Nokia 3720 classic review: Handle without care

No USB cable in the box

The retail package of the Nokia 3720 classic is standard issue stuff. Along with the handset itself, inside you will find the battery and 1GB microSD card. Yes, well spotted, there is no USB cable.

Of course you also get a charger and a 2.5 mm handsfree, which unfortunately is one-piece. Finally, there's the usual load of paperwork.

The retail package contents

Nokia 3720 classic 360-degree spin

The Nokia 3720 classic measures 115 x 47 x 15.3 mm with a volume of 69 cc. The phone hits the sweetspot of comfortable handling. Neither too small, nor too big, it would fit nicely into any pocket. Don't let the weight of 94 g fool you, the 3720 classic has a pleasingly solid feel in the hand, and the body seems quite sturdy and reliable.

Design and construction

For a device fashioned to survive in tough environments, the Nokia 3720 classic looks really mainstream. It doesn't quite have the rough, almost intimidating, appearance of a Samsung B2700 - or the Nokia 5140 for that matter. We're not saying it's less fit for outdoor action - it just looks more work-and-play than hike-and-bike. We do have our doubts about the silver front frame - a bit of hardened rubber would've been more like it in this segment, but we quite like it the way it is.

To complete the rugged picture though, there is a strong rubber cushion between the metal lining and the rear panel.

The display of the 3720 classic is among the finest we've seen by Nokia in terms of both contrast and color rendering, and it has an impressively wide viewing angle.

The QVGA screen can display up to 16M colors on a 2.2" diagonal. Sunlight legibility is an absolute treat even if the colors get washed out a bit.

A decent-sized display • the earpiece is set dead center on top

Beneath the display, the two sides of the D-pad accommodate the soft keys and the Call and End buttons. The navigation frame of the D-pad projects nicely over a roomy confirm key. All controls are comfortable to use and occasional mispresses are very rare. Typical for a ruggedized device, the keys are stiff and have quite a low stroke but that's the price to pay for splash resistance.

2.2" display and comfortable navigation

The keyboard is made of robust plastic and the spaces in-between are filled with isolating rubber. The D-pad has metal finish, which improves both looks and sturdiness.

The star and hash key are smaller and slightly less comfortable but that seems to be a sacrifice to the curvy styling of the device. Otherwise, the keys are big enough and well defined.

There's a small flashlight on the Star key, which allows you to start the flashlight feature of the camera LED flash by a longer press.

The keyboard and D-pad

The display backlighting and the white keypad illumination are quite strong and even.

The strong and even white backlighting looks great and boosts usability

The top and left sides of the Nokia 3720 classic completely blank, as Nokia decided to cram everything into the bottom this time.

The top and left sides of Nokia 3720 classic

The bottom part of the 3720 is where all the connectivity ports are - microUSB, a 2.5mm audio jack, and the charger plug port - all hidden under a plastic cap. The lanyard eyelet is also at the bottom as well. This means that if you want to listen to music, you have to keep the cap off. It's only the charger port that is not completely closed, but Nokia have that quite waterproof.

Bottom is port-heavy

The right side of the handset doesn't have much to show either - the only thing there is the rubber volume rocker. What's more interesting is that the volume keys are part of the rubber frame surrounding the whole phone and dividing the front from the rear panel. We suppose its purpose is better insulation. It can even soften some falls as it slightly protrudes from the rest of the body.

The right side of Nokia 3720 classic

We conclude our round trip of the 3720 classic with the rear. The extremely well secured battery cover is locked with a metal screw. As you might imagine, the battery cover is made of robust plastic with a rubber sealing. The matt plastic used is quite nice actually and is totally fingerprint-proof, however it didn't survive our car run over without damages.

Next to the 2-megapixel camera lens there is a LED flash and the loudspeaker grill. We assumed that the loudspeaker beneath the grill is water-tight alright, but during our water and… here's a spoiler coming… beer dip test, it was the first thing to start breaking down eventually dying in us upon a throw on the asphalt.

The camera lens has metal edging and is slightly recessed into the surface to avoid scratches, but surprisingly for a ruggedized phone, there's no lens cover.

The rear: camera lens with LED flash

Releasing the battery cover is very easy, but you need to use a small coin to turn the screw. A half turn around the clock is enough to unlock and open it.

Releasing he battery cover

Releasing the battery cover reveals the Nokia Li-Ion BL-5CT 1050 mAh battery. The SIM and microSD slots can be found under the battery. Nokia quote an expected battery life of up to 408h of standby or 7h of calls. In real life, the battery lasted some good 4 days of moderate usage.

Rear cover comes off easily using a coin

The Nokia 3720 classic is extremely handy and pocket friendly. It has no glossy plastics so there is no chance of it slipping out of your fingers, and it has the added bonus of not attracting fingerprints.

The small Nokia 3720 classic is a joy to handle