The Nokia 3230 phone, which was announced on November 2, 2004, was the first smartphone that could be attributed to the middle class. Nevertheless, it has a rather rich functional equipment: support for EDGE, Bluetooth, PTT, there is a camera and radio.
Nokia 3230: user specifications
The main advantages of the smartphone noted by users are the data transfer speed from GPRS-class 10 and EDGE-class 5, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a slot for an RS-MMC memory card, the replacement of which does not require turning off the phone, which is quite good for its time. the presence of a built-in radio, an image editor, a wizard to configure methods for transmitting data, MMS and e-mail messages, high build quality.
The main disadvantages are the inability to use a standard-sized MMC card, excessive key rigidity, limited to one minute of voice memo time, periodic problems with connecting headphones.
Although Nokia 3230 is positioned in the middle class category, there are no differences from higher-end phones when using. The reason is that the smartphone uses the Symbian Series 60 OS , which is identical to the operating systems of more expensive phones. Although the expected transition to the eighth version did not happen.
Familiar design?
The smartphone combines the design of Sony Ericsson models and the classic Symbian OS. The phone was offered in two colors: black and wine red. The search for replaceable coatings was in vain. The front grill is securely screwed. Therefore, neither the keyboard nor the display are accessible to the user. Case for Nokia 3230 not included. It should be purchased separately.
Strong construction
Using a fixed cover suggests that the design of the device should be good - and it turned out. The phone is really very compact and durable. Throughout the testing period, its Nokia 3230 case did not publish a single squeak. And only a hint of a creak was heard with an effort to remove the back cover. The camera lens is placed very well. It is built into the top of the back cover and does not protrude even a millimeter from the surface of the phone.
Do not remove the cover unnecessarily. The reason is that the smartphone at the same time loudly bursts, which is very unnerving. If you still need to remove it, it is better to press under the lens. There is a slot for a memory card, so the opening will go more smoothly. However, you should not expect the lid to give in the first time.
After a successful attempt, you will be able to see the battery and memory card slot. To install a SIM card, you must insert it under the slot mentioned above.
The memory card can be removed even when the phone is on. The device will simply give a notification about its removal and closing of all applications. Problems may arise here - the smartphone sometimes reports the absence of a SIM card and restarts.
The Nokia 3230 has a 760 mAh lithium-ion battery with a company hologram confirming the originality of the device. According to the manufacturer’s official data, the battery supports up to 4 hours of continuous calls and up to 150 hours of standby time.
Rounded box
In the photo, the phone seems smaller than it actually looks, although the size of 109 x 49 x 19 mm is not so big. Weighing (110 g) users are not very happy, finding it too large. Perhaps this is a payment for a solid design.
At the bottom of the device is a standard Pop-Port connector, to which you can connect a data cable, as well as the Nokia HDS-3 stereo headset, which is included with the phone. Near the connector is the input of the charger.
Display: pure quality
The Nokia 3230 screen has not undergone innovation, like the previous models of the Series 60 class, all the same 176 x 208 pixels and 65,536 colors. The backlight is uniform throughout the viewing area and is noticeably brighter than the Nokia 7610.
Light intensity can be changed within the general display settings. Users find the steps between intensity levels too large. In the same menu, you can configure the screensaver. There are two of them: date and time or text. There are 4 themes preinstalled on the phone that completely change its design.
Keyboard: hard
The user keyboard has disappointed. Before mastering the set with one hand, you must learn to hold a smartphone. The keys protrude above the surface quite high, but they are too low, which is why pressing is possible after bending the finger. In addition, the keyboard is harsh and requires considerable effort.
Even worse is the case with the function buttons located next to the display. The call accept and reset buttons respond well, but the rest are too hard. Each press is accompanied by an audible click. Two function buttons located below the display serve to launch the desired application.
The main control element of the Nokia 3230 is a five-way joystick in the middle of the function buttons. Although the navigation keys are more convenient, the joystick of this model pleased. It is easy to manage, it works for sure. In standby mode, the joystick is programmed to perform 4 actions. Moving left starts recording a text message; to the right - opens the built-in calendar; up - opens a photo and video, pressing or moving down translates into the address book.
The backlighting is uniform.
In addition to the standard control keys, you can use 2 more special buttons - turning on and working with call profiles, which are traditionally located at the bottom of the phone. The last one is quite tough. On the left is the PTT function enable button.
Memory: is it enough?
The phone has 6 MB of internal memory. Even if it’s not so small, other Symbian smartphones have already been accustomed to higher values. Along with the built-in memory, the device comes with a reduced-size 32 MB MMC RS DV card.
