Nokia 6303i classic review: Retro chic

Introduction

It’s either a job that pays the rent or a job to love, not both. If the Nokia 6303i had this mentality it would be in big trouble. Fortunately, there’s nothing to worry about here. It’s a handset that knows its place and does the job it’s paid to do.

The Nokia 6303i classic is an "i" phone – but not the Apple variety. Call it a facelift or call it a sequel – it’s a sub that comes in to keep sales strong. Some minor improvements are implied to an already well-rounded product.

Nokia 6303i classic official photos

At first glance however, it seems that Nokia has cut features rather than add them. The 3.2MP auto-focus camera with VGA video @15fps has been downgraded to fixed-focus unit and QVGA video capture @8fps.

However, the boost to battery life makes quite a difference. Plus, 3 megapixel is nothing to write home about – with or without autofocus. The retail package was updated too – you get a 2GB microSD card instead of 1GB and the phone supports cards up to 16GB (the original 6303 managed just 4GB cards). And then, there’s the updated user interface as well.

So, some trade-offs have been made, but when you add them up the 6303i inches slightly ahead of its predecessor.

Key features:

• Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 2.2" 16M-color QVGA display with excellent sunlight legibility
• 3 megapixel camera, fixed-focus and LED flash
• QVGA video recording at 8fps
• Refreshed S40 user interface, 6th edition
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Bluetooth (with A2DP) and microUSB port
• microSD card slot (16 GB supported, 2GB included)
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Rich preinstalled application package
• Ovi Maps, Store, Contacts and Share
• Solid metal casing, nice oval shapes
• Web browser is WebKit-based and plays YouTube video
• Respectable BL-5CT battery (Li-Ion 1050 mAh)

Main disadvantages:

• No 3G
• Memory card slot under the back cover
• Below par camera image quality
• No smart dialing
• No multi-tasking of any sort
• No office document viewer

Nokia 6303i classic in our office

Looks is one thing that Nokia didn’t change on the 6303i classic. The metal body with neutral styling (not too extravagant, not too formal) was great the first time around and the phone did and still does look dressed above its pay grade.

Browsing the web, reading email and even posting social networking updates are standard features in today’s handsets. But before all that, the Nokia 6303i classic is a phone – as in press a few buttons and make a call. Remember?