to place. At first I happy to use it but later I can use my navigator. It not working? Write down need to upgrade. So I take it back to the shop. I was shock to hear that it need to pay to use. I use all my money to buy this phone. New job no friends here. Is they anyone can help me get the nokia map manager.
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Reviewed by Biz from UK on 9th Apr 2008
Have had this phone for 6 months now, the best of Nokia so far, without any doubts. The Navigator actually works without any extra cost and is accurate.
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Reviewed by foz from uk on 8th Apr 2008
i hated this fone it was alriyt at first but just got annoying and its rather pointless when you can have a satnav lg viewty amazing
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Reviewed by HASS from AUSTRAlia on 3rd Apr 2008
the best phoen ever i have seen in my life and bes tt hing of phone is buit in gprs
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Reviewed by Julie Mathews from Ireland on 28th Mar 2008
Great phone apart from the 2 megapixel camera i was expecting more from nokia ♥♥♥
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Reviewed by George kronfli from UK on 12th Feb 2008
Referring to my comments of the 18th January 2008, I have now discovered how to turn on the speed camera alarm function which one can set to give a loud warning at a pre-set distance before reaching the speed camera. If anyone is interested please let me know. [Editor's reply: George, I'm sure that some people will be interested - why don't you post an explanation (if it's not too complicated!)] OK, here goes. Go into Sat Nav mode and wait until it locks on a satellite etc. Click on Options, then click on Settings, then, and here is the secret, click on Alarm using the MIDDLE Navigator button on the phone, NOT the Options button on the top left. Then click on Safety Cameras, again using the Middle Button, click again using Middle button, then click again using middle button, it will now ask you if you want to change Alarm Settings, click Yes using top left button, it will now take you to the Menu you want. Here you add Warning Sound, Warning Distance etc as you wish. After choosing your preffered settings, Save them, then click Back. [Editor's reply: Thanks, George!]
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Reviewed by Richard from Finland on 6th Feb 2008
I've had this phone almost 2 months and agree with the review. Camera is so so but everything else is fantastic. The screen especially is so clear and sharp. Photos are clear and viewing pdfs on the screen is really easy. GPS works well, I've navigated around shanghai and bogota with it but also installed Nokia maps and Google maps (as well as route 66 built in navigation software). This is better than the N95 in that battery life is a bit better and there is a proper charging car bracket from nokia for it. Keyboard could have a bit more room around it, especially the top row, just 2mm more space would make it better. Phone is much faster than my old 6680. I do miss the pop port though and don't like having to turn bluetooth on to use it in the car, battery life with bluetooth takes a hit. For some reason the battery meter shows 100% full for a long time and then plummets. One morning it failed to wake me up since i'm sure it had almost 100% the night before but battery had completely drained in the middle of the night (even clock needed resetting!). Don't rely on it if you have a plane to catch ! My company provides the phone and I could have had N95 but chose this instead, proper car bracket was the clinching factor.
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Reviewed by Johanne from Norway on 4th Feb 2008
continued from below...This phone compared to my old Sony is not as intuitive to use when using the memus. Too many bottons to press to get into the contact menu etc. On top of the other issue described below, I have lost my patience with this phone for the practical use of making calls and sending text messages! Battery life is also short-less than 2 days just on regualar phone use (about one hour a day between calls and sms). So my star rating is quite low as I am dissapointed after 2 tries
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Reviewed by Johanne from Norway on 3rd Feb 2008
Puzzled! I Bought this phone about 6 months ago on subscription from a relatively new network provider in Norway. After having the phone about 2 weeks,a strange thing started to happen with the phone. At intervals of every 2nd day or so I cannot make or receive calls even though fully charged and with network coverage. I am able press the phone number and it tries to connect but doesn't.The only way to make it work is to take the battery out and put it in again, which seems to 'reset' the phone. I have already checked the call divert settings but that was not active. So after a week or two I changed the phone with the provider for another of the same model and the problem still happens. They sent me a new SIM card and it didn't help matters. The only way to reset it is to take the battery out and put it back again. This erases memory like my missed call list which is a nuisance. Does anyone experience this and why could this be happening? My friend also has the same model and did not experience any of these problems and is pleased with his phone.Is it possible that the network service provider got a batch of phones with some kind of fault? I asked this question to them and they said they didn't have phones from any particular batch so didn't see any connection there. Has anyone else had similar issues making or receiving calls?