Symbian is not the fastest OS on the market. The model does not immediately respond to clicks. But, compared, for example, with the Nokia 7610, the phone seems a little faster. Its advantage is more noticeable when running any application. This does not apply to image storage, which takes about 5 seconds, which is very long.
RAM is about 9 MB. The Jbenchmark app gives him 2561 points, which is somewhere between the Nokia 6600 and 7610.
The installation wizard has become the standard on all modern mobile phones. There were no problems with his work. The installation itself lasts about 10 s.
Camera
The Nokia 3230 is equipped with a built-in camera with an effective resolution of 1.23 MP. Thanks to this, photos reach a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels. The image recording format is JPEG.
The twilight mode turned out to be useful for poor lighting conditions. The disadvantage is the presence of only three digital zoom and sharp transitions between individual zoom positions. Photos can be viewed on the display or saved. The latter option leaves the camera ready for further photographing.
In addition, the phone has an image editor that allows you to delete an unnecessary part of a photo or convert it into a postcard for sending as a multimedia message.
You can also shoot video, the duration of which is limited by the availability of free memory. Up to one hour of video in a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels in H.263 format can be recorded on a 32 MB card. Video can be edited with a special application - add frame borders, sound, etc. The result can be sent as MMS via Bluetooth or infrared.
Nokia 3230: a review of multimedia
Nokia has equipped its new model of FM radio, as well as a music player. The radio produces good stereo, but the MP3 player is only mono. It’s a pity, as in the 6630 model the company has already demonstrated the ability to create stereo players.
Headphones can be used for listening to music, as well as for loud dialing in the car. They are connected via the Pop-Port connector. Despite the ordinary, the sound was not so bad. Unfortunately, after a few minutes of listening to the radio, the connector began to junk and the sound turned into mono. As for the sound itself, neither the high frequencies nor the bass were too loud. But the sound quality of Real Media Player is terrible.
In addition to the MP3 format, the player accepts AAC, AMR and Real Audio files. The phone processes not only H.263, but also 3GP, MP4, MPEG-4 video and Real Video. Real Media plays both local files and network streams. Multimedia is stored in the “Gallery”, accessible only from the menu.
Using the model as an answering machine is difficult because the voice mailbox will not record messages longer than one minute. This is difficult to understand, since the video recording time is unlimited. Entries are saved in the “Gallery”. In addition, you can export them to a playlist or list of music.
Telephony: typical Symbian
There are no innovations in the functionality regarding making phone calls. It is no different from previous models with the Symbian system.
The speaker is mediocre. Noise is heard when talking with the connected hands-free kit. In teleconferencing mode, the smartphone does not switch between calls.
Names in the address book are stored in shared memory, the size of which reaches 6 MB. You can search the address list by typing the first letters of the names. Individual entries can be highlighted using a special call mode. The list can be sorted by last name and first name.
Message exchange
Nothing new here either. There is a T9 dictionary for quick typing when writing SMS, MMS, email or instant messaging. As for images inserted into multimedia messages, their size can be automatically reduced to fit for MMS.
Email has improved. It supports SMTP, POP3 and IMAP4 protocols. When using POP3, only the message header can be downloaded; to download all the text, you must select it.
One of the new features is PTT. Thanks to her, you can easily communicate with other people over the network. The principle of the application is similar to a walkie-talkie.
Internet: no problem
Nokia has already released several mobile phone models with its own browser for WAP, HTML and XHTML pages. The situation with the 3230 is no different. The program is simple, but it performs basic functions: viewing pages, supports JavaScript and a data counter. The latter, however, is reset when the page is reopened.
Communication: any way
Nokia 3230 offers many options for connecting the phone to the outside world, including three ways to connect locally: via USB, infrared and Bluetooth. Thanks to it, you can quickly synchronize contacts, calendar notes, etc. As for remote synchronization, the company chose SyncML.
The maximum data transfer rate using GPRS technology is 80 kbit / s, EDGE - 118.4 kbit / s. The only strange thing is that EDGE can be used exclusively for downloading.
There is no installation disk with software for connecting the smartphone to a PC, the program must be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. You can also find out how to flash Nokia 3230 with it.
Decent Intermediate Level
Users are satisfied with the design of the Nokia 3230. The silver stripe that frames the entire front cover is very elegant and does not spoil the overall look. The functionality of the model is significantly higher than the average level analogues. The advantage of Nokia 3230 is EDGE technology.
At the same time, there are many complaints. The official price of the phone at issue was 400 euros.