Nokia 5230 Quad-band GSM Cell Phone - Unlocked

After I dropped my wife's phone into a lake, it was time to get a new phone. Her phone was a prepaid T-Mobile, so we looked around for a decent replacement. Costco had this phone for sale for prepaid use at a very reasonable price, far less than above.

The good:

Free maps from Ovi Maps. Free navigation can be had by downloading maps and voice and telling the navigation program to work offline. Our phone came pre loaded with the entire US, which takes about 2 gig of the 4 gig card which was included.

Free access to the Ovi App store. We have been downloading some free apps and so far, no charges against our minutes... knock on wood.

Small size but very high resolution. It's about the length of an iPhone, but only about 3/4 as wide. The screen is 3.2" but has a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels. It only has a 2mp camera, but that's plenty to shoot great video.

Bluetooth is fully functional. You can transfer files using it, unlike some other phones that only allow earpiece or speakerphone use through BT.

It comes with a 4 gig card, but with maps and pictures and music and whatever else, I can see it filling fast. It can take up to a 16 gig card.

The so so...

It comes with a little "guitar pic" thing to use the pressure sensitive touch screen. You can use your fingers too, but sometimes the things you wish to click are too small for fingers, so the pic is the better choice. Time will tell whether the touch screen is durable.

No wifi. Wifi would have been nice, but I guess this is what you give up at this price. Oh well.

As a phone...

Calls are clear and no issues with call quality. It has a proximity sensor so you don't accidentally press buttons when you hold it against your face. Dialing or texting by feel cannot be done since there is no physical number pad, it's totally touchscreen. Dialing is easy though, I have not "fat fingered" a button yet.

This phone over all comes in at about a B-. The phone itself is great, excellent reception, sound and call quality. The interface isn't bad. People who cut down Symbian typically never gave it a chance, or used it. It is a FINE interface for just about everything you would need to do. It doesn't look as cool as the newer DROID or iPhone GUI, however look at the price compared to them, and you don't have to sell your soul to AT&T or T-Mo. Battery is OK. Email support is better than before. OVI Maps is really good for navigation, not so good for finding points of interest. I would recommend Google Maps as a back up for finding Points of Interest, getting that address, then putting them into OVI Maps and use it's navigation.

PROs

Cheap Unlocked Phone (For use with AT&T's 3/3.5G network)

Free Navigation

Decent Email

Sound Quality/Call Quality

No Contract Needed

Comes with some pre-loaded Apps

CONs

Symbian OS can take a little time to learn it is NOT difficult it is LOGICAL

Battery could be better for a 1320mah Battery

Small Data Cable

OVI Store Getting Better All The Time

OVI Maps iffy for POI's

Not the fastest phone/GUI out but ample even for a heavy user

NO Wifi But for it being so cheap you can't complain

Buy Nokia 5230 Quad-band GSM Cell Phone - Unlocked Now

I have to say that this phone is an excellent value in every aspect. It has any feature you could want except wifi but this phone is NOT considered a smartphone by AT&T so you DO NOT HAVE TO PAY THE $30 DATA PLAN FEE and you can use the $10 per month unlimited data!! I bought this phone for my husband because it seemed like the best alternative to an iPhone and similar touchscreen smartphones without the issue of having to pay the ridiculous "Smartphone Plan" fee. The camera works great even though it has no flash. You just set it to night mode and can get a better picture in low light settings. The internal data is plenty generous and you can also add an SD card for more memory. My husband particularly likes this because it means he can use it just like an iPod or any other MP3 player and it also has the built in radio so he can listen to it while at work (he is a residential/commercial remodeler) if he doesn't want to listen to his stored music. You can still answer calls right from the earbuds while using the radio feature. The touch screen is great, the screen size is great. It has fast response time from input or touch. We have absolutely no complaints at all.

Some people might not like the idea of not having wifi, but if you think about it, if you buy any similar phone you're going to have to pay the stupid $30 extra monthly fee even if you do not use AT&T internet. With this phone you can just get the $10 unlimited data plan and be done with it. The internet works great on this phone and is fast in our experience. Very happy with the purchase and the price is amazing. Call quality is great as with all Nokias. No issues whatsoever and highly recommended!

Read Best Reviews of Nokia 5230 Quad-band GSM Cell Phone - Unlocked Here

it works great in costa rica. i just put the sim card in and it worked just fine. i had a gsm sim card, but i upgraded the same sim card at the kolbi's ice celular office, it took them 3 minutes, i kept the same number and sim card and the phone its great. i love the nokia ovi store, many free application that work down here as well. its just a cool phone, i get clear and fluent reception everywhere i go including internet. overall, it was a smart and cheap purchase... if u like it, dont doubt it, go for it...

Want Nokia 5230 Quad-band GSM Cell Phone - Unlocked Discount?

Bought this phone to use it abroad. It works great with no problems. The interface is very responsive and quick. Sync'ed it with my contact on my computer and started using it immediately with no hassle.