Camera Phones Plaza

Not everyone needs or wants a high end phone. Sometimes you need a basic model for call and texting. The reasons can vary, from just needing a second or third phone, to not needing a multimedia phone (maybe you own a solid player such as iPod). The manufacturers know that basic phone range has to be well represented into their portfolio, after all not everyone is willing to pay in these uncertain times $400 to $600 for a high tech phone.

Even more, many customers understood that the merged products (phones with media players and digital cameras) have a tendency to break more often than the basic models. Therefore, if you are looking to protect your investment you should definitely buy a basic phone, a nice point and shoot camera, and a great media player, by all means an iPod if you can (the quality is extraordinary, and the value seems to be kept in time).

Nokia knows what customers want, and also knows how to deliver it. In the beginning of 2009, Nokia launched a few entry level models to cover the market demands in this range. The first model is Nokia 2323 classic. The name inspires Nokia's future plans regarding 2323, probably a slider or other form factors in future. The Nokia 2323 classic sports a nice design with a grey with a plastic grey cover. The look doesn't inspire luxury but it is conservative and works just fine. The front cover also sports a glossy black plastic surrounding the display. Above the display you only get the earpiece, while below it you get the navigational keys, also inserted in the glossy finish.

The four way keys (down, up, right, and left) surround the OK button. Also, you get two soft keys (fully customizable) with both call key and end call key. Under the navigational pad you get the alphanumerical keyboard which is basically integrated in the matter grey cover. All the keys are well build and provide good feedback. With a height of 107 mm, wide of 46 mm, deep of 13.8 mm, the 2323 classic weights about 78 grams. The overall design is quite good for this price range. Nokia 2323 classic runs in 2G network - GSM 900 / 1800 and in the US 2G network - GSM 850 / 1900.


Nokia included in this model a 1.8 inches TFT display with a resolution of 127 x 160 pixels, sporting up to 65000 colors. As you can imagine this display is not state of the art, but it does its job even outdoors. Unfortunately, you get no EDGE or 3G, WLAN or USB connectivity, but you do get Class 10 EDGE with 4 + 1 / 3 + 2 slots with a speed from 32 Kb per second to 48 Kb per second, and you also get HSCSD.  No other features are on board, but you do get an inbuilt radio. In terms of battery, you should know this phone pack a great battery for its features, Lithium Ion 1020 mAh the BL 5C model. This battery should be enough for a standby value of 528 hours, and a talk time of almost 5 hours.

The second phone in the basic range, launched by Nokia in their rebranding process is the Nokia 2330 classic. As you have noticed this phone also carries the classic logo. Basically the 2330 classic is the slightly improved version of 2323 classic in term of design and features. You get a nice look like aluminum silver cover to replace the matte plastic grey. The display, the navigational keys and alphanumerical keyboard remain almost the same. The only difference you might find is in the keyboard which looks a little different. Even so, the design feel solid and all the keys provide the same excellent feedback as the ones from the 2323 classic.

The compatible networks were kept the same (both versions of 2G networks, GSM 900 / 1800 and GSM 850 / 1900). The 2330 classic sports even the same 1.8 inches TFT display with a 128 x 160 pixels resolution. The connectivity was left the same. The only hardware difference is the integrated digital camera found on the 2330 classic, a VGA camera, sporting a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, also capable of video recording in CIF resolution with 15 frames per second. You get the same battery capacity, but with a standby value of 528 hours and a talk time up to 4 hours. The "high end" basic phone model released in July 2009 is the Nokia 2700 classic.


This phone sports a very nice design for its price tag. The front cover is made out of glossy black plastic, which is a fingerprint magnet, but on the other hand looks great. Above the display you get the earpiece, while under the TFT display, you get the navigational keys with the five directional keys (up, down, left, right, and OK in center), two fully customizable soft keys, and the call key and end call key. The alphanumerical keyboard is nicely built and the keys offer good feedback.

