Nokia 6110 Navigator review: Know your way

Nokia 6110 Navigator 360-degree spin

Out of the box

The box contents of Nokia 6110 Navigator are on the rich side. Along with the phone itself, you will find a wired handsfree, a USB cable and, naturally, a DC charger. Other niceties include two CDs - one with the Route 66 software and add-ons, and the other with the required software for pc synchronization. A manual, a quick start guide and a 512MB microSD memory card are also to be found in the retail package.

The box of the Navigator • The DC charger is not AC-5

Likable fatty

A glance at its dimensions is enough to convince you that the Navigator is by far a generously sized fellow. Measuring 101 x 49 x 20 mm in closed position it has a bulky volume of 89 cc. Working with it on the other hand leaves different impressions. The phone feels surprisingly light when held in hand and, due to the comparatively large screen,it doesn't look as big as it really is. Plus, the build quality is very good and that let's it get away with being difficult to squeeze in tight pockets. The slide mechanism also feels very sturdy and reliable, although it is not even nearly as smooth as in Samsung U600's for example. As a matter of fact, Samsung are way in front of any other company when it comes to sliders . Anyway, let's start exploring the phone's hardware.

Beginning with the front panel, we see the ambient light sensor located in its upper left corner. We have explained the functionality of this little thingy quite a lot of times, so we are not going into any details now. If you wish to revise your knowledge on the question, feel free to check out our Nokia 5700 review. Right under it are the video-call camera and the loudspeaker grill. The 2.2" display follows, with the soft keys right under it. They are placed on each side of the D-pad and above the Call and End keys. A small innovation in this phone, compared to most recent Nokia models, is the End key also acting as a Power key, instead of having a dedicated button for that purpose. Under The D-pad, 3 more keys are situated in a row: Menu key, Navigator key and Clear key.

The ambient light sensor and the video-call camera in the upper left corner • The D-pad and the other keys on the front panel are quite comfortable to use

Opening up the slider unveils the keypad, which is quite flat with the keys placed in level surface rows with gaps etched between them. It is quite comfortable but, still we found the one on Nokia 5700 more enjoyable to work with. Making out the borders between keys within the same row is a bit trickier here, if you rely solely on touch orientation. After a little time spent with the Navigator this will cease to bother you and you will go texting at full speed.

The keypad is flat with small gaps between the separate rows of keys

On the top side of Nokia 6110 Navigator you will find two apertures - a charger connector and a 2.5 mm audio jack. It seems 2.5 mm is the standard Nokia has picked for most of its new models, leaving the 3.5 mm for the high-end multimedia devices only. As it turns out, Nokia 6110 Navigator is far from this category, but we will come to its multimedia capabilities later on in our review.

Nokia 6110 Navigator has the 2.5 mm audio jack • Next to it, is the charger connector

We are generally pleased with the build quality of Nokia 6110 Navigator. The phone is sturdy and when held in hand it feels great, never mind its thickness. It goes without saying that good quality materials were used on the device.

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All we see on the right of the phone are the volume rocker and the dedicated camera key. One good thing about the handset being this thick is that both controls are big enough and very comfortable to operate. Their ample size and elevation are great for touch orientation.

The right side hosts the volume rocker and the dedicated camera key

Turning to the left, we come upon three essential elements. The miniUSB connector is placed closest to the top, its plastic lid making sure the phone looks are not spoiled by the aperture. The same holds true for the microSD card slot, which is towards the middle of the left side. In between these two, is the My Own key. We are used to seeing this one in the E series but apparently it is gaining ground in other Nokia phones too.

The left side holds a bunch of essentials: microUSB port, My own key and microSD card slot

Bottomside, we find the back cover release button, the mouthpiece and the neck/wrist strap eyelet.

The bottom of the phone: back cover release button, microphone pinhole and a strap eyelet

We conclude our shape-and-looks tour with the backside. The elements to be found there are the stereo loudspeaker grills and the camera, which is hidden under a stylish metal cover. This cover might seem a bit too rigid at first but after opening it a couple of times it loosens up a bit and works fine. You will then be able to open it with one hand, which might seem an impossible task in your first attempts.

The backside of Nokia 6110 Navigator • A stylish metal cover protects the camera

Opening the back cover is very easy, indeed. All you need to do is press the back cover release button at the bottom of the handset and it then opens up by itself. Under it you will find the 900 mAh battery, which under moderate usage (10-15 minutes telephony, 40 minutes of navigation and an hour of using different applications a day) will probably give you about three days of operation. An average effort overall but, considering that most phones we tested recently would end up charged every day or two, it may as well be called decent.

The Navigator to pieces • The battery could have been a bit better, but it's still acceptable

We are generally pleased with the build quality of Nokia 6110 Navigator. The phone is sturdy and when held in hand it feels great, never mind its thickness. It goes without saying that good quality materials were used on the device. The only major flaw is that the glossy plastic is very susceptible to fingerprints, so cleaning your Navigator will be required on a regular basis.

The phone feels great to hold

Finally, we would like to mention that the backlighting is also very nice and even, and darkness poses no obstacles to usability. The light sensor takes care of the display brightness, so it's never bothersome.

The keypad backlighting is good enough, so darkness is not an issue for usability