When Nokia launched its Nokia 5800 XpressMusic handset it unleashed what could be described as its most potent music smartphone ever. Here we take a look at its younger offspring – the Nokia 5230. It’s a bargain smartphone with a lot of features including the ability to run lots of useful apps without fuss on its large 3.2-inch screen. Read on to see what we made of it…

Grasping the phone in our hands, the first thing we spotted is it that the Nokia 5230 takes its design cue heavily from the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. At a glance you could easily mistake the two. But the Nokia 5230 is considerably cheaper than the 5800, and it shows slightly in its build quality. It’s not quite as durable in the hand and doesn’t feel quite as robust as the 5800.

Its screen measures 3.2-inches, with a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels and is perfectly capable in both light and dark conditions. The Nokia 5230 uses a resistive touchscreen, rather than a capacitive one, meaning you’ll have to press down slightly to activate its functions. It also means you’ll be able to use a stylus with it should you choose. Unlike the 5800 it doesn’t come packaged with one, but it does have a plectrum you can use instead.

For added features, the Nokia 5230 packs a 2-megapixel camera. It’s not as sharp as other more advanced camera phones on the market, but for casual phone snappers it copes very well. With 70MB if internal memory you might be better of purchasing a microSD card to expand its memory up to 16GB should you wish.

It doesn’t have Wi-Fi- but other features include Bluetooth and HSDPA for faster mobile downloads, A-GPS for sat-nav style navigation and access to the wealth of useful and fun applications and games from Nokia’s Ovi Store.

Verdict

The Nokia 5230 might be a slightly watered down version of the Nokia 5800, but not by much. It’s a fully capable entry-level smartphone that’s easily upgradeable to get even more out of it. Add the ability to add to its talents by downloading applications and it has plenty to offer.

Best features
Large 3.2-inch touchscreen
Ability to download apps

Not so good
Only has 70MB internal memory
Could be more robust

Closest rivals
LG GD510 Pop
Just like the Nokia 5230 the LG GD510 Pop is an entry level touchscreen phone, but with social-networking at its heart thanks to homescreen shortcuts.

Samsung Tocco Lite
A budget touchscreen offering from Samsung. The Tocco Lite has a 3-inch display with widgets for instant access to your favourite, or most used features. It also has a 3-megapixel camera, and will let you edit photos from the handset itself.

LG Arena KM900
The LG Arena has a 3-inch touchscreen and a powerful 5-megapixel camera capable of producing high-resolution mobile snaps.