Nokia 6030 review: Cheap, yet a show off

Nokia 6030 is a cheap phone, which looks good and offers a radio. Having designed such a phone, the manufacture is trying to repeat the commercial success of its older low-middle class phones, which have recently been petering out. Is the new 6030 model prepared to follow the path outlined by Nokia's legendary models?

Key features

• Good design
• Built-in radio
• Big functional keys

Main disadvantages

• Main control button is not comfortable
• No infrared port
• Passive display
• Monophonic built-in radio

Nokia presented its 6030 model as an entry into the low middle class category in March, just before the CeBIT fair. The main advantage of this phone is its design and price. What it will not bewilder customers with is its functions, for which an explanation is also at hand - Nokia 6030 is directed at the group of less-pretentious users, who are expected to get satisfaction of a common basic functional menu.

Official photos of Nokia 6030

The low middle class phones are very important for manufacturers, even though it does not seem so at first sight. Parents have already become used to equipping their children with mobiles at a relatively young age, so any simple control together with a reasonable price is equal to a boom. Common mobile phone users form the other group that will surely appreciate these same features. There is no need of megapixels here and memory cards appear to be unnecessary.

Glossy strips

The phone gives a solid impression. The famous standard mobile construction has round edges, a size of 104 × 44 × 18 mm and weighs 90 grams. Glossy strips are dragged along all side parts of the phone. Although plastic, they successfully imitate metal. What's more, they visually divide the side parts of the mobile, astringing this way the strip of different color among them. Thanks to this effect, the phone looks far thinner than it really is. At the bottom edges of the device are situated the eyelets for interlacing a strap.

As for the front cover of the new phone, it does not resemble any other Nokia model's front side. It looks as if it has been transversely laminated with 5 different big strips, 2 of which constitute of the really bulky context keys. The very first element that catches the eye of the new owner is surely the main control button. It is glossy - just like the strips on the sideways. However, as its surface is visually quite big, a single look is enough to reveal the cheap image of the plastic control button.

The manufacturer's logo glasses just below the silver strip of the speaker as well as on the back cover of the phone. There is no sense looking for a camera lens here, for Nokia 6030 does not take pictures. This, however, may be a very smart idea in terms of the target user category, because simplicity keeps the price low.

Glossy silver elements are literally everywhere

Two camps of plastics

Remarkable is the elaboration of the upper part of the cover, which consists of one piece only. It does not break in two at the cap, in result of which the construction of the phone seems solid enough. Unfortunately, it just seems this way. At the very beginning of the tests I felt like praising 6030 for its high quality construction, but after some time the back cover (which otherwise has a safe opening mechanism) started to show a play. The latter is far from strong, but becomes notable when the keypad is in use.

Back cover is made of good quality plastics, but unfortunately, it does not hold tight • battery and the SIM bedding

The surface elaboration is not worthy praising. Well, at least it is not in the case of the black color version of the phone, which we are processing the tests on. The front cover is made of glossy material, so fingerprints are visible everywhere. As a result, the cover gets almost immediately sticky and dirty. Far much better is the situation with the matt plastic plates, of which the back cover of the phone is made. What a pity they were not applied along the whole body of the device.

Comparison to a credit card • Nokia 6030 in my hand

It is at most probable that when you pick your Nokia 6030, people around you will hardly notice that the phone in your hand is a low middle class one. Nokia 6030 could be easily mistaken for Nokia's manager model, which does not have a camera, especially when being looked at from behind. That is why this phone allows for a quite a pleasant show off at a relatively low price.

"Metal" strips on the side parts of the phone tack on it an element of luxury

Nokia 6030 will be available in three official color versions: the tested black one, a golden "champagne" one, which we did not happen to like that much, and a silver one, which looks great and thus might be the best option among all three. A strong asset of the silver version is also the absence of finger "pitter-patters" on its surface. Nokia has also designed removable covers for the 6030 model.