Nokia 6230 Review

Nemesis · 16-01-2005, 04:34 PM

Nokia 6230 Review

<--Available Colors

The Nokia 6230 is another of Nokia's long line of candy-bar style cell phones. The looks seem to be a cross between the 3100/3120 and the 6610. But this cross has resulted in a phone that is both, sleek and classy. Looks apart, this is a feature-filled offering from Nokia.

Design:

<--Keypad Layout

As mentioned earlier, the 6230 has a candy-bar design that is typical of Nokia phones. When Nokia are not experimenting with new designs, they stick by their candy-bar design. The phone is not very big and those who have used the 6610 or 6100 will find that this phone is similarly shaped. The keypad layout is really good. The keys feel great when used and the keypad merges with the design of the phone. Handling the menu is via a 5-way direction pad. Some people might be put off by the direction pad as it is quite easy to press one of the directions instead of the Select option. The left function key is used for a shortcut menu which can be configured to have options such as IR, Bluetooth, writing text messages, etc. I found this very handy and is similar to the function on SE phones like the T630. The right key is used to access phonebook options. The screen is a 65k active matrix TFT display and has a resolution of 128x128. The display looks a little small compared to the 176x208 displays on Nokia's Symbian phones, but looks gorgeous. The battery cover is a little hard to remove and the camera lens is protected because of the small plastic cover. It is available in Tin Grey although you could find the black color model in the grey market. You can get Xpress-On covers to change the look of your phone.

Performance:

Nokia has stayed away from Symbian for this phone and has instead gone for the Series 40 UI. This is version 2 of the same UI that powered numerous Nokia phones including 6610, 6100, 6800, etc. The lack of Symbian and the small display are the phone's only handicaps. Otherwise, it has everything you could ask for. Lets look at each aspect separately:

1. Display Capabilities: Great display and you can set wallpapers and screensavers of your choice. The light dims automatically although this setting can be changed. This time, Nokia offers users a choice in the way the Menu is displayed: List (other Series 40 phones) or Grid (a.k.a. SE). This is a good option as the Grid display makes it easier to access menu options. But since the display shows the operator logo and indicators over the wallpaper, users are forced to use light colored wallpapers else nothing will be visible on the display. Nokia should consider something like SE where the logo and menu options are highlighted with a different color so as to make sure they visible.

<--Display when Dark Wallpaper is used

<--Grid Menu

2. Sound Capabilities: This phone is capable of producing 24 channels of polyphonic sound through its very loud speaker. You should never have any trouble with the loudspeaker-it's loud and clear. Now this phone is great news for people who want music on their cell phones: It gives users FM radio and an MP3/AAC player (My reason for choosing this phone over the similarly priced 6600). FM output is obtained only when the headset is connected. You can also listen to FM via the loudspeaker but then you won't get stereo sound. The music player is pretty good although output is only mono. The phone comes with a complimentary song, "Strange Transmissions" on its memory card. You also get a graphic equalizer on this phone. Options such as Random and Repeat Play are also available. You can also set songs as ring tones. Call quality is great and the signal strength on par with other Nokias.

3. Connectivity: A plethora of options are available on this phone. You have EDGE for Internet speeds upto 236.8kbps and it supports WAP 2.0 and comes with an xHTML browser. Bluetooth and IR are also available. Bluetooth works flawlessly-I tried it out with my T630 and had no trouble connecting and sending data. The IR, though, gave me trouble. I was unable to connect my phone to my laptop using IR in spite of repeated attempts. In contrast, the T630 never gave any trouble. However, it might be some oversight on my part; I will give it another shot.

UPDATE:
I finally managed to get it working!! I tried it with Oxygen Phone Manager II and it gave me the same problem. So I checked the help file of Oxygen, and it said that I should set the speed of the IR port to 115.2kbps instead of the 4Mbps I had initially set it to. That solved the problem!! Currently, downloading songs!!

