Nokia C2-02 review: A simple touch

Introduction

As Nokia smartphones struggle to hold the line against the storming droids, more and more pressure falls on their feature-phone squad. It will be up to those foot soldiers to buy enough time for the heavily armed Windows Phone 7 reinforcements to arrive.

Nokia C2-02 official photos

The Nokia C2-02 is the first of a trio of handsets to try and make the most of what's probably Nokia's last remaining stronghold - simple to use phones with good looks and an attractive price tag. The Touch and Type series has been doing well for Nokia and even though they scrapped the name, the spirit will live on.

To get us started, here's what the C2-02 is all about:

Key features

• Dual-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 2.6" 65K-color resistive TFT QVGA touchscreen
• S40 6th edition
• 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera
• QCIF video recording at 15fps
• Stereo FM radio with RDS, Visual radio
• Bluetooth v2.1 (with A2DP)
• Standard microUSB port
• microSD card slot (32 GB supported, 2GB included)
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Extra smooth and precise haptic feedback
• Attractive price

Main disadvantages

• No Wi-Fi
• Doesn’t charge off USB
• No screen brightness control
• No document viewer
• No smart dialing
• No video-call camera
• No accelerometer sensor means no cool features like tap-for-time and turn-to mute
• No multitasking

If you’ve been keeping track, you’d surely find the flaw list familiar. S40 made the leap to touchscreen but Nokia still didn't bother packing it with smart dialing and multitasking – features already available on competing feature phones for years. The screen itself is nothing to shout about: a small, low-res, resistive display. But the slider form factor makes quite a bit of sense - especially if you had doubts about the first Touch and Type candybars. Sliders make better use of space: the C2-02 gives you a reasonably comfortable dial pad and a bigger screen.

Nokia C2-02 studio shots

The C2-02 is supposed to make traditional Nokia users less anxious about giving touchscreen a try. It should be a small and tentative first step - a proper keypad is still a must. What’s more, texting is a relevant feature to both the budget range and the demographic profile.

Ultimately, it's the familiarity and ease of use that will help the likes of Nokia C2-02 reach their intended audience. It's a huge pool to draw from given Nokia's strong grip on the low end of the market. Not a bad place to start at all. We, on our part, are ready to start exploring this S40 touchscreen slider. We've got a full review to do before we can say we like it as much as, say, the X3-02. The hardware inspection begins right after the break.