Review: Nokia 6230

Nokia 6230 Review

Phone rating:

Similar in many ways to the Nokia 6220, the 6230 is a business class phone that also includes features like an integrated digital camera, video recorder and a music player.

Slightly larger and a touch heavier than the 6220, the Nokia 6230 brings a number of enhancements, not least being the active TFT colour display with 65,536 colours, compared with the measly 4096 colours of the 6220. However, the screen resolution is still relatively poor at 128 x 128 pixels.

The quality of the camera has also been enhanced, with full VGA resolution up to 640 x 480 pixels. The camera is easy to use with the phone display used as a viewfinder, and includes useful features such as a self timer function, a choice of standard, portrait, and night modes and a choice of 3 image quality options: high, normal and basic. The video recorder has also been improved by extending the maximum duration of clips that can be recorded and played.

Another welcome addition is the Bluetooth connectivity, which replaces the infrared connection of the 6220, and the faster EDGE connection.

Overall the 6230 represents a significant improvement to the 6220 and is highly recommended, although it does suffer from a poor quality screen compared with other camera phones in this class. The new Nokia 6230i significantly updates the features of the 6230.

Features of the Nokia 6230 include:

• Integrated digital camera (640 x 480 resolution)
• Video recorder and player (record up to 2 MB; equal to 5 min, subject to available memory)
• MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
• Bluetooth
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Downloadable Java™ games & applications
• 6 Mbytes shared memory (expandable)
• Colour display (65,536 colours, 128 x 128 pixels)
• Speed dialling & voice dialling
• Voice recorder
• Built-in stereo FM radio
• Music player for MP3 and AAC files
• Integrated handsfree speaker
• WAP 2.0, GPRS, HSCSD & EDGE (max 236.8 kbits/s download)
• XHTML browser
• Email
• Pop-Port™ interface
• Phonebook (1000 names)
• Alarm clock, stopwatch, wallet
• Built-in infra-red modem
• Size: 103 x 44 x 20 mm
• Weight: 97g
• Battery standby: 150 - 300 hours
• Battery talktime: 3 - 5 hours
• Tri band

Nokia 6230 Consumer Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

Average rating from 100 reviews:

Reviewed by Hashim from UK on 29th Nov 2004
Excellent phone as the ratings states. Davey2004 go to Media, go to Camera, then scroll down to Settings, then scroll down to Video Clip Length. Once in there it gives you two options 'default' and 'maximum'. Select Maximum this will give you 4 minutes of recording time. Peace
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Reviewed by E.C.Y.Y from Singapore on 28th Nov 2004
What can i say? It has all the features that you can ask from a phone bluetooth,infared,MMS,videos,VGA camera which shoot high quality images(for a phone),Java support,65,000 TFT colour screen,XHTML browser for up to 238.6Kbps with EDGE,3GPP video streaming and playback,Expandable MMC card slot.The only flaw in my opinion is it's lacking symbian support,which makes the phone's interface look more advanced and more applications.But still it's a minor flaw.Compared with the low price here in Singapore this has to be the best phone around.(Excluding Smartphones,PDA phones,pocket PCs or wadever).
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Reviewed by Zara from UK on 27th Nov 2004
This phone is BRILL! CAMERA QUALITY IS GREAT,COLOUR SCREEN IS VERY CLEAR! WEIGHT IS NOT HEAVY UNLIKE OTHER NOKIA PHONES. GOOD POLYPHONIC RINGTONES. ITS EVEN GOT MP3 PLAYER. HOW GREAT! IF U WANT A GOOD PHONE THIS IS THE 1 2 GET. WORTH ITS MONEY!
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Reviewed by Hexxen from UK on 26th Nov 2004
I have been using this phone for a week now and can honestly say it is excellent, it has all the function and features you could wish to have including bluetooth which opens up a whole new world if you havent used it before. A lot of people have commented on how plain looking the phone is, in my opinion this is good as it makes it less apealing to your average toe rag thief. I also like the fact that it has a removable MMC 32mb memory card included. I have connected my Bluetrek G2 Headset without any problems and also managed to easliy upload / download some music, games and applications via a Bluetooth dongle recently purchased. As I said at the begining this really is a good phone, the only complaints I have about it are that getting the back cover off is a nightmare, and the button layout is not the best (a bit to close together) My previous phone was a Nokia 7250i which was also a very good phone (but the screen colors & camera werent the best)
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Reviewed by davey2004 from England on 26th Nov 2004
Great Phone in every way. Only one problem. How do you increase video time? 15 seconds is not enough! HELP!!
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Reviewed by Delmastiff from UK on 25th Nov 2004
I gotthis 6230 as a replacement for my excellent 6310i. I have always had Nokia phones because I like their stability and ease of use. This phone is ok. It's my first camera phone and seems fine to me although it's never going to replace my digital camera. The keypad is a little temperamental but my biggest problem has been with the bluetooth. I had my PDA paired up with my old 6310i whaich was a doddle to set up, but the 6230 just wouldn't pair up with it. My service provider said that my Ipaq 2210 PDA will NEVER pair with the 6230 as there is a software conflict. I have managed to sort it out though through downloading a patch from the HP website, so that is now resolved and the two now are now paired up. In summary, if you have a 6310i and aren't bothered about pictures and funky ringtones, then stick with it. This phone is overall quite good.