4. Camera and Video playback: The camera on this phone has a max supported resolution of 640x480. Low compared to the megapixel wonders but the camera quality very good. The pictures a little fuzzy but I thought the quality was more than just acceptable. All the basic options such as Potrait mode, Night mode, etc. are available. The phone also records and plays back video. It is here that the small screen is advantageous: The videos look great!! The phone also supports streaming audio and video.

<--Camera

5. Others: The phone comes with 8MB internal memory and a 32MB MultiMedia Card. The MMC slot is not hot swappable. You have to remove the battery before changing cards. PC Suite is bundled with the phone as are some enhancements such as wallpapers and screensavers on the CD. Two games are pre-installed: Beach Rally II and Nokia Golf.

<--MMC/SIM with back cover removed

The phone comes with a 850mAH Lithium Ion battery which is adequate for this phone. So far, it's been two days since I got the phone and the battery is still running well. And I have been playing around with the phone a lot. My usage includes some calls, some WAP, radio, music, trannsfering wallpapers using bluetooth, contacts using IR, capturing photos and videos as well. And throw in some games and you see that the battery holds up pretty well. But under very heavy usage, it will die out in a day. On the other hand, under lighter usage, it can go upto 4 days.

Conclusion:

All in all, I think that this phone is a great buy if you don't mind the absence of Symbian. This phone will appeal as much to teenagers as it will to business executives who like sleek phones.

Price: Rs. 15,500/- (Mumbai; don't flame me if you get it for less or for more)

Pros:
+ Plethora of features
+ Good battery
+ MP3/AAC player and radio
+ MMC slot

Cons:
- No Symbian
- Small display; problem with dark wallpapers

The sales package contains:
Handset
Battery
CD
Headset
ACP 12E charger
Manual, Quick Guide
32MB MMC

NOTE: All photographs courtesy www.gsmarena.com and Nokia

Specifications:

http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,47676,00.html

techno_funky · 16-01-2005, 05:36 PM

wow looks like we have a reviews battle going on

anyways wonderful job man
keep up the good work
nice review

Nemesis · 16-01-2005, 05:40 PM

lol...no war techno....just tryin 2 get reviews accross 2 help others in their buying decisions...mebbe digit should start a new review section in this forum where we can post reviews of any hardware/software product we bought recently......what say mods??

theraven · 16-01-2005, 06:01 PM

DARN IT
23 minutes late to be the first one to reply

i went to sleep

anyways cool review dude ... improvements made over rough draft
thumbsup

drgrudge · 16-01-2005, 08:15 PM

I went to library and mine was not the first post.

It was a good review and i dint do like pros and cons of the phone as u did..

Well done, nemi dude. 8)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemesis

mebbe digit should start a new review section in this forum where we can post reviews of any hardware/software product we bought recently......what say mods??

I already posted this suggestion, as feedback.

AT least there should be a sticky thread for all these reviews, as of now...
I asked batty about this, and atleast we should have a sticky where we can post reviews and tutorials.

maverickrohan · 17-01-2005, 03:16 AM

Yeah, Nice Review!

But as i had said in grugde's thread, i feel v should do comparitive reviews on products that lie in the same category.

And about the suggestion for a Seperate Category For Product reviews in the Forum Index, I VOTE in favour of it.

Reviews is one of the reasons DIGIT has become popular................MODs.............u hearing us

Nemesis · 17-01-2005, 01:09 PM

comparative reviews would b a good idea but the problem is...it is difficult 4 us 2 get hold of more than 1 cell phone at a time...what we could do is follow a fixed set of parameters when reviewing products so that ppl can read 2 reviews and compare them easily...

maverickrohan · 17-01-2005, 11:42 PM

How about asking, DIGIT to invite us to do an Agent 002 for reviewing stuff.............

That way vd have all the stuff, n get to fiddle around with it too......

devilhead_satish · 11-05-2005, 10:41 AM

Cool review Nemesis. And yes Digit should consider inviting some of the Forum members to the Test Centre every month. How? Thats Raaabo's headache.

rohanbee · 11-05-2005, 04:01 PM

yes and digit should give all the reviewers some phones to use for ..................lets say a month.

whos up for such a difficult and grinding job........me

Anyways good review nemesis !! keep it up.

bendre123 · 04-07-2005, 10:37 AM

good review nemisis.
and thanks for seperate section for mobile.
i really appreciate it.
it will help us to buy right mobile.
keep it up digit.

