Nokia C2-03 review: Twice the phone

Introduction

Touchscreen and a hardware numpad in a slider form factor, complete with dual-SIM support - the Nokia C2-03 will be stepping on many toes. It's a phone that knows its place though and has no problem living within its own means.

The Nokia C2-03 official photo

The C2-03 is a device that's simple to use, easy to afford and comfortable to carry around. You have two active phone lines in the same device so you can leave your other phone at home. Touchscreen and dual SIM support is a rare combination, but Nokia must think it's time they added more depth to their entry-level lineup.

Key features

• Dual-SIM, dual-standby phone
• Dual-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 2.6" 256K-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
• Camera is poor
• QCIF video recording would be better off missing
• Doesn’t charge off USB
• No screen brightness control
• No document viewer
• No smart dialing
• No accelerometer sensor
• No multitasking

So what does the C2-03 offer over the C2-02, which we recently reviewed? A second SIM slot, it's as simple as that. Enough though to make the C2-03 twice the phone the C2-02 is. The dual SIM solution is the same as on their other phones. The second SIM card is easily hot-swappable via a side-mounted slot and the SIM Manager app lets you decide how each card handles calling, texting and data.

We cannot overlook the fact that the list of cons is almost as long as that of the pros. Plain to see, this phone sacrifices a lot to keep its price competitive.

There's a lot missing but the basics are duly covered. Calling and texting come first in the low-end, touchscreen is a bonus feature. The C2-03 succeeds at putting them together in a single package. It gives you advanced calling on two SIM cards and a decent keypad for the messaging. And builds on that knowing that mindful of budget doesn't mean unwilling to try new things.

Nokia C2-02 studio shots

It's high-end smartphones that get most of the hype but Nokia are keen to tighten their grip on the bread-winning lower end of the market. Being a viable update alternative in emerging markets, the C2-03 can be one of the weapons they need to fight and win their battles.