Nokia 6350 review – entry-level 3G handset
Thumbs Up:
Push-to-talk; 3G; GPS; good call quality; easy-to-use design.
Thumbs Down:
Poor photo and video quality; 2.5mm headset jack.
Inside the Trunk:
Technology: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Band: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Phone Design: Folder type
Caller ID: Yes
Other Features: Bluetooth, TTY compatible, 2-megapixel camera
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Nokia 6350 has 52MB internal memory and micro-SD card slot that supports 16GB. The additional features are Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, multi-language menu, and TTY compatible.
1.36-inch external display has 160×128 pixels resolution that supports 262,244 colors. In addition, 2-inch internal display has 240×320 pixels resolution that supports 16.7 million (24-bit) colors.
1050mAH lithium ion battery has a life of 252 minutes talk time and 348 hours idle standby time.
Razzle Dazzle:
Nokia 6350 is 3.7 inches tall, 1.9 inches wide and 0.7 inches deep and weighs 3.6 ounces. It comes in red and graphite gray colors. Our test model had red color. You will find the soft-touch material on the most of its back and front covers.
Inside Dope:
Nokia 6350 looks similar like its predecessor Nokia Mural, but has much sleeker design. It is a basic handset that has features centric towards simple communication. The 6350 cell phone has attractive flip design and feels quite solid while taking in hand. It offers decent call quality. As per Nokia, the 6530 is made up of harm-free materials and its 80 percent part can be recycled. If you need a basic cell phone, especially of Nokia with AT&T, go for – Nokia 6350.
1.36 inches external display is on the front lid. It has 160×128 pixels resolution that supports 262,244 colors. The external display shows photo caller ID, signal strength, battery life, and date/time. It also works as camera viewfinder. You will find camera lens above the display and music control buttons including rewind, play/pause and forward buttons beneath it. Push-to-talk button, volume rocker and 2.5mm headset jack are located on the left spine. Combined micro-USB port for charging/USB cable sits on the right spine, whereas you will find micro-SD card slot behind battery cover.
You can flip open the phone to access internal display and numeric keypad. 2-inch internal display has 320×240 pixels resolution that supports 16.7 million colors. It shows sharp graphics and vibrant colors as we expected. The menu interface is simple and easy to use with various customization options. You can customize the font color and font size for home screen as well as add shortcuts on it.
The navigation array of Nokia 6350 is located underneath the internal display. It consists of Talk button, End/Power key, camera shutter, shortcuts for GPS and browser, two soft keys, and four-way pad with middle OK button. You can customize all the four directions of toggle. The navigation array and keypad are spacious, whereas the array is flush and keypad has flat buttons. The numeric keys are large and backlit.
Nokia 6530 can store 1000 contacts in its phonebook, whereas SIM card an hold additional 250 contacts. Each contact can save five numbers, two email addresses, one formal name with nick name, birthday, street address, job title, company name, and more. You can organize the contacts into caller groups and pair them with one ring-tone and photo for caller ID.
The essential feature set of Nokia 6530 includes full duplex speakerphone, stopwatch, timer, calculator, notepad, multimedia and text messaging, to-do list, calendar, and vibrate mode. The additional highlights are PTT support, 3G support, Bluetooth, USB mass storage, PC Sync, voice recorder, instant messaging, and speaker-independent voice dialing. What’s more – you can use the 6530 cell phone as dial-up modem. The Bluetooth profile supports file transfer and stereo. We like that a simple handset – Nokia 6530 also supports POP3/IMAP4 via Web based interface.
Due to its 3G support, AT&T has also included its services to Nokia 6530. This includes AT&T Mobile Music and Cellular Video. Therefore, the music player interface is similar to other AT&T phones. It features airplane mode, shuffle & repeat modes, play-lists, equalizer, and album art. In addition, the 6530 also has additional music features like community selection, music videos, Music ID application, and XM radio.
Nokia 6530 also has Mobile Banking, Juice Caster, MobiTV, world clock, currency and unit converter, Yellowpages Mobile, WikiMobile, and Weather Channel. It also features A-GPS support for AT&T Navigator and Where application for local search.
2-megapixel camera of Nokia 6530 features 4x digital zoom, self-timer, and video recording. The other image editing options are white balance, color effects, brightness, and multi-shot mode. The overall photo quality was poor while testing. The colors looked drab due to visible image noise.
Nokia 6350 comes with demo versions of games including World Poker Tour Hold’Em2, Monopoly Here & Now, Diner Dash 2, and Midnight Bowl. You can purchase their full versions and other games as well. You can personalize the phone with various display themes and wallpaper. More options are available from AT&T Media Mall service via WAP browser.
We made few call through quad-band based Nokia 6350 via AT&T service. The overall call quality was good. We received loud and clear sound at our end with strong signal strength. The callers also received good sound at their end. The headset and speakerphone calls were also good.
The streaming video quality was below average. We received pixilated video with unsynchronized sound. Music quality over headphones and speakers was also good.
Nokia 6350 has a battery life of 18 days idle standby time and 4.2 hours talk time. Its digital SAR is 1.03 watts per kg in accordance with FCC radiation tests.
Nitty Gritty:
If you need an entry-level handset with 3G support & GPS, but do not mind poor captured picture quality, then buy – Nokia 6350.