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Reviewed by Isaidright! from UK on 25th Nov 2004
OK, I have lived with this phone for a few weeks now, and this is what aI think so far: 1. Size - great 2. Screen - ok could be brighter 3. Battery life - OK but see below 4. Bluetooth - not good as Nokia Suite only supports four BT standards - and our 3 Com cards don't appear to be one of them 5. GPRS - OK 6. Signal strength - better than 6310i, but holding the phone near the camera really has an impact on strength - as advised in manual. 7. Camera - OK - but buy a digital camera if you want real pictures 8. Keypad - fiddly but useable if you don't have fat fingers or type with your elbows! 9. On/Off switch - pointless, switch it on and leave it until the battery runs out (which makes the battery life less than the 6310i). The switch takes several attempts and at least a five second press to activate. 10. Auto keypad lock - at last! 11. Speaker phone - great - I haven't needed the handsfree kit - no one complaines that they can't hear me. 12. Radio - why? 13. Build - feels OK, back cover a bit flimsy 14. Volume - a bit quiet for some of the alarms 15. Jog button (menu button) - often frustrating as it selects UP rather than SELECT 16. Editing, capturing text etc - better, some useful features for grabbing phone numbers and using. 17. T9 text - still good 18. MMS - why? 19. Screen saver - almost pointless as the blank screen appears shortly after. 20. Media player - OK 21.Organiser - better than previous, but different, so if you were used to using this, then there is a learning curve 22. Applications - great for holiday trips, track day visits, knowing what time it is in Sydney - but otherwise pointless. Overall it does what is says on the box, good reception, nokia menus - good thing, but let down by poor implementation of user interfaces - ie keyboard & bluetooth.
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Reviewed by jim from UK on 23rd Nov 2004
Awful. Battery life is poor, keys hard to use and get right first time what you wanted to input, small screen, slow to boot up and shut down. I darent take it abroad to test the tri band as that probably wont work either. Go get the Nokia 6310i, i really regret getting rid of that
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Reviewed by whateva from UK on 23rd Nov 2004
this phone is mint!!!
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Reviewed by Uri from UK on 23rd Nov 2004
Good phone with many various useful features! Bluetooth is pretty good and easy to use, the phone's organiser is good, and with it's huge memory and memory-expansion capabilities it's probably the best phone of it's type on the market currently. I will say this, if your fiance wont get married over a phone, then your relationships's more than a joke!
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Reviewed by Mike Jones from United Kingdom on 21st Nov 2004
This fone is totally rubbish. I brought it for my girlfriend and the screen is small.. u cant see it in bed.. the camera cant take pictures coz its so dark..u cant press the buttons.. they r hard 2 press and after 2 weeks from buying it.. it didn't switch on/off. You cant charge the phone when it is switched off and the alarm is really quiet and you cant hear it. I am going to complain 2 the manager. My girlfriend was so disapointed and now we arent going 2 get married 2morrow. JUST COZ OF THAT DUMB PHONE. I'm not going 2 get anther nokia phone in my life. People think that it is good but unfortunately they haven't seen the down side of it. Im not getting another Nokia. Im getting a Samsung. They r much more fashionable and very neat.
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Reviewed by Nama from uk on 21st Nov 2004
Outstanding!!!
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Reviewed by Lucas from Ireland on 20th Nov 2004
No Doubts about it, consider the best phone from NOkia
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Reviewed by Sarum from Uk on 19th Nov 2004
Love this phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Eldar Murtazin from UK on 18th Nov 2004
Nokia 6230 is actually new generation phone built in Series 40 platform, it has a lot of new functions on board. The model itself is innovative, it has certain amount of interesting solutions, but on the other hand not all of them are convenient in our daily life. The phone's ambiguity guarantees lots of discussions now and then. But one fact is certain, Nokia became the first company in the world who started shipping phone with exchangeable memory cards.
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Reviewed by Alan from Kent on 18th Nov 2004
Very stylish and classic phone. like it a lot.
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Reviewed by Calnus from London on 18th Nov 2004
I'll rate 5 stars for this tiny but significant phone
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Reviewed by Tim from uk on 18th Nov 2004
de best phone ever
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Reviewed by Dave from Scotland on 18th Nov 2004
Great phone!!!!!
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Reviewed by Will from Northern Ireland on 18th Nov 2004
Oustanding features, excellent colour screen, nice and comfy keypad. Absolutely Classic
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Reviewed by mabz from uk on 17th Nov 2004
luv da fone lotza. its got evryfin i need. bluetooth , camera and video. memory card. 5*****
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Reviewed by Andy from Manchester on 17th Nov 2004
Execellent phone if you ask me
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Reviewed by Harry from England on 17th Nov 2004
I agreed with Tish. This phone is MINT, PURE CLASS, high-resolution, bluetooth, Mp3 player, comfortable Kep-pad. Even a 128x128 pixel phone, the colour is awesome, as well as the camera. Nevertheless, not every phone is perfect. some of the features is hard to use, e.g Infrared. But overall, I'm very pleased with this phone. An execellent product indeed!
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Reviewed by tish from United Kingdom on 16th Nov 2004
EXCELLENT PHONE highly recommended! and in opposition to a previous review of this phone, majority of owners are not a bunch of 16 year old cider drinking scallies. This phone is very classy and at the height of coolness! Quite frankly I think your the one who needs to get a bit of class as by looking at your review it suggests your the one who bought your phone off the back of a lorry for £50 as the nokia 6230 is anthing but drab and boring( although your knock off version might well be!)Nokia 6230 PURE CLASS!!
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Reviewed by TOM from ENGLAND on 15th Nov 2004
this fone is da bomb! cameras well good quality, videos orite, features are gud n its got an mp3 player. wot more cud u ask 4??? if ur prepared 2 pay da money go for dis, its class!!!
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Reviewed by daniel from england on 15th Nov 2004
it is the best phone
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Reviewed by Wynand from Botswana on 14th Nov 2004
Very good, ok camera and the mp3 is good. Kind of small, the screen needs improving. All ini all it's a good fone fron nokia.
