Nokia 6220 classic review: Sharp-witted shooter

Unboxing

The retail package of Nokia 6220 classic has a rather unusual shape. It's a very wide but really thin box, unlike most other Nokia packages. It still fits all the essentials. There are no surprise bonuses but the decent price tag wouldn't have covered them anyway.

The Nokia 6220 classic retail box and stuff inside

With Nokia 6220 classic you get TV-out and USB cables, a DC charger and a handsfree. The handsfree is one piece, which means that changing its headphones only is not an option with the 6220 classic.

A 1GB memory card ships with the handset, which at least gives you decent storage right out of the box. Not to mention that most people hardly ever need more memory than that. Finally, the usual prints and manuals go without saying.

Nokia 6220 classic 360-degree spin

Nokia 6220 classic stands at the pleasing 108 x 47 x 15 mm and has a volume of only 66 cc. Now, it surely isn't the slimmest phone around but those are some really good numbers for a smartphone. You can easily squeeze the 6220 classic even in a tight pocket.

The pocket-friendly handset weighs 90 grams and that's another good achievement. In fact, the only S60 smartphone to beat it is Nokia 6120 classic but it's only lighter by a mere gram, which is negligible.

Design and construction

Speaking about design, it's quite hard to overlook the similarities between the Nokia 6220 classic and its navigation-centric sibling - Nokia 6210 Navigator. Frankly, we aren't really fond of those looks and the rather cheap looking front plastic casing but anyone is free to disagree. We've got to note, that we still find the N81, N78, N96 design much more appalling.

On the positive side, the materials used on the back are an excellent example of fingerprint-immune surface. And personally, the back panel is the only part of the body that looks any close to classy (an impression promptly ruined by the cheapo keypad).

At the top of the front we spot the video-call camera, the earpiece and the ambient light sensor. The 2.2" display and the keypad follow, which will be discussed in a short while.

The video-call camera, earpiece and ambient light sensor

From top to bottom, the left side of Nokia 6220 classic hosts the GPS indicator, My own key and the microSD card slot. The GPS light denotes the current status of your GPS receiver - it blinks during search and lights steadily when satellite lock is achieved.

The "My own" key is associated with the Maps application by default, but is otherwise fully customizable to act as a shortcut to any application of your choice. Nice one!

The GPS indicator, My own key and the microSD card slot are on the left

On the right of the 6220 classic we find the volume rocker and the camera key. The latter is a mere plastic knob fitted on the rear cover, which membrane contacts with the actual key below it. It takes quite a push to get it to work and you risk dropping the handset if you're holding it with one hand. While this setup provides a distinct half press/full press point, the durability of the shutter key is much in question.

On the right: volume rocker and dedicated camera key • The camera key isn't much of a treat

The top of the phone is where the loudspeaker is placed, along with the power key. The On/Off key is also used for locking the keypad and switching profiles.

The loudspeaker and the power key are at the top

The bottom of the classic has four apertures. Here we find the microUSB slot, the charger plug, the 2.5mm standard audio jack and the lanyard eyelet.

All the way down: lanyard eyelet, microUSB port, charger plug and 2.5mm standard audio jack

The five megapixel camera lens is on the back panel of Nokia 6220 classic, placed within the same elevated deck we found on the 6210 Navigator. Here we also find the xenon flash and the active lens cover knob, which frankly is an offence even to this overall cheap looking handset. The imaging capabilities of the device have their reserved spot later on in this review.

5 megapixel camera with active lens cover and xenon flash

Opening the battery cover reveals the 900 mAh Li-ion BP-5M battery. It's supposed to give you 250 hours of standby or 3 and a half hours of talk-time. In reality you can count on about two days of moderate use. If you only use it for a few calls and occasional shots a day it can go on for about four but heavy users will have to charge daily.

Nokia 6220 classic is powered by a 900 mAh Li-ion battery

Apart from the extremely cheap looking keypad and the funny lens cover knob, the rest of the materials on the 6220 classic seem to be of nice quality. Now, the 6220 classic is an affordable smartphone/cameraphone but it sure isn't a budget call-and-text handset, contrary to what part of its exterior suggests. The compact phone is a joy to handle but we feel Nokia could have done a lot better designing it.

The phone is a joy to handle