Nokia 6220 Review

As always with the review devices we have in to test, a big thanks to the team at WOM World who provided the device soon after launch so that a early review could be done.

Bare in mind that the Nokia 6220 is NOT an N-Series device but you could easily be mistaken if you though at it was once you saw the highly impressive specs it has packed in such a small case.

Network:	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 & HSDPA 2100 / 900
Form Factor:	Symbian OS (Series 60)
Dimensions:	108 x 47 x 15 mm
Weight:	90 g
Antenna:	Internal
Navigation:	5 Button Directional Pad
Battery Type:	Li-Ion 900 mAh
Talk Time:	3.5 hours
Standby Time:	350 hours
Memory:	120.0 MB
Expandable Memory:	microSD / TransFlash

So how do you improve on the N73?.  Well first of all I will get out of the way the fact the N78 has the same 3.2 megapixel as before and again with no xenon flash (why nokia why!!)

Then you add WiFi internet which allows you to access your own home/work wireless hotspots but even better all those hundreds of thousands that are available from McDonalds to Starbucks all over the world of which some are free and some are charged for.

Nokia also packed into the connectivity 3.6mb HSDPA or 3.5G as it shows on the phone which will get you zipping through pages at light speed saving you valuable time but also lets you use the phone as a modem as long as your phone network supports this service.

 

Camera

At the start of this review you will have seen my comment ‘why oh why’ which was based on the reason Nokia added just a 3.2 megapixel camera with no Xenon flash.  This is my biggest let down of the whole device because in this day and age when megapixels are what can help sell a phone why spend all that money on a 3.2 camera when you can get a same priced phone in the form of a 6220 or even the original N95 now is around the same price as the N78 and this packs a 5 megapixel camera.

Now I know the N95 is a premium range device and the N78 is not aimed at that market but please Nokia…. xenon flash was needed here with the LED light not really doing much.  Well we cant change the camera in the N78 so as a 3.2 megapixel camera how did it fare.  Well overall the camera for 3.2 was pretty good capturing crisp and bright colours and when you resize the photo into a smaller size for printing or for web viewing so the sensor was doing a very good job which since the N95 i have to say Nokia are doing very well on.  Why pack a 10 megapixel camera into a phone with a poor sensor that will just make the image look blocky orfaded so well done Nokia on your sensor technology.

 

Internet (plus OVI)

This was my favorite part of the N78 because as with me running a Nokia website it was great to be able to take photos or videos with the built in camera and within seconds using WiFi or HSDPA be able to not only upload the image but if I wanted too using GeoTagging built in I could tag the location I was so when I look back i can see where the image was taken on a map.  In fact OVI is built into World Of Nokia if you have a look at the main homepage just above the news section is a ticker that displays the most recent uploaded photos.  Check out my review on OVI coming in the newxt few weeks for more on this free service.  Now onto the general internet side of things using the built in Web browser which like on the iPhone allows you to view full websites full page and you can zoom on the section you want by pressing ‘8′ on the keypad.  Using the HSDPA speeds on T-Mobile I was able to download daily BBC News video clips in about 10-15 seconds which was perfect for the trip into work each morning.  If the built in browser is not to your style I recommend downloading the free Opera Mini browser which also opens full website but makes them smaller for even faster browsing.

What is also great is having WiFi built in so if like me at home you have Wireless access you will be able to connect to that for even faster internet speeds and to save your GPRS use for when you are not able to use WiFi.

Built In GPS (using Nokia Maps 2.0)

This was my favorite part of the N78 because as with me running a Nokia website it was great to be able to take photos or videos with the built in camera and within seconds using WiFi or HSDPA be able to not only upload the image but if I wanted too using GeoTagging built in I could tag the location I was so when I look back i can see where the image was taken on a map.  Using Nokia Maps 2.0 supplied in the phone was a real joy because it was so accurate and fast.  When outside I locked onto a GPS position within 15 seconds on average (taken over 10 attempts from a fresh load of Nokia Maps) which when you think you could be anywhere in the world is an amazing feature and 1 which I will enjoy using time and time again.

 

 

Build Quality

This is the big let down of the 6220, the build is very plastic and you can squeeze the outer case and see it bend in a little, it really was made on the cheap.  The camera lens cover on the back is very loose and does not open all the way.  Basicly on a whole the feel was a big let down from start to finish.

Overall Impressions

Thanks to WOM World again for provding the Nokia 6220 loan handset so I could review it.  Only days after it’s release I had one on it’s way to my door.

Costing around £270 sim free and free on a contract with ‘3′ the 6220 is very affordable to those of you who put features above design and want a great camera on your phone.

The 5 megapixel camera with Xenon flash is like what is seen on the high end Nokia N82 but that is about the only thing that is the same.  There is 3.6mb/s HSDPA so you can connect your phone as a modem which was great to use when pairing with my Advent NetBook when out and about totally wireless using bluetooth.  It does lack WiFi but on a mid range phone that is not a surprise.

Everything else is pretty much normal Nokia, Series 60 software with Maps, OVI support to share your content and a pretty decent battery life.

As I said before if you want a great performing camera phone then the 6220 is a great choice because its very affordable and does a lot for the money,  But if you want a well built phone look more towards the NSeries range like the N78 or soon to be released N79 with the same form factor but better built.