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Reviewed by enoch from Sweden on 13th Nov 2004
Now when I've used it for GPRS/BT with my T42p laptop for some time and got solid performance out of it, I'm satisfied. OK, the screen is poor and you need n keystrokes to record an ongoing conversation (who needs it?), but it's really a great little machine. Even the radio works ok for urban usage (don't expect to pick up any low-SI stations in the hill country). Compared to the T610 and T630, it's as quick to handle as I need - no "lag" and fewer keystrokes. OK, one bad thing so far: the so-called stop watch. I've never seen any more complicated way to reset the darn watch.
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Reviewed by bad boy from uk on 12th Nov 2004
dis fone iz da bomb soo dont cus
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Reviewed by Pagnell from England. on 11th Nov 2004
Good phone - I've had it for six months and have enjoyed it. A bit boring to look at and the screen isn't very good but it has some good features and it feels good in the hand. Sound quality and camera quality is exellent (although you need to transfer any photos to your pc to get the full quality as they look dire on the phone screen) and the video record length can be increased from 15 second in case the idiot below who moaned about it (the great one - nice name fool) didn't know. I recommend this handset but it is starting to show it's age and too many chavvie burberetts own them. I am about to change but I have been happy with it for six months which is longer than I normally last with a phone.
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Reviewed by JAKANORY from england on 11th Nov 2004
this is a goodish phone the facilities it has are average but the design is drabb and boring. the worst thing about this phone is that the majority of people who have it are 16 year old scallies that drink cider on the street corner who have got it off the back of a lorry for £50 . that makes this phone as cool as the nike shocks the scallies have and about as classy as jordan getting out of a limo, never the less the phone does have some good features. cheers guys yours truly jakanory!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by john cornelsky from philippines on 11th Nov 2004
I have used several nokia phones since 1998, from the first 5110 6150 to 8910i 9210i and other but the 6230 is an amazing phone the only con is the cursor sometimes deflect like instead od pressing it some time toggle up or down, well maybe its because i have a big fingers, but generally i love this phone
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Reviewed by Matt from England on 10th Nov 2004
This phone is excellent, definitely the best phone Nokia have made yet and any other phone manufacturer for that matter. The camera quality is very good, video recording does let it down slightly but it's still a nice feature to have. It's packed full of features I have just bought a new Motorola V3 razr although the camera quality is good etc, it doesn't compare to my old 6230. I actually love this so much I have actually gone and bought my second one as I stupidly sold my last one when I ordered the V3! If you are thinking of getting this phone, all I will say is GET IT!!
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Reviewed by sam withers from uk on 9th Nov 2004
This is the best phone i have ever owned and belive me i have owned a few. The only downside to this phone is that the main select button has a mind of its own, because every edge to the button conects you to a different function. This means that nine times out of ten you select a different option than the one you require. Appart from that this phone is outstanding, its light, easy to use and has some great little functions i won't be changing my phone for some time.
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Reviewed by AT from UK on 8th Nov 2004
Got this fone abt 1.5 mnths ago...everything was satisfactory. Suddenly this Sat nite, the keys go crazy. A restart solved most of the problems. But ever since, the left soft key has become useless. Hv tried removing the faceplate and directly pressing the button, still no luck. Not sure if this is Nokia or Vodafone's modified s/w prob. Resetting to factory settings hasnt helped either. Hv any of you seen this? Going to Vodafone store...they r surely going to zap it with a new firmware. Losing all my data. Didnt expect this frm Voda!!! &*"£"£$£%~@~##
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Reviewed by the great one from -- on 7th Nov 2004
i was really excited at the time i went to buy this phone. but this excitement quickly ended once i checked the phone out. the camera quality isnt that good, nor is the video recording. the picture quality is crappy, and pics taken in night mode come in blocks. u can only record a 15 sec movie at one time, thats it. then u have to start recording a new movie. the radio and mp3 player is good. the screen sucks, has a 128 x 128 pixel display, not at all sharp and is too small. u have to stare into the screen to see the video u've recorded. no zoom in the camera. applications not tht gr8. 2 star rating only because of good radio and mp3 player and MMC card slot
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Reviewed by Alan from England on 7th Nov 2004
This was supposed to be a replacement for the 6310i. Oh yes it has a modem but what they don't tell you its only a data modem unlike the 6310i which was both data and fax. So the software I paid for to send faxes from my PDA no longer works. Great! Nice one Nokia and thanks.
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Reviewed by Amar from Kenya on 7th Nov 2004
I must say the phone has alot of features and is rather useful for that matter, however one of the phones let downs is its rather small screen, the square button which can be quite mis-leading, the fact that the phone switches off and restarts after using blue tooth, the quality of the loudspeaker is not at all impressive, the video quality which portrays large pixel images. Overall the phone may have alot of impressive features but nokia may need to perfect them.
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Reviewed by martin from wales on 7th Nov 2004
The boss has had this phone for about two months now and i had to have one. Got mine saturday and i must say its the best phone i've had.The boss has had problems with the bluetooth switching to speaker phone in the middle of asda.I do find it a little quite on the tones.Good colour screen,MMC card,video and mp3 what more could you need. And theres all the extras that you can buy to keep the gadget freaks happy like me,like a 1GB memory card etc over all well done nokia. But how long before somthing better arrives ???????????
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Reviewed by G M from UK on 7th Nov 2004
This mobile is not detecting any Blutooth Device lately, whereas other mobiles like sony erric can detect my mobile. I dont know why !! But at the same time am really satisfied with this set.Someone earlier mentioned that there was a problme with the alarm. I think that one shud program the Repeat alarm properly. Rest I am completely satisfied with the battery life which is around 3.5 days. Its really worth going for it when the maket is offering good competitive prices.