Keith Sebastian · 04-07-2005, 11:53 AM

Why 6230? Why not 6230i? I guess this one has stereo sound too (and a larger screen + cam with twice the res)

BTW Why didn't you post this review with the others in the "Mobile Monsters" section? Is this a Moderator privelege?? :roll:

-k

Sourabh · 04-07-2005, 12:01 PM

Its 6230 and not 6230i because it was posted 6 months ago. Also this is just a review of 6230 and not a recommendation in anyway. As for 6230i wait a while so that someone may come up with a review of its own.

Moving the topic to Mobile Monsters for further discussions ..

raval_manoj · 04-09-2005, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemesis

Nokia 6230 Review

The Nokia 6230 is another of Nokia's long line of candy-bar style cell phones. The looks seem to be a cross between the 3100/3120 and the 6610. But this cross has resulted in a phone that is both, sleek and classy. Looks apart, this is a feature-filled offering from Nokia.

Conclusion:

All in all, I think that this phone is a great buy if you don't mind the absence of Symbian. This phone will appeal as much to teenagers as it will to business executives who like sleek phones.

Price: Rs. 15,500/- (Mumbai; don't flame me if you get it for less or for more)

Pros:
+ Plethora of features
+ Good battery
+ MP3/AAC player and radio
+ MMC slot

Cons:
- No Symbian
- Small display; problem with dark wallpapers

The sales package contains:
Handset
Battery
CD
Headset
ACP 12E charger
Manual, Quick Guide
32MB MMC

NOTE: All photographs courtesy www.gsmarena.com and Nokia

Specifications:

http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,47676,00.html

Review is really superb.

Now I need your help. I'm going to buy a new mobile without camera. Nokia 6021 & 6030 models are in my mind. By going through specification I like 6021 over 6030, because of bluetooth - infrared - usb support etc.

Is there any detailed review of 6021 or of these both models? Such type of review will really help me to make good decision.

Thanks in advance...

Nemesis · 04-09-2005, 10:27 PM

6030 review:

http://gsmarena.com/nokia_6030-review-43.php

6021 review:

http://www.mobile-review.com/review/nokia-6021-en.shtml

Google to find more reviews. Try getting actual user opinions from people who have used either phone.

expertno.1 · 05-09-2005, 05:36 PM

Good Work Nemi

i was not having any symbian os phone
and after reading your review i have decided to grab this nokia 6230

@rs. 15000 this phone is superb in performance

Nemesis · 05-09-2005, 09:13 PM

Mate, I would recommend the 6230i as it is an upgrade over the 6230.

And yes, neither phone has Symbian

Vishal Gupta · 05-09-2005, 11:24 PM

Yah!
It'll be benefitial if u go for 6230i instead of 6230.
6230i has gr8 features than 6230.
It also has 1 hour video recording.
And I also heard that Nokia has stopped launching 6230 and there is no s/w update r available...

expertno.1 · 06-09-2005, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Mate, I would recommend the 6230i as it is an upgrade over the 6230.

well thanks Nemesis for your kind reply

i will grab the 6230i

is it also 15k na ?

Quote:

And I also heard that Nokia has stopped launching 6230 and there is no s/w update r available

well here it is but after getting your reply i decided to go for 6230i

so whats its cost ? same 15k ?

