Event Coverage

Nokia Unveils New Devices with Symbian Belle

By Sidney Wong - 25 Aug 2011

Hands-on and Specs of Nokia 701, 700 and 600

Nokia 701 - The Brightest

Nokia claims that the Nokia 701 handset has the brightest display ever on a smartphone ever because of its 3.5-inch LCD ClearBlack display which can produce up to 1000 nits of brightness. During our hands-on, the Nokia 701 certainly stood out from the trio of handsets with its bright screen. As part of the company's belief in providing consumers with more choices and its commitment to continue innovating on the Symbian platform, the Nokia 701 is positioned as a device for users who want to be able to use their phones everywhere, regardless whether it is indoors or outdoors. The Nokia 701 also takes a leaf off the design of the C7 in its physical appearance. It runs on a 1GHz single-core processor and has a 3.5-inch display, the largest among the trio of handsets unveiled today.

The main feature of Nokia 701 is its display, which Nokia claims is the brightest ever on a smartphone.

The design of the Nokia 701 looks very similar to the Nokia C7. In terms of handling, it felt great in the hands with a decent weight of 131g.

Measuring at a mere 11mm in thickness, the Nokia 701 is actually quite slim for the specs and features it has.

The Nokia 701 packs a 8-megapixel full focus rear camera with dual-LED flash.  

Nokia 701

Key highlights of the Nokia 701

  • Symbian Belle
  • 1GHz single-core processor
  • 3.5-inch IPS LCD ClearBlack touchscreen / 640 x 360 pixels
  • 8-megapixel full focus rear camera
  • 8GB internal user memory 
  • Up to 32GB microSD (external)
  • NFC
  • 1300mAh 
  • 131g
  • 117.3 x 56.8 x 11 mm
  • Available by end of Q3
  • Estimated price of USD420 without taxes and subsidies
  • Available in steel dark, silver light, amethyst violet and white

Nokia 700 - The Smallest

As mentioned earlier, each of the three new Symbian Belle devices represents a unique set of priorities and needs that consumers have. For the Nokia 700, Nokia claims that it is the "smallest" smartphone in term of volume. It also comes with a sleek profile of 9.7mm and weighs just 96g. While Nokia acknowledges the fact that competitors are coming up with models of bigger screen sizes and form factors, they believe that there is still demand for a lightweight and portable handset with the features of modern smartphones among consumers. According to the company, there is also an extensive use of eco-friendly materials in making every 701 handset, making it the most eco-friendly Nokia smartphone.

Nokia 700 claims to be the "smallest" smartphone in the market at the moment. It depends on how you interpret the statement. Nokia interprets it in terms of volume, putting the 700 at 50 cubic centimeters.

Weighing just 96g and measuring 9.7mm thin, the Nokia 700 is indeed one of the most compact phones around.

We like the clean design of the Nokia 700; simple yet elegantly crafted.

 Unlike the Nokia 701, the Nokia 700 comes with a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash.

Nokia 700

Key highlights of the Nokia 700

  • Symbian Belle
  • 1GHz single-core processor
  • 3.2-inch AMOLED ClearBlack touchscreen 
  • 2GB internal memory
  • Up to 32GB microSD (external)
  • 5-megapixel full focus camera  
  • NFC
  • 1080mAh
  • 96g
  • 110 x 50.7 x 9.7mm
     
  • Available by end of Q3
  • Estimated price of USD390 before taxes and subsidies
  • Available in cool grey, silver/white, coral red, peacock blue and purple

Nokia 600

Last but not least, the most affordable of the Symbian Belle phones unveiled today is the Nokia 600. Its unique proposition is its loudness, Nokia claims to be the loudest in the market today. According to Nokia, the handset houses an incredible loudspeaker unit. After testing it out, we were more disturbed than impressed. When used for what it is meant for (conversations in private spaces such as in cars and in your own room), it is handy to be able to hear the other party loud and clear. We also foresee it being used in chalets or private parties. However, if it is misused in places such as public trains, it can be quite a nuisance.

You certainly do not want the whole world to hear your private conversations or playlists in public areas with the Nokia 600.

We felt that the in-built loudspeaker unit of the Nokia 600 may have contributed to the 13mm thickness of the device.

We foresee a problem when using the Nokia 600 - the speaker is located on the bottom at the back of the device. To unleash the full power of the speaker unit, you have to place the Nokia 600 face front on the surface.

Estimated to be priced at USD260, the Nokia 600 is the most affordable Symbian Belle phone. For its price, you get a decent smartphone. We guess it will be a hit with teens. 

Nokia 600

Key highlights of the Nokia 600

  • Symbian Belle
  • 1GHz single-core processor
  • 3.2-inch nD capacitive touchscreen / 640 x 360 pixels
  • 2GB internal memory
  • Up to 32GB microSD (external)
  • 5-megapixel full focus camera
  • NFC
  • RDS FM radio with internal antenna
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • 1200mAh
  • 100g
  • 111 x 53 x 13mm
     
  • Available by the end of Q3 
  • Estimated price of USD260 without taxes and subsidies
  • Available in black, white, pink and lime.

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