[Preview] Hands-on with the Nokia 5230 and 5530 XpressMusic

Posted on 26-08-2009

At Nokia’s mega-event in Mumbai where they launched three new phones, I got to spend some alone time with the newly launched 5530 and 5230 XpressMusic touchscreen handsets.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE 5230 XPRESSMUSIC

The 5230, which was launched internationally at this event, has the best bang-for-buck on offer. The form factor is similar to the 5800 XpressMusic in every single way, right down to the little jutting micro-USB port on top. This one is for those who want a 5800 XpressMusic, but for half the price and with half the features.

I didn’t hook it up to a pair of headphones, but the built-in speakers were decent enough to compete with anything else in this price segment. The mono output might disappoint a few, but honestly, the 5230 seems more like a music phone for the junta, not for the audiophile.

Perhaps it’s because I held the 5530 in the other hand, but I could swear that the 5230 was noticeably slower than both of its elder siblings. The screen is crystal clear, although I sorely missed out on taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi in the hotel.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE 5530 XPRESSMUSIC

The 5530, on the other hand, is everything that I wanted the 5800 to be. The size, in every dimension, is a bit smaller than the elongated 5800 and 5230, and feels snug. More importantly, gone are the three ugly, plastic menu buttons, which have been replaced with smooth touch-based buttons that are flush with the 2.9-inch screen.

And maybe it’s the diminished screen size, but the touchscreen on the 5530 is way, way, way more responsive than the N97, 5800 and the 5230. It’s not as good as the iPhone, but this is the closest Nokia has gotten to viable finger-based navigation. An entire 15 minutes without having to press the resistive touchscreen hard or tapping it again to register a command puts this one in the “as good as they come” category for me.

The 5530 also had all the GUI enhancements enabled by default, with menus fading out, sliding off and the whole shebang. Again, it’s no iPhone, but if you are on a budget, this one is a no-brainer.

VERDICT

I’m going to stick my neck out and say that both these phones will do tremendously well in the Indian market, given the ultra-low price tags that they sport (5530 for Rs 13,990 and 5230 for Rs 10,000).

Given a choice between the two and budget permitting, I’d go for the 5530 because of the better touch response and cooler form factor. But that’s just me, and the 5530 makes sense because I’d use Wi-Fi and not 3G (which it doesn’t support) and I don’t use GPS.

But if a future-proof 3G compatibility is more important to you than Wi-Fi, and if GPS is a factor in your buying decision, then the 5230 is a great handset to have. And more than anything, this is a full-touch Nokia XpressMusic phone for just Rs 10,000! You better check the fine print to make sure you aren’t signing over your soul in this devil’s bargain.

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