The only main disadvantage is the glossy finish which makes the keys feels slippery. The back cover is made out of matte black plastic. In the upper center side you get the 2 megapixel camera lens. On the bottom of the phone you get the loudspeaker. The build quality is average. The materials look nice. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't feel as nice as it feels. The overall quality is average. The 2700 classic runs in 2G networks - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900. This Nokia phone has a height 109.2 mm, wide of 46 mm, deep 14 mm, the 2300 classic weights about 85 grams. Nokia included a 2 inches TFT display with a 240 x 320 pixels, which sports up to 256000 colors. The internal memory has a value of 64 MB, expandable with micro SD memory cards or Trans Flash memory cards, up to 2 GB.


The connectivity is ensured by the Class 32 GPRS, HSCSD, Class 32 EDGE, Bluetooth version 2.0, and the second generation of micro USB connection. The 2 megapixel camera found on board the 2700 classic sports a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, with the maximum resolution for video recording, CIF at 15 frames per second. Even, more Nokia embedded a MP 3 player and a MP 4 player. The same battery included in both 2323 classic and 2330 classic is found on the 2700 classic, the Lithium Ion 1020 mAh BL 5C model, which offers for the 2700 a standby value of 288 hours and a talk time up to 6 hours (in continuous audio playback mode the battery lasts for about 12 hours).

Overall, these three Nokia phones offers exactly what the entry level phone users might want, good design for less money, solid call and text features, maybe a camera for some small fun, and an excellent battery life. Because every purchase is subjective and depends on the potential customer, each and every one of you should decide which of these basic phones the best in its range is.

It is hard to understand Nokia some times, but you can certainly get their main goal. Nokia is refreshing its full mobile phone portfolio with new product ready to take over the competition. A significant plus, for Nokia could be the release of excellent phones with the classic logo without any touch screen technology on board. Let's face it, not everyone needs or wants a touch screen. Therefore, Nokia is successfully introducing not only great product in the N series, E series and the new created X series, but also in the classic range.


The first pioneer in the new classic range (2009, with a life cycle until early 2010) was the 6700 classic. The 6700 classic brought a businesslike design, but excellent features. Nokia released after a little while the 6720 classic, which brought almost the same features of the 6700, in a more stylish design. Depending on how you look at life, you might find the 6720 classic the entry level phone in the business range or just the simplest business phone with Symbian offered by Nokia.

As you might feel (or hopefully you do) you can't decide for everyone if a phone or laptop is good or bad. My opinion, your opinion, is just subjective and depend strictly each and every individual. Therefore, Nokia's new 6720 classic should be allowed to grab the title of the most compact entry level business phone. Once you take a look at its key features you are certainly going to start loving this new phone. Even the best phone has some disadvantages, so you must expect the 6720 classic to pack a few of this bad features (or lack of features) such as the lack of Wi-Fi, average display size, and a video recording VGA with 15 frames per second. As you can see, 6720 classic sports a few main disadvantages, leaving more places for key features.

The 6720 classic sports a stylish design, especially with the Chestnut brown finish which makes the 6720 classic more distinctive than any other glossy black phone on the market. The candy form design is not exactly common. It sports a more HTC Hero - like design. By doing so, Nokia improved this phones handling and also offered it a certain something. This Nokia phone has a height of 110 mm, wide of 45 mm, deep of 14 mm, the 6720 classic weights about 110 grams. On the front side the phone sports above the display the earpiece, an ambient light sensor, and the second video camera (QVGA type) for enabling the video calls. Under the display you get the navigational keys.


Therefore, in center you get the four way navigational keys (up, down, left, and right), while in the center of the S pad you get the OK / SET button. On the right side of the D pad you get a soft key, the menu launch, and the call key. On the other side you get another soft key, the back button and the end call key. The navigational pad is well sized providing a good feedback. Under the navigational keys you can find the alphanumerical buttons. Also, these keys are good sized and they resemblance a little the keys found on the old 6233. Even so, the keypad provides a nice user experience, lacking flex or bad movement when pressed.