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Reviewed by gary from uk on 5th Nov 2004
I've had this phone for about 7 months now and I really like it! have had various nokia models and have liked most of them, but this one I'm really happy with. I have tested the mp3 and radio etc but don't use them much. One irritation I have is that when the phone is connected to my bluetooth headset, everythime the headset has gone into standby and you push a button on the phone, the headset springs to life and the volume settings screen is displayed on the phone with a beep. It stops you texting or doing anything else on the phone for about 2 seconds. As the headset goes into standby after a couple of seconds of no activity on the phone, this is very irritating. Have also had my phone crash several times after having it connected via bluetooth to my pc. The only thing to do is remove the battery and re-insert it. The back cover is quite easy to remove once you figure out how to push on it. I have no problems with the alarm function as some people have described. Another irritation is that you can't have a dark background because then you can't read who's calling you. The battery life could be better, but its far from bad. Photo / movie quality is ok, but considering it is a PHONE, I think its excellent. If you want a digital camera, go and buy one. There are other phones with bigger and brighter displays, but I like this one as an overall package.
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Reviewed by John from Wales on 4th Nov 2004
Great little phone! I upgraded from a 6310i, and initially asked for a 6600. Had to send *that* back as soon as it was out of the box; it looked like a cross section of a baked potato, had a minute keyboard and a fiddly joystick. Had to shell out quite a bit more for the 6230, but I'm damn glad I did; Nokia have managed to produce a good-sized mobile with enough bells and whistles to keep the average customer more than happy. The camera and video functions are pretty hot, considering it's an item designed primarily to let you call people rather than take pictures of 'em and the screens great. Battery cover is a little fiddly; my trick is to press the button down and gently lever the cover off with a pin. A great buy - if I had to choose over again, I'd still go for this beauty!
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Reviewed by Ivor Soans from India on 4th Nov 2004
This phone promises the features, but in some key areas, it seems to fall short. For instance: I bought a 256 MB mmc to listen to MP3s. The problem is that the music player can't detect the music files in my MMC! I have to play MP3s ONE by ONE!!! Ever hear of something that stupid. Nokia is no longer the company with the most usable phones. One thing's for sure--my next phone won't be a Nokia!
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Reviewed by Dave from England on 2nd Nov 2004
I got my 6230 about 3 months ago now. I'll get to the point straight away. Its a good size but I find that the screen is way too small. The buttons are fantastic to write with but the square menu button can sometimes be tricky and can take you to other screens by mistake. The camera is probably the biggest let down for me - the picture quality is not very good - although has a very good "night mode" but even then the picture is very grainy and dull. The video record feature is fun at first but the quality is bad, very blocky and low resolution although it has sound. I do not recomend downloading a "real tone" MP3 ring tone. The speaker sound quality is rubbish. The tone just sounds like a load of nose as though it has been recorded in a noisy club or pub. The "beep" noise that all nokia's have have had when you press the keys has changed to a real high pitched squeek again due to the naff speaker phone. Also the bluetooth headset that worked on my last Nokia does not work with this phone. Overall I rate this phone with two stars. An average phone with lots of features but it is as though it has been a little rushed. Nokia have released alot of phones in a very short amount of time - maybe this is the problem - is the Nokia legacy over??
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Reviewed by Scott from UK on 2nd Nov 2004
This phone is great, having moved on from the awfull featureless samsung e700. Camera is good it's great being able to have whatever you want as a ringtone/ text alert. You can access the files on your phone like you would any file on your pc using bluetooth. Ok the phone restarts on wap sometimes but all my previous phones did, i think it must be curtain wap sites. FM radio is great when lisening through loud speaker. Only problem is the inside of the screen gets dusty easy, but i think thats to do more with where i work/ my hobbies.
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Reviewed by Mike Jones from England on 1st Nov 2004
If I had found this website 2 weeks ago I would have had nothing but praise for this phone. About a week ago a yellow box with a blue question mark appeared on the screen. How funny I thought. I rebooted it and it was still there, however everything that was stored in the gallery had been erased. Images, tones, voice recordings the lot. I gave the phone to a nokia recommended service store. Got it back and the yellow box appeared again and wiped the gallery clean. It is now back off to the service store. Hope it gets lost in the post!?!
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Reviewed by Jon from England on 29th Oct 2004
Have had this phone for some time now, and i can say it is the best phone i have ever had. I love my Nokia phones.
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Reviewed by Win from England on 27th Oct 2004
Don't like the central navigation key Buttons are awkward It keeps turning its self off Screen resolution is very very poor Can't get the back off - well done to the guy in the Carphone Warehouse today for achieving this task!!! Features I do like - camera very good - like! Memory card - good feature Nokia! Off to buy a Nokia 6600 me thinks.
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Reviewed by Jamie from UK on 24th Oct 2004
this phone is the best simple !!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Andrew from Australia on 24th Oct 2004
When it works it is good. But had it only 2 months - crashes when accessing gallery, won't always turn on (similar to many other stories on net). I now have to carry a spare phone to use when it is having a bad day. It has been so bad I am now GOOD at getting that back cover off!!! Software upgrade had better fix it or I will be getting my money back.