Nemesis · 06-09-2005, 07:05 PM

I think the price has dropped below 15k. Probably around 14k.

jay4u · 01-12-2005, 11:19 AM

Thanks for the review... was nice...i think i gonna buy this one...

lighthouse911 · 02-12-2005, 02:03 PM

6230 was good a year back when it was released...

but 6230i is pure junk and has loads of software problems.... much better to go fr 6630 at this price,,,,

View Poll Results: Was this review helpful/good?
Yes	11	78.57%
No	3	21.43%
Voters: 14. You may not vote on this poll

16-01-2005, 04:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
Nemesis Wise Old Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,634	Nokia 6230 Review Nokia 6230 Review <--Available Colors The Nokia 6230 is another of Nokia's long line of candy-bar style cell phones. The looks seem to be a cross between the 3100/3120 and the 6610. But this cross has resulted in a phone that is both, sleek and classy. Looks apart, this is a feature-filled offering from Nokia. Design: <--Keypad Layout As mentioned earlier, the 6230 has a candy-bar design that is typical of Nokia phones. When Nokia are not experimenting with new designs, they stick by their candy-bar design. The phone is not very big and those who have used the 6610 or 6100 will find that this phone is similarly shaped. The keypad layout is really good. The keys feel great when used and the keypad merges with the design of the phone. Handling the menu is via a 5-way direction pad. Some people might be put off by the direction pad as it is quite easy to press one of the directions instead of the Select option. The left function key is used for a shortcut menu which can be configured to have options such as IR, Bluetooth, writing text messages, etc. I found this very handy and is similar to the function on SE phones like the T630. The right key is used to access phonebook options. The screen is a 65k active matrix TFT display and has a resolution of 128x128. The display looks a little small compared to the 176x208 displays on Nokia's Symbian phones, but looks gorgeous. The battery cover is a little hard to remove and the camera lens is protected because of the small plastic cover. It is available in Tin Grey although you could find the black color model in the grey market. You can get Xpress-On covers to change the look of your phone. Performance: Nokia has stayed away from Symbian for this phone and has instead gone for the Series 40 UI. This is version 2 of the same UI that powered numerous Nokia phones including 6610, 6100, 6800, etc. The lack of Symbian and the small display are the phone's only handicaps. Otherwise, it has everything you could ask for. Lets look at each aspect separately: 1. Display Capabilities: Great display and you can set wallpapers and screensavers of your choice. The light dims automatically although this setting can be changed. This time, Nokia offers users a choice in the way the Menu is displayed: List (other Series 40 phones) or Grid (a.k.a. SE). This is a good option as the Grid display makes it easier to access menu options. But since the display shows the operator logo and indicators over the wallpaper, users are forced to use light colored wallpapers else nothing will be visible on the display. Nokia should consider something like SE where the logo and menu options are highlighted with a different color so as to make sure they visible. <--Display when Dark Wallpaper is used <--Grid Menu 2. Sound Capabilities: This phone is capable of producing 24 channels of polyphonic sound through its very loud speaker. You should never have any trouble with the loudspeaker-it's loud and clear. Now this phone is great news for people who want music on their cell phones: It gives users FM radio and an MP3/AAC player (My reason for choosing this phone over the similarly priced 6600). FM output is obtained only when the headset is connected. You can also listen to FM via the loudspeaker but then you won't get stereo sound. The music player is pretty good although output is only mono. The phone comes with a complimentary song, "Strange Transmissions" on its memory card. You also get a graphic equalizer on this phone. Options such as Random and Repeat Play are also available. You can also set songs as ring tones. Call quality is great and the signal strength on par with other Nokias. 3. Connectivity: A plethora of options are available on this phone. You have EDGE for Internet speeds upto 236.8kbps and it supports WAP 2.0 and comes with an xHTML browser. Bluetooth and IR are also available. Bluetooth works flawlessly-I tried it out with my T630 and had no trouble connecting and sending data. The IR, though, gave me trouble. I was unable to connect my phone to my laptop using IR in spite of repeated attempts. In contrast, the T630 never gave any trouble. However, it might be some oversight on my part; I will give it another shot. UPDATE: I finally managed to get it working!! I tried it with Oxygen Phone Manager II and it gave me the same problem. So I checked the help file of Oxygen, and it said that I should set the speed of the IR port to 115.2kbps instead of the 4Mbps I had initially set it to. That solved the problem!! Currently, downloading songs!! 4. Camera and Video playback: The camera on this phone has a max supported resolution of 640x480. Low compared to the megapixel wonders but the camera quality very good. The pictures a little fuzzy but I thought the quality was more than just acceptable. All the basic options such as Potrait mode, Night mode, etc. are available. The phone also records and plays back video. It is here that the small screen is advantageous: The videos look great!! The phone also supports streaming audio and video. <--Camera 5. Others: The phone comes with 8MB internal memory and a 32MB MultiMedia Card. The MMC slot is not hot swappable. You have to remove the battery before changing cards. PC Suite is bundled with the phone as are some enhancements such as wallpapers and screensavers on the CD. Two games are pre-installed: Beach Rally II and Nokia Golf. <--MMC/SIM with back cover removed The phone comes with a 850mAH Lithium Ion battery which is adequate for this phone. So far, it's been two days since I got the phone and the battery is still running well. And I have been playing around with the phone a lot. My usage includes some calls, some WAP, radio, music, trannsfering wallpapers using bluetooth, contacts using IR, capturing photos and videos as well. And throw in some games and you see that the battery holds up pretty well. But under very heavy usage, it will die out in a day. On the other hand, under lighter usage, it can go upto 4 days. Conclusion: All in all, I think that this phone is a great buy if you don't mind the absence of Symbian. This phone will appeal as much to teenagers as it will to business executives who like sleek phones. Price: Rs. 15,500/- (Mumbai; don't flame me if you get it for less or for more) Pros: + Plethora of features + Good battery + MP3/AAC player and radio + MMC slot Cons: - No Symbian - Small display; problem with dark wallpapers The sales package contains: Handset Battery CD Headset ACP 12E charger Manual, Quick Guide 32MB MMC NOTE: All photographs courtesy www.gsmarena.com and Nokia Specifications: http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,47676,00.html