Probably one of the best features in terms of design, for the 6720 classic is the curved lower body which provides a nice touch to the overall design. On the right side of Nokia 6720 classic you can find the shutter key and the volume controls. Also here you get one of the two stereo speakers included in 6720 classic. On the left side you can find the micro USB port and the micro SD memory card slot covered by the same piece of plastic. Also on the left side, the 6720 classic sports the second stereo speaker. The top of the 6720 classic lacks any buttons or ports. However, on the bottom side you get the 3.5 mm audio jack and the charger plug. Don't look for the power on and off button because this function is completed by the end call key.

On the back side, the 6720 classic sports the 5 megapixel camera lens with dual LED flash. Another styled feature is the nice gemstone surface around the camera which includes the LED flash. The battery cover is not made out of the same material as the rest of the case. The 6720 classic sports a plastic body, but the battery cover is made out of steel. Overall, Nokia 6720 classic provides a nice design, a stylish one as a matter of fact. The build quality is impressive and you won't find any bad features in matters of design or build. Nokia 6720 classic runs in 2G network - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and in 3G networks - HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 and HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100.

Nokia included in the 6720 classic an ARM 11 600 MHz processor and about 128 MB of random access memory. By doing so, Nokia successfully made a phone capable of running in the best conditions the excellent otherwise Symbian operating system, S60 version 3.2. Everything works perfectly when using the operation system. Multitasking is sharp in response, all the applications run smoothly without any freezes or crashes.


You get all business applications you might need, and if you indeed need more then feel free to install them, since Symbian is an open operating system. Therefore, the organizer, calendar, phonebook, and all other important features are going to provide an excellent user experience thanks to the processor used. The connectivity is ensured by the Class 32 GPRS, EDGE Class 32 with a speed from 178.8 Kbits to 296 Kbits, HSCSD, Bluetooth version 2.0 with A2DP, and version 2.0 micro USB connections. Nokia included in the 6720 classic a 2.2 inches TFT display with a QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels) rendering up to 16 million colors.

The display is good, and offers nice vibrant colors. Under direct sunlight the text visibility is affected badly. Therefore, the 6720 classic display is average in terms of quality. Not too brilliant, and not too bad, just the average TFT display. The 6720 classic has an on board memory of 50 MB, value which is expandable using micro SD memory cards or Trans Flash memory cards up to 16 GB. Nokia included in the 6720 classic a good 5 megapixel digital camera with Carl Zeiss optics, and a maximum resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels. Also the camera sports beside the editing picture options (white balance, brightness, ISO, and others) an auto focus and dual LED flash.


Believe it or not, the 6720 classic offers excellent quality photos comparable with the one taken by the N97. Unfortunately, the video recording is somewhat not that great, offering video recording at a VGA resolution with 15 frames per second. The battery included in the 6720 classic is a Lithium Ion battery with 1050 mAh (BP 6MT model). This battery should offer about 492 standby hours in 2G networks and 504 standby hours in 3G networks. In talk time this means, 8 hour and 30 minutes in 2G networks and up to 5 hours in 3G networks.

If you are interested in listening to music continuously then you should know that the 6720's battery will last you about 27 hours. Nokia included in the retail box of 6720 classic, beside the actual phone and battery, 1 GB micro SC memory card, a mandatory charger, a stereo headset, a micro USB cable, and a CD software.

Overall, Nokia produced a great phone, with an almost unique design and a full features package, all for an asking price of $270. If you are looking for a normal looking phone with nice design and a great camera, running the latest Symbian version, then Nokia 6720 classic might just be what you are looking for.

Look around you. What do you see, a wall, a bed, a window? Look out the window, what do you see? Maybe you can see a building, or traffic, or pollution. Take a closer look now. Try to see the trees, the sky, the nature, and all the manufacturers that are trying to take advantage over the last environmental problem. Yes it is true; you can't escape all the noise and pollution, unless you are able to make yoga mind exercises. It is not all about, the cars and laptops, and other devices. The environmental problem started to spread among the mobile phone manufacturers. That is how Samsung S7550 Blue Earth was born. Yes, Samsung imagines an eco friendly phone as being blue, not green, but just blue.