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Reviewed by Surya from India on 23rd Oct 2004
I have this phone for about 2 weeks now. I am surprised, the data rates supported are truly better than any phone today (with the exception of WCDMA phones) 1. The cover is a mess it won't budge. 2. The MMC slot is good but should have been hot swappable. Now every time I record a video I need to switch off the phone and remove the card and then download the video on to my PC thru a card reader because Nokia has not done well with its Bluetooth connectivity. 3. The Bluetooth connection will not allow you to delete files while the card is in the slot. 4. The buttons are good (Many people are finicky with the way the buttons are placed especially the 5 way button, but I feel it's the best.) 5. The phone has good features. This is an entry level phone, capable of 3G data speeds with its EDGE and HSCD GPRS 10 Slot feature, so data users will definitely love this phone. I love this phone for its data ability. I have tried GPRS and it works fine so far. But when I switched networks it says GPRS unavailable (Will have to check if it's with the network or the phone). 6. The phone costs less and has loads of features, which is value. Java applications are great. True the applications don't clog the memory or hang the phone. 7. The screen resolution is disappointing and again for a 128x128 screen its ok. 8. The phone reboots in case of firmware problems. There are few issues with its software and as you all know NOKIA IS A BITCH when it comes to rectification of its software problems. It will never do a free software upgrade if you don't have warranty. 9. The 2nd line dialing and conferencing reboots the phone. Even accessing the WAP reboots the phone. 10. The battery is poor and doesn't last more than 4 hours. I am a power user and receive 200+ calls a day and this phone has to be recharged twice a day. (Strictly not for power users) 11. There is a small echo whenever you increase the volume (both in the loudspeaker and the ear speaker) This seems to be a software bug of some sort. 12. The LED illumination is pathetic. You can never see the keypad lights in dark. 13. Nokia is no good with corporate messaging. I need a way to connect to my corporate MSX and SIP services. I hoped Nokia will introduce it in this phone. Many service providers are providing a way to access MSX corporate emails. Only the MS Pocket PC software phones, Blackberry Devices and Good Link capable devices have been able to achieve satisfactory standards. In fact MS Pocket PC phones were able to use IM while using GPRS. Over all I would not rate more than 6 out of 10 for this phone.
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Reviewed by syed from uk on 22nd Oct 2004
this is remarkable. absolute class. though the music player cant store much the phone is great. nokia came up with a good quality camera and video player. has all the features you would expect from a nokia phone. definitely a must buy. i rate it better than samsung e700.
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Reviewed by Chris from UK on 21st Oct 2004
I agree with the consensus - the back cover is a nightmare! Too many flashy features for the business user and not enough build quality. Nice and light, though.
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Reviewed by ryence from uk on 18th Oct 2004
when i bought this phone i was really impressed coz its jam packed with features,after an hour i waste the cover, i want to inspect the battery but the bloody thing wont budge.In general this phone is an upper deck.
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Reviewed by bashar from Emirates on 17th Oct 2004
It's a great phone, It's small and has all what you need!
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Reviewed by Sir Jace alot from UK on 16th Oct 2004
It seems this phone can be a little menace... To other people anyway. If you get this phone. CHECK EVERYTHING WORKS. Bluetooth, alarm, texting, loudspeaker, sound quality, everything. And make sure you have insurance ;) I checked my phone and it was FINE. Thit phone is 'Teh bomb' i'd recommend it to my worst enemy it makes me that happy. Choppy frame rate when recording (15 frames per second) but that only poorly lit places. This phone is the best in its class. Get it, then check it, you moe foes!
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Reviewed by RedDwarf from UK on 14th Oct 2004
I was a Nokia customer until the 6230. I bought this phone and was very disappointed by the build quality. The screen resolution is very poor too. On mine I had a problem with the sound on calls - kind of distorted/tunnel echo. I also found the 5 way nav key very difficult to use, and the well known back cover which won't budge! All in all I was very disappointed with NOKIA and replaced the phone with Sony Ericsson K700i and I must say I am delighted with it, although I wish the battery lasted a bit longer...
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Reviewed by Reto from Switzerland on 13th Oct 2004
Sucks. The cover is impossibel to remove after a few times. This is rubbish.
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Reviewed by jowshy from england on 11th Oct 2004
Its a great stylish phone with a great colour screen and camera i think you should buy it. ITS FANTASTIC! Josh
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Reviewed by JM from Scotland on 10th Oct 2004
love it, mines is black/grey, tones r good, bluetooth's good....all in all it's one very sexy phone!
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Reviewed by Jim from England on 8th Oct 2004
How could ne1 dis this fone, its ace!!! Get out n buy 1 now!!!
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Reviewed by Victor from UK on 6th Oct 2004
This phone is nice to look at nice to hold nice to use and generally good, but the quality is appaling. I hav in 4 months had 5 models, as they all break or something stops functioning. First phone loudspeaker in the ear piece broke after 2 hours, 2. Phone, kept switching off, 3 Phone, never was able to turn on. 4 Phone couldn't use grps. 5 Phone, which i have now the loudspeaker is gone. they last for such a short time it is incredible. Mine i from the link, and basically it is useless. I love the camera, Bluetooth, and screen, and everything else, but it doesn't work as a phone....
