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Nokia 5320 XpressMusic mobile phone

Turn on, tune in... and your calls won't drop out

The 5320 XpressMusic is no stand-out looker. Its 108 x 46 x 15mm dimensions and 90g weight gives it an average candybar appearance, while the glossy black face and keypad are plasticky and a bit downmarket. As glossy plastic tends to be, it's also a smudge-magnet.

Adding a hint more variety to the design, the numberpad buttons are moulded within an elliptical pattern with certain keys separate and others joined. But it’s OK for texting and number-punching.

Nokia 5320 XpressMusic candybar mobile phone

Smudge magnet

More awkward is the cramped control-key arrangement around the navpad. The smooth, glossy panel has minimal surface delineation, so the oddly shaped soft-menu keys are squashed in and can be fiddly to press, particularly if you’re short of nails. You have to be equally precise pressing the similarly shaped Call and End key, which can be tricky in low-light situations.

The display is average for Nokia’s lower middle-class phones: a 2in, 240 x 320, 16m-colour screen. It’s clear and bright and does its job adequately, though a larger one would’ve been much better for making the most of the phone’s multimedia and gaming capabilities.

Above the display, across from the video-call camera, sits a small button that's the key for activating Say and Play. Press and hold it, and you’re asked on screen to say the name. With a short press, the same button can also be used to activate a shortcut for one user-defined app or function.

It’s a responsive handset. Applications open quickly and the phone can keep multiple open apps without it visibly impeding performance. So you can listen to the music player, for instance, while playing N-Gage games, browsing or downloading content.

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