However, Samsung did quite hire the smartest advertisers out there, because Earth will always be blue, no matter the pollution, but green symbolizes nature, which is starting to disappear. Therefore, Samsung you whole nature eco friendly phone started its carrier with an inappropriate name. Even so, the action is good as a statement.

The whole direction of the human kind, should be more eco friendly, and friendly overall; because this nature friendly campaign is another way for the rich industrial people to influence the society in a new direction; which is bad, because society shouldn't be influenced, but is good because we are advised to accept a more peaceful state of being. Focusing our attention to Samsung S7550 Blue Earth, the first thing I can notice is the excellent design. It looks much better than any other Samsung devices; as a matter of fact it even looks better than any other touch screen phone on the market.

The main eco feature in the Samsung S7550 Blue Earth is the solar panels on its back cover. Also the phone is made out of recycled bottle water and the retail box is made out of recycled paper. Therefore, Samsung released the first solar powered touch screen phone on the market. the main disadvantages are quite obvious (however keep in mind that this phone is the first in its range) the S7550 is not that thin at all, the grip is not that good especially because of the solar panel on the back (you have to be really careful with this phone), and just a 3 megapixel digital camera with no auto focus. After a first look at the Samsung S7550 Blue Earth you firstly see a similar resemblance with the Samsung Corby (S3650).  At a better look you are probably going to notice some differences.


The phone brings nice curve shapes, and the dark to light coloring really makes this phone more attractive than it is. The build quality is remarkable, especially when you take into consideration that it was made out of bottles of water. On the front cover, above the display you can find the earpiece and the second digital camera for enabling the video calls. Under the display you can find three keys, the call key, the end call key, and the back key positioned in the center point between the calling keys. The top of the S7550 Blue Earth doesn't sport any ports or buttons.

The bottom of the S7550 Blue Earth includes the microphone pin hole. On the right side you will find the hold key and the shutter key, and also the connectivity port (which is covered). On the opposite side you can find only the volume control key. On the back side, the Samsung S7550 Blue Earth sports in the upper center the 3 megapixel digital camera lenses.

The loud speaker and Samsung logo are placed on the bottom of the back cover. Between the logo and the camera, Samsung included the solar panel. Under the back cover you can find the battery, the SIM card slot, and the micro SD memory card slot. The building quality is great, no flex and no weird noises. The phone looks somewhat stylish. With a height of 108 mm, wide of 53 mm, deep of 14 mm, S7550 Blue Earth weight about 118.9 grams. The only disadvantage of this phone's design, is the somewhat fingerprint magnet found on the back cover where the solar panel is located.

Therefore, for some people this phone will seem slippery. Samsung S7550 Blue Earth runs in 2G networks - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and in 3G networks - HSDPA 900 / 2100. Samsung included in S7550 Blue Earth a 3 inches TFT capacitive touch screen with a WQVGA resolution (240 x 400 pixels).


This display can sport up to 16 million colors. As features you get an accelerometer sensor and smart unlock. Everything is quite great until the touch screen hits the sunlight. When this happens the visibility is affected pretty badly. And this is somewhat strange, since this phone includes solar panels. Therefore, why didn't Samsung thought that people will keep their phone under the sunlight. The phone comes with the latest user interface, Touch Wiz II. This interface is not only great to look at but also fully customizable. Basically if you are familiar with Samsung Jet, you will know who everything works in the S7550 Blue Earth. You should install a weather widget, since you need to know when the sun will not be in the clouds.

The menu is well structured and doesn't create any problems at all. Feel free to create any shortcuts you might need and move them on the first page of the menu. If your concern is regarding the basic functions of this phone then rest assured that everything works just fine.


The call function is great, organizer and calendar are business quality applications, and the phonebook provides sufficient details for every entry.

