Nokia 7710 review: Is this the right track?

It is the first Nokia phone with a touchscreen display - with a huge display. Running on new version of Symbian OS, the Nokia 7710 has a megapixel camera and extensive multimedia features. We have made a very detailed review.

Benefits

• large and high resolution display
• excellent for browsing the Internet
• quality sound
• great for playing video
• quality organizer functions
• good pictures

Drawbacks

• overall slow system
• stability problems
• yellow cast on the display
• slow searching in the phonebook
• it is not always possible to use it without the stylus
• bad ergonomics in some cases

Nokia 7710 communicator review wasn't a piece of cake for me. Although I was using the mobile a lot for several days, I was doubtful until the end. Nokia 7710 is brand new type of mobile device and I have to admit we were "fighting" from time to time. On the other hand, I read reactions of the first users, who are basically exhilarated, so I cannot take just my feelings for the evaluation.

Nokia 7710 is a multimedia widescreen smartphone. There is no keypad, just a wide touchscreen display with pen input. This phone is meant for people who I dare to call "pioneers". With Nokia 7710 they stand right on the start of a platform that can be successful or a flop - that is what makes it so exciting. Nokia 7710 will entertain them; they can play with it, boast with it and have a good feeling of "being the first".

It is the first smartphone based on Symbian Series 90. It was supposed to be Nokia 7700 initially, but its development was stopped and here they come with a smaller and lighter successor.

More like a game console

For common work, Nokia 7710 is held flatways, like Nokia N-Gage. Only for telephony, it is held as a normal mobile phone. Comparing to mobile phones it is a very big device, 128 x 70 x 19 mm, but compared to smartphones it is about the average. The same stands for the weight of 180 g; it is elephantine for a mobile phone and about normal for a smartphone.

Comparing sizes: with Nokia 6630 • in hand • on a CD

We have a bright variant of the smartphone available. I haven't found on Nokia web page how many color variants will be available but I have seen some pictures of dark versions. Covers are not replaceable; it is possible to remove just a back shell that is covering a battery. I do not have underlying remarks to the construction of the phone but some reproaches are coming on from the users of the smartphone, considering facing of the covers. I can say that a tested piece is O.K. in this respect.

It is possible to remove back cover

Nokia 7710 is a block with slightly rounded side edges. The display is not placed symmetrically but it is moved a bit right; the left border is bigger than the right one. Holding the phone with both hands the right thumb touches straight the cursor key with confirmation button.

Yellow cast on the display

The display of the phone is really huge, we haven't seen bigger at any Nokia yet and I don't even remember any other phone or a smartphone, which can compete with the 7710's display. The display sizes are 80 x 50 mm, 90 mm diagonally and it feature resolution 640 x 320 pixels. Moreover it is extremely crisp, with 5120 pixels on 1 square cm. Of course it is active and displays 65K colors.

The illumination is not really regular - the display is noticeably darker in the corners and in the right part. Considerable imperfection is the strong yellow cast. It is not so visible on our pictures, because the camera was set on auto white balance, but actually the yellowish display stroked my eye straight after I switched it on for the first time. The graphics and pictures representation is otherwise perfect.

Display looks pretty white on the pictures but that's thanks to the camera support.
Actually the display is distinctly yellowish.

Generally - the same as other color displays.

As it goes with devices like that, a large display gets dirty very easily. Just touch it to your face during a call or touch it by a finger when you are too lazy to take out the pen. Nokia knows well why they included a rag in the standard package.

Rag for cleaning the display

Confusing keys

Part of the control keys is placed on the side edge. These are keys for calls control (green and red earphone) and a voice recorder key. All keys have also other functions, e.g. call register opening or voice dial activation. Next, still on the side edge, you can find a key that releases the back cover. Removing the cover is quite tricky, the other three keys need to be pressed properly.

Call control keys • back cover lock

Then there is just a main switch button placed on the right side. It is jointed with control of ringing profiles. On the left bottom there we can find a Pop-Port system connector. Here I have one remark for the construction. The connector is protected by a metal case, which is in contact with a plastic cover. If you press it, the plastic slides on metal edge and you can hear an unpleasant sound.

Switch button • Pop-Port connector and slot for charger; the small slot in the corner is the microphone