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Reviewed by Errol Greer from South Africa on 2nd Feb 2008
GPS fantastic. Even has small villages in rural areas on the supplied map, which many expensive car GPS units lack in South Africa. Small thing, how do I turn off the start-up (loud) tune ? Simply the best Nokia I've ever used.
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Reviewed by ian s from uk on 31st Jan 2008
LOOKS LIKE A GOOD PHONE PITY ITS BEING SHIPPED AT MOMENT BY VODAFONE WITH NO MAPS,SO ITS MAIN SELLING POINT DOESNT WORK.NO PROBLEM ACCORDING TO VODAFONE AS MOST PEOPLE DONT USE THIS FUNCTION IF THAT WONT DO RING NOKIA WHO SUGGEST: JUST TAKE IT TO THE CARPHONE WAREHOUSE AND GET IT REPAIRED.
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Reviewed by loucas from cyprus on 30th Jan 2008
the best phone you can imagin
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Reviewed by k hawkins from uk on 26th Jan 2008
wicked phone best one yet
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Reviewed by H from UK on 25th Jan 2008
Fantastic phone!!! you can watch tv, browse intranet, find your way from a to b...its even a good looking thing. The picture quality is awsome. I would recommend this phone
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Reviewed by George Kronfli from UK on 18th Jan 2008
I have had the 6110 for just over three weeks and I am totally besotted by it. It is incredible, especially the GPS. I bought the Speed Camera download from Route 66; does anyone know if I can turn on voice guidance for the speed camera function, if so how?
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Reviewed by Kim from UK on 16th Jan 2008
Had my for phone for 3 months now, and love it. Impressed with the FREE to use GPS,but cradle and in-car charger needed but not included. Battery life not as long as I would have like though it doesn't take long to charge so no real hardship. Still think its fantastic value with alot of functions and one of the best phones I ever had.
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Reviewed by Ashwani Pathak from South Africa on 6th Jan 2008
A great value for money...in nutshell...
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Reviewed by Jay from uk on 1st Jan 2008
Great phone but does anyone know how to get it unlocked? in the uk. [Editor's reply: try the companies listed on our unlocking page. Some of these do handle the 6110.]
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Reviewed by Ahmad from Australia on 24th Dec 2007
One word "Outstanding"
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Reviewed by john paul from belfast on 22nd Dec 2007
class phone has ever thing a work man needs taxi driver bus man things like that
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Reviewed by ahmad from afghanistan on 19th Dec 2007
nokia 6120 navigation is stylish phone and good interfanaces to connect the other phone
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Reviewed by alexander from uk on 16th Dec 2007
This phone looks amazing and is amazing BUY THIS PHONE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by graham courten from england on 6th Dec 2007
i think the navigator is the best phone i have ever had, the navigation system is very good and unlike some phones it is free to use,the music player and radio are also top class would realy recommend it to anybody.
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Reviewed by JR Ewing from UK on 2nd Dec 2007
Absolutely love this phone. Foolishly got rid of my first one, but back with it again now and wouldn't be without it. Not remotely slow (weird for Symbian OS handsets), and the SatNav software is great. Music Player too is excellent. Camera not quite as bad as the main review makes out. Quibbles over battery life, but nothing extraordinarily bad.
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Reviewed by Mitch from Australia on 2nd Dec 2007
I am a big fan of the Nokia 6110 Navigator. I have had it for just over a week, and have managed to plot out many specific street addresses, schools, petrol stations etc with much ease. I recieved a 512mb memory card free with mine (as most should), and unexpectadly i also received the car holder, which reading from many places, is $85 on top of the price of the phone. I am a very big fan of this phone and i highly recommend it over the N95 any day, not only on looks, but also on the functions. AAA+++ Highly recommended phone!
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You can read more Nokia 6110 Navigator reviews at RecommendedBuys UK.

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