You even get good audio quality playback. Basically this eco friendly mobile phone is extremely well built in the inside and on the outside, with a few minor drawbacks, but then again what regular phone doesn't include beside great features some drawbacks also. The connectivity is ensured by the Class 12 GPRS (4 + 1 / 3 + 2 / 2 + 3 / 1 + 4 slots) with 32 Kb per second to 45 Kb per second, EDGE Class 12, HSCSD, HSDPA with 3.6 MB per second, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, USB version 2.0 connectivity, and Bluetooth version 2.1 with A2DP profile.

Samsung ships the S7550 Blue Earth with an internal memory of 180 MB, expandable by using micro SD memory card slots or Trans Flash memory card slots up to 16 GB. This phone is definitely not camera orientated, because it only sports a 3.15 megapixel digital camera, with a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, fixed focus and featuring a smile detection program. It can also record videos in QVGA mode with 30 frames per second. The camera performs well, average for these times. Samsung included in S7550 Blue Earth a 1080 mAh Lithium Ion battery. A certain time of standby or talk time is impossible to determine hence the solar panel, recharges the battery continuously. One hour of solar charging means about 2 hours of standby time, 15 minutes of talk time in 2G network and 10 minutes of talk time in 3G networks.

Just like the watch mobile phones, the solar power mobile phones, have still some major improvement to suffer. However, for the time being Samsung S7550 Blue Earth can be considered a milestone in the mobile phone history, because other manufacturers already announced similar products on their way. Therefore, green all the way or maybe in Samsung style, blue all the way, for a non polluted environment.

Even if Xpress Music is on its last wave, Nokia is still trying to plus on the last minute, with several good mobile phones. Basically, it is not a bad investment to purchase an Xpress Music phone right now for several reasons. Firstly, the price is much lower than before. As a second reason, your new phone still provides solid features, and last but not least, the new brand "X" comes with phones rather similar in features. The only difference is probably going to be the new logo, and the new design.

However, if those two are not really a concern for you, then you should be thrilled with the multitude of cheap music orientated phones you can now find on the market. If you are looking for an old candy bar form, music orientated Symbian phone, then take a closer look at Nokia 5320 Xpress Music.

So, what could Nokia 5320 Xpress Music pack? If you are interested in a high resolution camera, it is probably your time to ditch this article. However, if you are looking for excellent quality music and a full package of connectivity, then do please read the entire article. The main disadvantages found on the 5320 Xpress Music are not all that uncommon, for this price range. You get a normal to sub normal camera resolution with bad video recording, not that great battery life (although the screen is not that big at all), and no Wi-Fi. The design is probably one of the greatest found on an Xpress Music phone. This current design, in terms of colors and materials is used in the new "X" line.

The only difference is the angler design. The design is not all youth orientated. It's opened for larger potential customers. Even if the 5320 Xpress Music is made entirely out of plastic, it doesn't look cheap at all. Also, the phone is not glossy at all, being made out of a matte plastic, providing you with a better grip. Believe it or not, Nokia played with geometry in this design.


To understand, just take a look on the front of the phone, above the display, and you will understand. The second digital camera for enabling the video calls is the symmetric sibling of the Xpress Music menu key, with the origin point: the earpiece. Under the display you will get the navigational buttons. Beside the four way key controls (left, right, up, and down), you get centered in this navigational pad, the OK / SET button. On the right side of the D-pad you get, from top to bottom, a soft key, the menu launch button, and the call key. On the opposite side you get another soft key, the back button, and the end call key. Under the navigational pad, you can find the alphanumerical keyboard.

This keyboard has a classic layout, but it will seem weird because of its design. However, all the buttons are easy to use and provide good feedback. A little shortage might just be the slippery material the keyboard is made out. On the right side you can find the dedicated camera key and upper the camera key, you will find the volume controls.


On the left side, Nokia 5320 Xpress Music brings the dedicated music keys (forward, backward, play and pause), but also the card slot, covered by a nice plastic. On the top of this phone, Nokia only included the Power on and off button, while on the bottom side you will get from left to right, the micro USB slot also covered, the 3.5 mm audio jack, and the input charger slot. On the back, the Nokia 5320 Xpress Music sports on the upper center a 2 megapixel digital camera with dual LED flash. The 5320 body, is well made, you get no weird noises when pressing it, no nothing.