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Reviewed by khuscroft from UK on 3rd Oct 2004
Try this at home. Tonight at about 2100hrs to 2230hrs set your phone alarm for 0600hrs and switch it off. Page 66 of the official Nokia manual tells you that the alarm will sound and you will be promted to switch on the phone.Those of you who want a lay in have no fear THE ALARM WILL NOT SOUND. In most circumstances the alarm will will sound eg set an alarm for any time and leave the phone on ... no problem, of course if you do this overnight you run the risk of a wrong number or a prank call waking you up in the small hours. Set the alarm at say 0800hrs for say 1600hrs and switch off the phone and it will ring about 3 times in 5 bizarre!!. In short if you want to use the alarm on this phone how most of us would forget it THIS PHONE IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. I've had 4 of them now as my service provider T-mobile would not give me a different model even when their own recommended engineers proved no'3 to be faulty. After no'4 showed the same problem I rang Nokia and was told that they were aware of the problem and suggested a fix which failed! The alarm fault was common to all four of the handsets and in addition no'2 had a very dark display no'3 had no vibrate and no'4 failed to connect bluetooth devices about 1 in 3. The phone has some good features, I like the memory card and the mp3 player was fair. The camera is not bad but lacks zoom and the night mode is very poor. The video camera can take videos in 4 minute bites but the play back is blocky and pretty much useless. I've given it a 2 rating as it isn't a poor phone. It makes calls the key pad is good (except for the 5 way navigation key) and it has a clear sound through the speaker, then again so do many phones costing a third of the cost or less than a 6230. If you must have one go ahead just don't expect it to do everything Nokia claims it does. Its your £s. I'm switching from Nokia to Sony Ericsson after having owned 6 different Nokia models in five years and 4 6230s IN A MONTH!!. I'm still convinced that Nokia make some very good phone but I will not do any more "BETA TESTING" for them. To parphrase the Ronseal adverts "IT DOESN'T DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE CAN".
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Reviewed by lust from philippines on 2nd Oct 2004
gosh... this phone is the bomb!!! i have everything i want and the camera resolution is superb... so much clearer than my old nokia 7250. i wish that they included a zoom function in the camera but that's a small price to pay for the goodies this phone gives..!!!
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Reviewed by Ernie from Spain on 30th Sep 2004
Had my 6230 for 2 months now and have to say that i am disappointed with it. I like the buttons, but even they dont always work! It also seems to have it's fair share of bugs too, which would explain why it crashes whenever it feels like it. MP3 player is fine - if you are prepared to fork out yet more money on a decent size multi media card. Screen seems ok, but photo quality is rubbish, as is video footage. Blue tooth works, i'm not going to award it any extra stars for it though, when you spend the best part of 300 quid on a phone you kinda hope everything works!!! Overall, this phone has made me think that maybe my 7210 wasnt that bad after all. I have always had nokia's but seriously regret spending that much on this one, it just aint that good! May think about a Samsung next.......
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Reviewed by Judith Rea from Northern Ireland on 26th Sep 2004
o mi god dis fone is klass!! its got evry thin u cud want caus u cud spend bout 100 quid on an mp3 player and its on dis fone!! it looks cool and is sleek and soo klass!! da video recorder is brill and its klass to have a camera built in!!! all my m8s r jelous cause i have dis fone so buy it straight away!!! xxx
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Reviewed by Kevan from United Kingdom on 26th Sep 2004
Well i have had most of the Nokia range at one time or the other, and this 6230 is by far the most impressive one so far, good reception, and transmission, camera, good quality for a mobile unit, mp3 excellent, radio always useful. build quality is up to nokias usual standard, (excellent) no bugs found as yet, fingers crossed. very good value, well done nokia, highly recommended
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Reviewed by sejal from england on 25th Sep 2004
oh my god!!!..can somneone help me, i can't get he back cover of my phone off!!!..i've only just got it?, how annoying!!, is there a trick to it?
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Reviewed by Reuben from Singapore on 25th Sep 2004
This phone is one of the greatest phone i ever owned.With its excellent video camera with four mins of video and 640*480 photos its unbeatable.Has optional memory card with up to 128M of memory.Which can stall music,videos,photos and recordings.But sadly only 128*128 display revolution...
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Reviewed by kay from uk on 24th Sep 2004
Its hard to rate this phone as i had it 1 day. i had many of the same problems as the other people on the site have expressed........ at first it wouldn't accept my sim card at all, it then did, i woke up in the morning turned the phone on and it was not accepting my sim again!........... The back cover is REALLY hard to remove which is a big pain if you're trying to fiddle with the sim like i was. What was really annoying was i bought it off the Internet so had to mess around sending it back. Its seems if you don't get a faulty one its a great little phone, but if you do get a faulty one there a pain in the bum! I'm considering buying another one, but before I do I will ask them to test it first!! If not its a Sony Eriksson k700i for me.
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Reviewed by marwan from egypt on 19th Sep 2004
This is the best phone I have ever had it has a good shap and it is beter than the 6600 it sucks.
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Reviewed by Kyle from Isle Of Mn on 16th Sep 2004
Brilliant phone. BUT, I had to take it back 3 times. 1st time the bluetooth didnt work, 2nd time the buttons stopped working and 3rd time the lcd lights stopped workin !! Just last night i was on WAP and it cut out and virtualy'restarted' and i was very annoyed for the price!!!!! i thought that i'd be buyin quality for 300 quid. i think i might try a samsung or summit next time
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Reviewed by Dave PEacock from Engerland on 16th Sep 2004
Its rubbish! get a 6600 you wont regret it
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Reviewed by Aaron from Australia on 8th Sep 2004
This phone is great. The case may be a little hard to get off but after a bit you can do it easily. I guess the only thing I can pick on is the menu, which isn't as cool as the 6600's, but that's about it. The photo and sound quality is great and I am definitely NOT dissapointed.
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Reviewed by John from UK on 2nd Sep 2004
Brilliant phone. The cover can be hard to get off but there is a knack to doing it. If you know how it's easy. V. clear speaker and excellent reception, and excellent batt. life I've had mine one constantly for a week and have made about five or more long calls. Camera and video quality is amazing very clear photos with good colour balance. Well done Nokia!
