Solid as a rock ...

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Nokia has fashioned some classic handsets in its time and the new 6300 looks like it might just join that elite pantheon of Finnish phones.

 

Design for life

Nokia may currently be making a name for itself in technical innovation with the Nseries, but the 6300 is a good example of the company hitting its stride and practicing what it is renowned for: easy-to-use, easy-on-the-eye handsets. But of course the 6300 has a lot more going for it: it is incredibly trim at 11.7mm thick and feels like a quality handset. When you consider its prepay price tag is around £150, the 6300 rises above its mid-range status. This is backed up by a metal rear battery cover and quality construction. Nokia has done a great job crafting a classy handset and keeping the price down.

Friendly phone

It may not have the ‘wow’ factor of fashionistas like the LG Shine and MOTOKRAZR K1, but the 6300’s elegant, clean lines are still alluring. Apart from volume keys, the sides are bereft of any other buttons. The keypad is spacious with sturdy buttons and the five-way rocket switch and soft/call keys are easy to use. The user interface is based on the Symbian Series 40 platform and remains lucid and intuitive to negotiate, offering nothing to outfox experienced or even novice Symbian users. The QVGA-quality screen is another sign that Nokia is trying to go that extra mile. Sure, the 240x320-pixel resolution is nothing major, but it is bursting with 16.7-million colours, making for a rich, luminous display.

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Camera specification ( photo quality see left )

Lens: Two megapixels
Max resolution: 1600x1200 pixels
Auto-focus: No
Built-in flash: No
Video resolution: 176x122 pixels
Effects and filters: Night mode, self timer, white balance (auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent), image sequence, effects (false colours, greyscale, sepia, negative, solarise)

 

Mail is served

The 6300 may not possess the push-email sophistication of the E50, but you can still access and send your emails. Its built-in

Java-run email client can also let you view attachments. Configuring your email is straightforward enough thanks to the setup wizard which has the most popular ISP and webmail settings already installed. You just need your username and password and the niggly, behind-the-scenes gubbins is done for you. You can also determine the size (maximum size is 300KB) and number of emails to be retrieved when you check your messages. If you are prone to receiving large emails, it may take a while to download over the 6300’s EDGE connection. This is where you miss the 3G speeds.

The embedded Opera web browser makes surfing on the mobile internet a lot less exasperating, fitting the large pages into a digestible, bite-sized format. Meanwhile, if you are a member of Yahoo!’s instant messaging service, it is all set up to begin chatting.

Melody maker

The built-in music player is clean and simple to use, accessed via a customisable soft key, or in the Media section of the main menu. The navigation rocker switch controls the player and you can boost the audio using the seven-band equaliser. It is a great little player with a dynamic-sounding fidelity over the supplied stereo earphones. Elsewhere, the 6300 also supports A2DP Stereo Bluetooth for wireless streaming of music to compatible headphones and speakers.

A microSD card slot, located under the rear cover on the side, is on hand to store your music, pictures and messages, although we recommend you invest in a higher capacity card than the supplied 128MB card if you want to hold a considerable music collection and photo library.

The 6300’s staying power is also a boon with a quoted battery standby time of 14.5 days. That’s being a bit generous, but you certainly won’t have to re-juice your phone for a good five or six days.
Nokia has hit the bullseye with the 6300 – it is an elegant, easy-to-use, feature-canny handset. Along with the E65, we can see the 6300 being a major hit with both the mainstream and business markets.