The build quality is impressive for a plastic covered phone. Nokia 5320 Xpress Music runs in 2G network - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and in 3G network - HSDPA 900 / 2100 and HSDPA 850 / 1900. Nokia included in the 5320 Xpress Music a 2 inches TFT display with 240 x 320 pixels, sporting up to 16 million colors. The picture quality is good, even if the screen size is too small. This display offers vibrant colors and an average brightness. You shouldn't have any problems with visibility under direct sunlight.

However, the ARM 11 369 MHz processor is not enough to run at its full potential the Symbian 9.3 operating system with the version 3.2. Although the operating system is good, the user experience might not be as what you are expecting, if you will use multi tasking.  The user interface is fully customizable, while the organizer, calendar, and telephony functions are excellent.


Nokia ships the 5320 Xpress Music with an onboard memory of 140 MB, expandable using micro SD memory cards, or Trans Flash memory cards, up to 8 GB. The connectivity is well ensured by the Class 32 GPRS, Class 32 EDGE, HSCSD, Bluetooth version 2.0 with A2DP, and the micro USB port. The major disadvantage of this phone is indubitable the 2 megapixel digital camera with 1600 x 1200 pixels and LED flash. The camera is below any standards for a 2009 phone (but this is probably the main reason why this phone comes cheap). The camera also records in QVGA resolution with only 15 frames per second. Nokia included in the 5320 Xpress Music only an 890 mAh Lithium Ion battery (BL 5B model). This battery should offer about 250 hours of standby in 2G networks, and about 240 hours of standby in 3G networks.

The talk time is only 3 hour and 30 minutes for 2G networks and 2 hours and 30 minutes for the 3G network. Overall, for an average user all these values should mean about 24 hours of battery life. Nokia included in the retail package, beside the actual phone and battery, a 1 GB micro SD memory card, a mandatory charger, CD software, a micro USB cable, and a smart Xpress Music had free. Overall, Nokia 5320 Xpress Music is an average product. It can barely be considered state of the art. Even so, with good connectivity, nice music features and a small price, 5320 Xpress Music will have its share of sales.

It is needless to say that Nokia has a biggest mobile phone portfolio. Nokia releases on a constant bases mobile phones, with or without any new features. It is not just the entry level and the middle level, too congested with similar phones, you currently can find so many Nokia series phones that you probably wonder where it is going to end. The E series and N series are probably at their end life cycle, especially because Nokia is running out of numbers.


However, Nokia recently showed that it can recycle names and numbers, but not early than a five year range. Even so, Nokia N79 is not a new phone. You already know its specs list from other N series siblings. It's all about design, and price for that matter. Being part of the 7x N series means that N79 will have a decent price tag for all the features it brings. And, indeed you get good features. However, N79 lacks some important N8x features.

Therefore, not only the plastic design will make this model look cheap, but also the lack of detailed features. Nokia N79 has a little too many disadvantages, such as   bad quality GPS, zooming in and out of photos (and browsing through the menu) takes a lot of time, average camera performances (although the camera is good in its specs), doesn't charge the battery using the USB connection, no view or editing software for Office documents. Also, you might be surprised (in a bad way) to find out that N79 (which should be a multimedia phone) lacks 3D graphic accelerator. Nokia N79 is the successor of N78, which by the way looked much more appealing that N79 does.

Also, if you are interested in better performances and you don't really care about the latest gadgets on the market you should definitely take a look at Nokia N82 (a better choice than the N79) or even N85, which already has a successor out on the market, N86. Both N82 and N85 are solid choices with better performances at the same price tag with N79 (however, keep in mind that N82 and N85 are 2008 N series phones). The only clear advantage of N79 is that it's sporting the current brand image of Nokia. When it comes to the design, you can easily see a small resemblance between N97 design and N79.