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Reviewed by mishul from england on 31st Aug 2004
this is a wkd phone and it is worth buying it becasue it has a camera but the camera is useless becasue if you are gettin a camera phone get a samsung becasue it has the best quality picture polyphnic ringtones and it is just too good
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Reviewed by Steve from England on 31st Aug 2004
1) case is EXTREMELY hard to get off 2) cant use dark wallpapers cos when someone calls it puts the name of the caller in black writing over your dark wallpaper????? 3) had problems switching mine back on after turning it off 4) mp3's skip after 2 days i exchanged mine for a nokia 6600 and im so glad i did, the 6600 may have faults but its cheaper and more reliable! shame on you Nokia, stop churning out 10 phones a month until you can at least get them right!
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Reviewed by Jerker Pihl from Sweden on 30th Aug 2004
Some bugs in the phone software and a LOT bugs in the external software. example internal bugs: 1. Loudspeaker volume changes(lowers) if you have used the earphones and cannot be changed if you not restart the phone. 2. Sometimes the ringing freezes into vibrator and nothing happens when pushes the buttom. It doesnt even register who thats calls. Only solution is to restart it. 3. Let the phone recharge overnight and sometimes it shutitself down(not funny if you uses the alarm) 4. The battery charge idicator goes very slow in the beginnig and suddenly it drops really fast. 8h nothing then the last 2h all. Yes this brings us to point 5. 5. A standby time at less than 48hours. External software: 1. Both the bluetooth and USB cable doesnt work. It totaly freezes internetexplorer. Doesnt matter if you uses nokia suite directly och iexplorer.(yes I run on updated software...) bluetooth connection was made thru logitech mx900) TOTALY USELESS EXTERNAL SOFTWARE. Well I can stand a bug or two but never even to use the memory function is a bad sales argument the could made a phony memorycard that only lists it size :P wait thats maybe what they have done? Well If the work it would get a four but as it now. I feel fooled.
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Reviewed by VeinAutostyling.TK from UK on 19th Aug 2004
So far, having had this phone three months I am extremely pleased with it. This having been my 2nd phone (my third Nokia branded phone in 8 months) after I took the battery out and my first wouldn't switch on, that's the only fault I've had with one. It's great Nokia keep updating the phone's maximum video time (my 7600 was 2:30 minutes max.) to an astonishing 4:00 maximum! The java applications run alot smoother than they did on my 7250i (and my ex's 7210) e.g. Bounce / Bowling; and the quality on the 65k screen makes them a great gaming experience. The design is very tasty and it was either this or the Nokia 7200 but the 7200 had a small screen for a flip phone and a poor 50 seconds max. video recording as it had a shared memory of 4.5MB (when the Nokia 6230 has a shared memory pool of 8+MB and expandable memory card slot). People have moaned about the back being hard to budge, but a simple press on the silver back button and a finger lodged neatly under the outdented Nokia 'black strip' makes it come loose painlessly :). I can say this is the best phone by Nokia out at the moment after the 7250i and I was thinking of getting a 7610 but the menu system is slow, it has reduced sized MMC cards and and the layout is like the 7650 and I'm not into 'PDA style'.. Many Thanks Vein
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Reviewed by Ray from UK on 13th Aug 2004
I had been waiting for this phone for more than a month before it started selling in the UK market. I believe it was released in some Asian countries before it came here. Anyway, I ordered it the first day I saw it being offered on a website. When I finally got it, I was delighted by the looks and feel of this little phone. With a frame of slightly bigger than a Nokia 8210/8310 (probably Nokia's most successful long-lived phones of all times), this one was packed with loads of features - 65k color screen, polyphonic ringtones, VGA camera (with video capability), speakerphone, bluetooth, FM radio, MP3 playback, to name a few. I used to have a Sony Ericsson T610, and compared to that, this was much faster and had a clearer display. I was the first one in my office to get this, and there are at least 10 collegues who have it now. I read somewhere that there was a minor software problem with the Caller Groups thingie, but it never bothered me 'coz I don't use that feature anyway. The only problem which I found was that every few days I have to remove the cover and blow away the dust that accumulated under the cover over the LCD screen. That's where I'm taking away some marks and rounding down to 4. In my opinion, this is a great phone. Can't say it's the best 'coz I haven't seen each and every other phone in the market, but I'm sure this'll beat many of those in features and style.
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Reviewed by John from UK on 13th Aug 2004
Brilliant phone. I have had no problems with mine and I have had it since May! great screen quality only thing is that with dark wallpapers you can't always see the text or power meter. Apart from that gerat phone! Well done Nokia!
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Reviewed by Ron from UK on 11th Aug 2004
I have had the Phone two weeks and have already had a replacement as the original did not charge. The features on this phone are ideal for business use and the conectivity is good. The quality of the phone build is poor and it does not have the standby or talk time as advertised, the standby is about 40 hours and talk time about 1 hour, mine is going back for change again, don't buy for business use
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Reviewed by harry smith from england on 8th Aug 2004
good phone, has everthing i need and looks good too. only problem is the number of faults these phones develope, i have given 3 back already and iv only had it for a week. battery life is also dissapointing.
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Reviewed by Shani from Pakistani on 8th Aug 2004
This phone has EVERYTHING .. i mean little featuers like voice tag are missing in major phones like 6610 and 6100. This phone has photo-phonebook, voice tags, voice memos, voice commands, camera, video recorder/playback, really nice mp3 player bluetooh, infrared ! even the animated screensaver thing ! The only problem i have is that it's got some advanced version of WAP/GPRS which is not compatible with my network !!!
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Reviewed by tom from philippines on 7th Aug 2004
This Phone is probably the best phone i've ever had technically speaking,this phone have all the properties of a modern cellular..
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Reviewed by Stuart from UK on 4th Aug 2004
No wonder Nokia is going down the pan. They're bringing phones out into the market quicker than you can blink. But I hardly think they think them threw properly. This phone is typical of that, its badly desgined. The back cover just simply refuses to budge, opening it is a real pain. And you can easily cause damage to your nails. The other feature is the speaker volume, its very low, you have to press the phone against your ear to hear the person talk. Please AVOID this phone.
