Symbian is here to stay, at least for the next couple of years. So, we are here with the Nokia X5-01 review. This device was launched at CommunicAsia last June and hit Indian shores late last year.At the first look, I didn't liked the squarish design of this device and found it a bit girly. Nokia X5-01 is an X-series phone, known for its music features. As usual, this handset comes with a special key for the music player, however the previous/rewind and next/forward keys were missing from this handset. This handset comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, which helps you to type fast and stay connected with your friends on the go. Nokia X5-01 runs on the Symbian S60v3 operating system and it comes with some great features such as a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, 3G connectivity and more. Is this handset worth buying? Check out our exclusive review to learn more.
Box Contents:
- Nokia X5-01
- Nokia BL-5F 950 mAh Li-Ion battery
- Nokia Travel Charger AC-6N
- Nokia 2 GB microSD card MU-37
- Nokia Connectivity Cable CA-101D
- Nokia Headset WH-102
- User Guide
Design:
The Nokia X5-01 features an unique squarish design. This handset also comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The slide mechanism on this handset is quite smooth as compared to the other slider phones in the same price range. The front side of this handset is made up of plastic, while the sides and back of this handset is made up of stainless steel.
On the front side, you will find a 2.3 inch TFT screen. This handset has a sharper display under normal lighting conditions, but it becomes almost unreadable in direct sunlight. Below the display, there are three keys on the left side, as well as three keys on the right side. A 5-ways navigation key is also placed below the display. Along with the usual left/right selection key and the call/end key, you will find an additional home key on the left and the music key on the right. The keys on the front were not comfortable, since when I tried pressing the right selection key, the music key was pressed accidentally. The same problem was faced while I tried to use the left selection key.
3.5mm headset jack and Micro USB/charger connecter
Loudspeaker
On the top of this device, you will find a 3.5mm headset jack and a Micro USB/charger connecter. The loudspeaker is situated at the bottom of this device. Even though, Nokia X5-01 has 3G capabilities, a front-facing camera was missing in this device. It means that, you cannot video call with your friends using this device.
This handset has a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and battery with metallic casing on its back. On the right side of this device, you will find the volume keys, while on the left side, there are no keys at all. Even though, this handset has a 5 megapixel camera, a much needed camera button was missing on this device.
User Interface, OS and more:
Nokia X5-01 runs on the Symbian S60v3 operating system. I'm already familiar with this OS, since I have already used the S60v3 based device for more than 3 years, so using this handset was not a problem. Even if you are new to this OS, it won't take more than a day to get the things right.
On the home screen, you can directly add your favourite contacts as well as shortcut for most used applications. If you don't like the current layout of your home screen, then you can easily change it from 5 different standby layout, available under themes. It also has 4 different customizable menu � Grid, List, Horseshoe and V-shaped. Out of these, I personally liked the Grid and V-shaped menu.
This handset has Push Mail, SNS app as well as chat client support out of the box. The native email client currently supports Ovi Mail, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Hotmail and other email services. The chat client supports Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Ovi Chat and Yahoo Messenger. This handset also comes with pre-loaded Facebook, Twitter and Hi5 applications.
Nokia X5-01 comes with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. This handset allows you to download thousands of free as well as paid applications from the OVI Store. The in-built browser was pretty good. You can even download and install alternate browser such as Opera Mobile from the Ovi Store, in case you didn't liked the default browser.
This handset does not fit properly in hands, thanks to the small and bulky design. Even during the call, I was not able to properly hear the voice. And holding the phone, during a call is a pain. Even a basic Nokia phone works perfectly, but this device has some issues, due to its squarish design. You might also have to face problems while carrying this device in your jeans pockets.
The battery of this device was pretty good. On a full charge, it managed to stay alive for more than 4 days with few calls, browsing, playing music, games and chatting. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard was quite comfortable. I was easily able to type text messages as well as status updates and tweets on the go.
Music:
Nokia X5-01 is a music phone, but it lacks physical previous/rewind and next/forward keys. The music player on this phone is similar to other X-series phones. It supports MP3, AAC, eAAC+ and WMA audio formats. Nokia X5-01 also comes with the standard 3.5 mm audio jack. The music playback is pretty good, but the bundled headphones are not up to the mark. If you are planning to purchase this handset, as an alternate to your music player, then I would suggest you to connect your favorite pair of headphones in this handset to enjoy the music. It plays music for more than 20 hours on a single charge. This handset also comes with an unique feature, which allows you to play random songs, just by spinning the device.
Camera:
Nokia X5-01 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash. The maximum resolution for an image is 2592 x 1944 pixels. It has different scene modes such as Automatic, Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night and Night Portrait. The self-timer allows you to automatically click a picture after an interval of 2, 10 or 20 seconds. The sequence mode lets you capture sequential images at a pre-defined interval of 10 seconds to 30 minutes. Most of the images were noisy in the night, but images clicked during the day were pretty good. Nokia X5-01 is not a camera phone, but the end results are quite impressive. Sadly, the video recording was not up to the mark.
Conclusion:
Nokia X5-01 is a pretty good phone, but it does not have any exceptional features. The headset provided in the box is not up to the mark. You should better, connect your favourite pair of headphones while listening to music. The much needed video camera and GPS is missing in this handset. Even though the slider is smooth and QWERTY keyboard is amazing, I had to face lots of problem while holding this handset during the call, thanks to its small and squarish design. Girls would love the design of this handset, but boys will definitely stay away from purchasing a girly handset. This handset comes with a price tag of Rs.9,974. If you are looking for a QWERTY handset, then I would suggest you to buy the Nokia E5 smartphone, since it has some great features, compared to this phone.
Pros:
- Excellent QWERTY keyboard
- Smooth slider
- Metallic sides and back
- Great music playback
- Excellent connectivity options
- Good battery life
Cons:
- Not-so-attractive design
- Display not clearly visible under sun-light
- Poor headphones
- Camera not up to the mark
- No front-facing camera
- No GPS
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