Basic skills
The camera is a fixed-focus device with no LED, so you won't be using it close-up or at night, but in daylight – and at ranges beyond a metre – the results are more than acceptable and a a good deal better than anything you get from an Orange San Francisco's 3.2Mp snapper. Moreover, the C5's OS/CPU combination works wonders for the 1,000mAh battery. Even with regular use of the Wi-Fi and GPS radios it is perfectly possible to get the best part of three days between charges. Try doing that with an Android handset.
As budget smarties go, it has a decent share of plus points
As with most Nokia handsets, the often overlooked basics are very well covered. Call quality and signal reception were faultless and audio playback commendably rich and clear once some decent earphones were brought into play. While only a few might consider chucking it away as soon as they get one, another enticement is that Nokia claims 80 per cent of the phone is recyclable. Apparently, all of its packaging is made from recycled material, so you can make a call and hug a tree at the same time.
Verdict
The Nokia C5-03 is all about value for money. At £130 pre-paid it's significantly cheaper than its, admittedly, significantly better C6 and C7 brothers, which will set you back around £200 and £300 respectively. However, for the price you get a reasonable camera, good wireless connectivity, all the smartphone functionality many people are ever likely to need, excellent call quality and good battery life. On the down side, despite improvements, Symbian^1 is now yesterday's technology and the screen is underwhelming. ®
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Nokia C5-03 budget touchscreen smartphone
COMMENTS
Trying to convert myself to android but having a hard time of it -
I've got a Nokia 5800 and I'm trying out the Orange San Francisco (sounds like a bargain on the face of it at £100 with a good res screen). The android OS is great but a rogue app is using data (after doing a factory reset it's OK - I'm wondering if it's Facebook which I can't un-install as it's a "system" app! - this time I didn't sign into it). The build quality is worse. And there's an issue with it forgetting about the SIM card. I had to install the "blade wifi fix" app to sort out a Wifi problem. The sat nav is on-line so no use when I'm on holiday and Google don't cover as many countries as Ovi anyway. it's also very basic in comparison.
Even if I spent a bit more on a better android phone, I'd then be into the no battery life issue. Two guys at work leave theirs plugged in permanently when they're at home or at their desk!
I'm not sure why I want android other than everyone else has one and it looks prettier. Being a geek I like the idea of the linux command line and clever apps but on the other hand, I do need a phone that works as a phone (and occasional sat nav) and doesn't cost more than a laptop.
So, you get what you pay for...
...and you get quite a lot.
Specifically, good call quality, long battery life, a good enough UI and operating system, some nice features.
You don't get an app store full of fluff for the hard of thinking, it doesn't cost you £500, and fanbois (most shades of) won't want you in their club.
It just gets better.
I know it's currently trendy to diss Nokia, but come on, what happened to function over form?
Disclaimer: I own and love my 5800, running the same OS, I think. And in cold weather I can keep my gloves on in cold weather, because it's got a resistive screen.
Prices
Vodafone is offering the X10 Mini on PAYG for £130 and the Orange San Francisco is available for £100 PAYG which makes them both realistic alternatives to the C5-03 for any potential smartphone buyer on a budget.
http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/sony-ericsson-x10-mini-payg
http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/San-Francisco-from-Orange-in-grey
At the high end of 'budget'
Let's not forget the extra £10-15 to unlock it, if you want to run a budget phone on a budget PAYG network. Making it nearly twice the price of an unlocked San Francisco (free unlock available).
Unless you really want to pay more in call charges than you did for the phone in a frighteningly short time.
It's unfortunate for Nokia, Android is redefining what 'budget' means.
