Camera Phones Plaza

Announced in February during the 3GSM World Congress, the Nokia 6131 is the latest clamshell mobile phone from the Finnish company. It is a quad band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) world phone with support for GPRS/EDGE networks. Armed with a magnificent 16 million color screen along with a 262k color external display, the 6131 is poised to make quite an impact amongst clamshell aficionados - especially when it also has a 1.3 megapixel camera and external memory card slot.

MobileBurn made a review of this phone and here are some of their impressions.
The 1.3-megapixel camera on the Nokia 6131 is a total disappointment. Although the white balance system gets it right most of the time, photos taken appear grainy and full of noise, especially in poor lighting conditions. Photos also appear out of focus at times, but this is perfectly understandable, as the 6131's camera is not of the auto-focus variety.

The 6131 is capable of taking photos in six different resolutions - 1024x1280, 960x1280, 600x800, 480x640, 240x320, and 120x160. There are three quality settings available - High, Normal, and Basic. Videos can be captured in two resolutions - 176x144 and 128x96. The same three quality settings are also available, and video clip length is only limited by the amount of available memory.

Overall, the pictures produced by the 6131's camera are only good for candid shots and self-portraits. It is quite a shame really, with such glorious screens, Nokia should have done the 6131 justice by equipping it with a better camera sensor.

The conclusion is that the Nokia 6131 is a nice clamshell phone. With a very usable keypad and beautiful screens, it has a lot going for it. However, although the feature set looks extensive on paper, the lackluster camera and poor battery life will be the main deal breakers for the phone. I give the 6131 a Recommended rating, as I just cannot accept the poor battery life - not when this is only an S40 phone and not a smartphone.

If you are on the lookout for a clamshell phone, the Nokia 6131 might fit the bill, but only if you can overlook the camera and battery life. Otherwise, you can also find 16 million color screens on the Panasonic VS series, which have better battery life and a slightly better camera.

Read full review here.