16-01-2005, 05:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
techno_funky da' Ťurntable ruleth Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Mumbai Posts: 847	wow looks like we have a reviews battle going on anyways wonderful job man keep up the good work nice review __________________ \| Dell Studio 15 \| iPod Touch 16GB (Stolen) \| iPod Video 5.5G 30GB \| Sony Ericsson W910i \| \| Sennheiser PX 100 \| Sennheiser HD 202 \|Creative EP630 \| Altec Lansing ATP 3 \|

16-01-2005, 06:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
theraven Human Spambot Join Date: May 2004 Location: off to "never ever" land Posts: 2,912	DARN IT 23 minutes late to be the first one to reply i went to sleep anyways cool review dude ... improvements made over rough draft thumbsup __________________ No Mercy, No Limits. Oobertech.net - Keeping Knowledge Free

17-01-2005, 03:16 AM	#6 (permalink)
maverickrohan SABER RIDER Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA Posts: 343	Yeah, Nice Review! But as i had said in grugde's thread, i feel v should do comparitive reviews on products that lie in the same category. And about the suggestion for a Seperate Category For Product reviews in the Forum Index, I VOTE in favour of it. Reviews is one of the reasons DIGIT has become popular................MODs.............u hearing us __________________ Find out Which is The Best Video Codec?....And how to encode video the right way..!!----->>>>> http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3908

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16-01-2005, 05:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nemesis Wise Old Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,634	lol...no war techno....just tryin 2 get reviews accross 2 help others in their buying decisions...mebbe digit should start a new review section in this forum where we can post reviews of any hardware/software product we bought recently......what say mods??

17-01-2005, 01:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
Nemesis Wise Old Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,634	comparative reviews would b a good idea but the problem is...it is difficult 4 us 2 get hold of more than 1 cell phone at a time...what we could do is follow a fixed set of parameters when reviewing products so that ppl can read 2 reviews and compare them easily...

