Every budget phone isn't capable of
creating the sense of attraction and excitement among users. Nokia
6303 Classic with an elegant and simple design has managed to do so
along with a friendly and easy to use interface at affordable rates.
It has completely revised the idea presented with the previous Nokia
6300 basic handset and provides a pretty good choice to users
preferring basic featured phones rather than embedded complex
technologies.
There can't be a better way to know a mobile
phone than going through its user reviews. That provides an idea of
how the phone works with the presented features and functionality. It
helps a lot before purchasing the product and even provides a brief
description of the available functions.
Overview &
Design
Nokia 6303 Classic presents a candy-bar design and a
weight of just 96g makes it handy as well. With a dimension of 108.8
x 46.2 x 11.7 mm, the handset is a basic phone with simpler
functions. The metallic body makes it sturdy while the rounded design
provides an easier grip. The 2.2 inch display lies above the decently
sized alphanumeric keypad and resembles the design of an open slider
phone. The navigational D-Pad is presented at the center along with a
pair of soft rocker buttons.
The keys are spaciously placed
with a volume rocker key on sides and a power button on top. The thin
charging socket and an USB port is present at the bottom. Even a 3.5
mm audio jack is present there for plugging the headphones. The
metallic back panel houses the 3.2 megapixel camera, dual LED flash
and the loudspeaker. The battery, Sim card and Micro SD card slot is
revealed on removing the back cover.
Interface &
Functionality
Nokia 6303 Classic presents the standard and
straightforward Nokia Series 40 interface. It is very popular among
users owing to its ease of use and reliability. The standby screen
provides two soft key options with D-Pad functions and switching to
Home screen mode. Shortcuts to various functions are also presented
in the available Home screen mode. The functions can be personalized
as per your usage preferences. The Menu button reveals a grid of
icons providing access to various functions available with the
handset. These can be viewed as a list as well with a single key
press, hence formulating more than just the basic phone
functions.
Calling & Messaging
The mobile phone
enables easier selection of contacts from phonebook for calling or
checking the call conversation history. Call quality is excellent
without any noise distortion in between on both ends while making and
receiving calls. Even stronger signal strength is supported with
Nokia 6303 Classic.
The keypad is pretty responsive while
typing texts for SMS and Email. Adding media attachments is also
easier while sending MMS or instant messages. It packs a great
messaging option within an affordable approach.
Internet &
Connectivity
The mobile phone lacks 3G or Wi-Fi connectivity
options. Hence for internet access, you will have to solely depend on
the available GPRS and EDGE technologies. Two browsing options are
presented, HTML, XHTML and WML supportive Nokia web browser and the
second one being the Opera Mini mobile browser. Full web pages are
rendered well owing to the Flash Lite 3.0 support but downloading
takes a bit of time. Bookmarking option is provided with the handset.
Some social networking and media sharing sites like Facebook,
MySpace, YouTube etc. comes preloaded with Nokia 6303
Classic.
Camera & Multimedia
Though the camera
power of the mobile phone does not possess any high-spec
functionality, the 3.2 megapixel snapper is provided auto-focus and
dual LED flash. No dedicated camera button is presented but the
application can be opened via a D-Pad shortcut or through the Menu.
The portrait orientation is supported by default which can be set to
landscape mode whenever required. It also features 8X zooming
capabilities, but the image quality deteriorates under such
conditions.
Variable lighting is managed well with the
provided camera and even provides perfect color reproduction and
contrast. Indoor shooting is acceptable under better lighted
situations. Video recording is also basic and provides footage of
maximum VGA quality at 15 frames per second. Uploading photos and
videos is also simple but takes a lot of time owing to slower
connectivity.
A standard Series 40 music and video player is
supported with Nokia 6303 Classic. It supports variety of formats
like MP3, MP4, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, H.263 and H.264. Content can be
downloaded and stored in the memory card while Bluetooth and USB
ports assist in data transfer with PC or laptops. New tracks can be
detected automatically and are arranged in various categories like
songs, playlists, albums, artists, genres and videos. Music can be
played even when the phone is in standby mode.
Video playback
is also pretty smooth and clear on the 2.2 inches display. An FM
radio with RDS, games and Organizer is also present to enhance the
performance and entertainment options. Besides, Ovi Store leads you
to a complete world of apps that can be easily accessed and
downloaded. Moreover, the inclusion of Google Maps aid in navigation,
though GPS is not supported with the handset. A 1 GB memory card is
also provided to store all the media files apart from the 17 MB
internal phone storage. The card can be further extended upto 4 GB as
per your requirements.
Battery life & Performance
Nokia
6303 Classic presents an excellent battery life which is one of the
basic requirement of mobile phones. The 1050 mAh Li-Ion battery is
able to provide upto 7 hours of talk time and lasts upto 450 hours
when operated in stand-by mode. With average phone usage and limited
music playback, the phone can easily last for 4 to 5 days. This
satisfies the requirement of users who desire for reliable and
long-running handsets compared to those with high end
features.
Conclusion
Nokia 6303 Classic is solely aimed
at being a bit more than just a basic phone but highly lacks
technological features and functionality like Wi-Fi and 3G as seen in
other multimedia phones. It is a decent and reliable performer
matching the profile of a solid and dependable handset. A smart and
slim phone with better battery life and build quality makes it one of
the best basic phones available in the market these days. It can be
given an overall rating of 8 out of 10 owing to its embedded
abilities.