However, the N79's design is by far as good as the N97. The front panel is made out a glossy plastic (theoretically it should be matte) which is a magnet for both fingerprints and scratches. Even the display is vulnerable to fingerprints, because it is not covered with a special material to prevent finger smudges. Sure, it is not a touch screen phone, but it is inevitable not to touch even by accident the display. Above the display you can find the centered earpiece, while to the right you get the second digital camera for enabling video calls and the ambient light sensor. Under the display you get the navigational keys. Beside the four way keys plus one centered key, N79 sports another seven keys.


The four way keys (left, right, up, and down) surround the OK / Select key. To the left of this navigational buttons you get a soft key, the menu key, the multimedia key (which is not labeled), and call key. On the other side, N79 sport another soft key, the clear key and the end call key. Under the navigational keys you get the alphanumerical keypad. You get physical buttons (even if you don't notice them) making the usability excellent. The feedback is impressive and the keyboard functionality is first class. Surrounding the front case you get a nice stainless steel finish, making the design a little more stylish. Actually the design could have been nicer if Nokia would have introduced other colors to N79. You get this not so great white, because the old N78 included an all case glossy black.

On the left side of the N79 you get the covered micro USB slot, the charger plug and the micro SD memory card slot. Fear not, if you will see only one cover. Under this cover you will find both memory card slot and micro USB port. On the right side N79 sports two stereo speakers, the dedicated camera key and the volume controls. On the top Nokia included a centered 3.5 mm audio jack, a Power on and off button, and a switch to lock the phone.


On the bottom, N79 doesn't actually sports anything. The back side provides on the upper center the 5 megapixel camera lens with dual LED flash. The back cover is made entirely out of plastic. Overall, the build quality found on N79 is excellent. You get no weird noises or flex when using it. However, the plastic body is not that appealing at all, making the N79 look cheap. With a height of 110 mm, wide of 49 mm, deep of 15 mm, N79 weights about 97 g. Nokia N79 runs in 2G network - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, and in 3G network - HSDPA 900 / 2100.

Nokia included in N79 a 2.4 inches TFT display with a QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels), rendering up to 16 million colors. The display offers a good brightness level under direct sunlight. Also, the display features auto rotate function thanks to the built in accelerometer sensor. Nokia included in N79 an ARM 11 369 MHz processor. Unfortunately, this processor is not powerful enough to deliver a good user experience especially because of the power draining Symbian OS 9.3, with Series 60 version 3.2 user interface.


The operating system is good, offers a full range of functions. From a great organizer, good featured calendar, a detailed phone book, exceptional music player, and sufficient video player, all these great functions lose because of the slow processor. As you already imagined it, the user interface is fully customizable, allowing you to create, after your needs, the perfect menu. Nokia ships the N79 with a 5 megapixel digital camera, with a maximum resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels, with Carl Zeiss optics, a decent auto focus and dual LED flash. Beside geo tagging, the camera also features several image editing options. The camera also records videos in VGA resolution with 30 frames per second.

The N79 sports a small internal memory, only 83 MB, but you can expand this value with micro SD memory cards or Trans Flash memory card, up to 8 GB. The connectivity is ensured by Class 11 GPRS (not usually used) with a maximum speed of 107 Kb, HSCSD, Class 32 EDGE with a speed growing from 177.6 Kbits to 296 Kbits, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g profile and UPnP technology, HSDPA (slow version) with a maximum speed of 3.6 MB per second, 2.0 micro USB connection, and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP.


Nokia added in the N79 phones a 1200 mAh Lithium Ion standard battery (BL 6F model) which should provide a standby value in 2G networks of about 372 hours and in 3G networks up to 408 hours. Also you can get about 5 hours and 30 minutes talk time in 2G network, while in 3G network the talk time goes up to 3 hour and 30 minutes. These values should mean for an average user about 2 days and 6 to 8 hours. The retail package of Nokia N79 is quite good. You get beside the actual phone and battery, a 4 GB micro SD memory card, a two piece hand free with remote controls, a mandatory charger, a micro USB cable, and CD software. Overall, the N79 is a solid phone. It provides good features for a smaller price tag. Still the design looks cheap (even if it is solid built), the features are good but not extraordinary, and the N79 fits perfectly in the entry level N series line.