17-01-2005, 11:42 PM	#8 (permalink)
maverickrohan SABER RIDER Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA Posts: 343	How about asking, DIGIT to invite us to do an Agent 002 for reviewing stuff............. That way vd have all the stuff, n get to fiddle around with it too...... __________________ Find out Which is The Best Video Codec?....And how to encode video the right way..!!----->>>>> http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3908

11-05-2005, 10:41 AM	#9 (permalink)
devilhead_satish In The Zone Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Satishsays.com Posts: 349	Cool review Nemesis. And yes Digit should consider inviting some of the Forum members to the Test Centre every month. How? Thats Raaabo's headache. __________________ SatishSays.com twitter.com/satishsays

11-05-2005, 04:01 PM	#10 (permalink)
rohanbee Alpha Geek Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Lost in the woods !!! Posts: 891	yes and digit should give all the reviewers some phones to use for ..................lets say a month. whos up for such a difficult and grinding job........me Anyways good review nemesis !! keep it up. __________________ Quote by Garfield' "I hate mornings they start too early in the day"

04-07-2005, 10:37 AM	#11 (permalink)
bendre123 Apprentice Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 92	good review nemisis. and thanks for seperate section for mobile. i really appreciate it. it will help us to buy right mobile. keep it up digit. __________________ \"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.\" - Goethe

04-07-2005, 11:53 AM	#12 (permalink)
Keith Sebastian Alpha Geek Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Doha, Qatar Posts: 942	Why 6230? Why not 6230i? I guess this one has stereo sound too (and a larger screen + cam with twice the res) BTW Why didn't you post this review with the others in the "Mobile Monsters" section? Is this a Moderator privelege?? :roll: -k __________________ [ THIS SPACE HAS BEEN RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE IN CASE I WANT TO BOAST ABOUT MY PC'S, HOUSE, CAR, GIRLFRIENDS OR OTHER STUFF THAT I KNOW YOU DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT ]

04-07-2005, 12:01 PM	#13 (permalink)
Sourabh Laptoping Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,207	Its 6230 and not 6230i because it was posted 6 months ago. Also this is just a review of 6230 and not a recommendation in anyway. As for 6230i wait a while so that someone may come up with a review of its own. Moving the topic to Mobile Monsters for further discussions .. __________________ You could think I'm wrong, but that's no reason to stop thinking.

04-09-2005, 10:27 PM	#15 (permalink)
Nemesis Wise Old Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,634	6030 review: http://gsmarena.com/nokia_6030-review-43.php 6021 review: http://www.mobile-review.com/review/nokia-6021-en.shtml Google to find more reviews. Try getting actual user opinions from people who have used either phone.

05-09-2005, 05:36 PM	#16 (permalink)
expertno.1 Human Spambot Join Date: May 2005 Location: Expert Planet Posts: 2,480	Good Work Nemi i was not having any symbian os phone and after reading your review i have decided to grab this nokia 6230 @rs. 15000 this phone is superb in performance __________________ Off From Digit Forum for some months.....busy

05-09-2005, 09:13 PM	#17 (permalink)
Nemesis Wise Old Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,634	Mate, I would recommend the 6230i as it is an upgrade over the 6230. And yes, neither phone has Symbian

05-09-2005, 11:24 PM	#18 (permalink)
Vishal Gupta Microsoft MVP Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: AskVG.com Posts: 5,173	Yah! It'll be benefitial if u go for 6230i instead of 6230. 6230i has gr8 features than 6230. It also has 1 hour video recording. And I also heard that Nokia has stopped launching 6230 and there is no s/w update r available... __________________ http://www.AskVG.com/

06-09-2005, 07:05 PM	#20 (permalink)
Nemesis Wise Old Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,634	I think the price has dropped below 15k. Probably around 14k.

01-12-2005, 11:19 AM	#21 (permalink)
jay4u In The Zone Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 319	Thanks for the review... was nice...i think i gonna buy this one... __________________ Passwords are like underwear... Change them often...

02-12-2005, 02:03 PM	#22 (permalink)
lighthouse911 Apprentice Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: INDIA Posts: 68	6230 was good a year back when it was released... but 6230i is pure junk and has loads of software problems.... much better to go fr 6630 at this price,,,, __________________ Aka911 at Techenclave.

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