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Reviewed by Tim from UK on 1st Aug 2004
Supposed to be the replacement for the 6310i? how disappointing. Ok it's got all the multi media features, but it certainly lacks quality. The speaker is tinny, the reception is poor, it often drops calls in areas where previously I've never experienced a problem. I mainly use for business and am totally disappointed. I've had the phone checked out and its apparently fine, (the software is the most recent upgrade). I've now gone back to my old 6310i and enjoy quality reception and voice clarity both ways. If Nokia expect this to be the replacement for the 6310i, there be a lot of dissatisfied business user.
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Reviewed by alan from england on 28th Jul 2004
really nice phone great features, mp3 playback, video playback etc. good bluetooth implementation. easily set up to work with my pocket pc (great for internet via gprs) no problems with quality so far. only downside is the screen is not nearly as good as those on motorolas or samsungs. pretty cheap on orange at teh mo, £100 plus £15 line rental.
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Reviewed by Alan Young from UK on 28th Jul 2004
I just got it, and it got of to a bad start. I found it very very hard to open the back flip and get into the battery. Its poorly designed. It took me ages, and i'm a pretty strong bloke. Plus point, is of course the bluetooth and mp3/radio, but its just too expensive, relative to other phones. It's OK, though the buttons are too small, but its not a wow wow phone.
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Reviewed by miren from england on 25th Jul 2004
duuude this phone has everything u can possibly think of!!! say it it has it! except u cant play amazing games like on the ngage lol, 1 set back is the camera, i thought after building the 7250i they wouldve thought of getting a zoom, but i ges they didnt bother, next out i would like the same as 6230, BUT its gotta have more camera functions, purhaps a flip phone so that thers a bigger screen and a lil more organized folders (like on 7250i, the folders r WELL easy and great)
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Reviewed by Gallan from UK on 24th Jul 2004
I brought this phone for a month. No surprise. Works fine. But the screen is bad. The picture looks messy. I wonder Nokia why not make a higher resolution. Keys are a bit difficult to press. Worst thing, too expensive than other phones, SE or motorola. If you look for a phone like this, I recommend you to wait for a new and better design.
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Reviewed by hyiu00 from Hong Kong on 24th Jul 2004
Overall a good phone. Support beyond 1GB MMC and support BT/GPRS and EDGE. Compared to the other phones that I had, this phone's reception is above average. There are a few things that Nokia should do better: 1) The back cover is a bit loose. 2) Each voice recording only last 3 minutes, and you have to push quite a few buttons to record a phone conversation. 3) Cannot start speakerphone until you made a connection. 4) Short-cut key does not include MP3 player, so you have to navigate many buttons to open up the MP3 player.
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Reviewed by Howard from UK on 17th Jul 2004
Having had to return three Sony Ericcson K700i phones in as many days, I decided to opt for the Nokia 6230 and, so far, am very pleased with it. I particularly wanted bluetooth and find it works well with the Nokia headset I purchased. The sound clarity is impressive and the screen resolution and camera are good. Clearly with mass-produced electronic items, like mobile phones,you will find the occasional "lemon", but I have found the quality of my phone to be up to scratch. The construction is robust, the buttons are sturdy and comfortable to use and the menus easy to navigate. There are also a host of other features to accupy those idle moments - even an FM radio. Highly recommended.
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Reviewed by John from UK on 15th Jul 2004
A fantastic phone for all the multimedia bells and whistles, but this is at the price of basic features. I found it had a tiny sound and bad reception. I am changing mine after 4 days to a simpler more robust phone. If you like all the media features its a great phone, but if you only use them infrequently think again. One reason that it drops calls so often is it needs to "reboot" or something similar to keep all the other features running, hence its poor reception in some areas irrespective of your network.
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Reviewed by Sailesh from UK on 13th Jul 2004
The phone has many good features but the most important of all (voice quality) is poor. I hear an echo of myself everytime I make a call. Others have similar problems too. Maybe Nokia need to concentrate on quality instead of flashy features.
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Reviewed by Jon D from England on 12th Jul 2004
Best phone I have every had does everything I need, calander, bluetooth and MP3. Menus are easy as are the keys. No problems unlike the reviews below, perhaps I am just lucky.
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Reviewed by Starlight from France on 4th Jul 2004
Owned mine for about three day! It has a very sleek design, yet compared to some sturdy Nokias, this one seems to have been poorly built! The shells don't fit properly... BUT WORST OF ALL, the phone came out of the factory with a broken on/off switch Nokia should focus on quality rather than cost cutting!
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Reviewed by Kevin from England on 3rd Jul 2004
This phone is simply the best ive had it for over a month and im totally impressed
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Reviewed by tina from hong kong on 2nd Jul 2004
in hong kong, some girl bought this phone and within a week had to be returned for a new one. a few days later, this phone also had something wrong and was returned for another one. this third phone [you guessed it!] ALSO had something wrong. dude. it was on the magazines. this phone is bad. it easily breaks down. proof is with this girl. i bought this phone 2 months after it came out. BIG mistake.
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Reviewed by David Smith from UK on 29th Jun 2004
Had the phone 12 days its had little use but had to charge it 6 times (spec table in Vodafone shop said nearly 400 hours on standby) VERY dissapointed with that. Reception strength is only half of my old Sagem MYX6 so lost a few calls when I shouldn't have. No zoom on the camera. The only good thing I can say about it is looks good, and if it needs charging, being a Nokia, you can get the use of a charger anywhere,
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