One of the great truths about smartphones is that you should always match a phone to your actual needs. The Nokia 5230, despite falling short of expectations, is an intelligent device that offers a wealth of unique features. Whether these features match your needs is the real question.
Before covering the failings, let's cover the basic advantages of using this phone. The Nokia 5230 is the bargain-bin version of the flagship phone, the Nokia N97.
We say 'flagship' as a somewhat slippery term, because the N97 is by no means as powerful as, say, the Google Nexus One and is actually second-rate compared to the much faster Nokia N900.
Yet, the N97 is the touchscreen phone set to compete with the Apple iPhone and just about every Android, Palm and Windows Phone device.
As the entry-level version of the N97, the Nokia 5230 is about £118, or about half the cost of competing smartphones that run well over £200.
That's an attractive price point – one that provides all the functionality of a touchscreen device, apps galore, GPS, media playback, a 2MP camera with advanced options such as setting ISO level, and 4GB of storage (on an included microSD card).
No, the Nokia 5230 is not an iPhone or HTC Desire competitor, but does have some powerful features.
What you don't get is Wi-Fi, and that is one of the major problems with this device. Wi-Fi is useful because it means you can continue using the device inside when your carrier service goes AWOL or when you want to download huge files.
The Nokia 5230 also lacks a full hardware keyboard, runs a bit slow at times, has a confusing turn-by-turn voice nav for GPS routing (although the phone supports many languages), low camera quality at just 2 megapixels, and a few minor glitches.
In the box Nokia has included the typical charger, manual, and a pair of earbuds with a 3.5mm connector that you will likely discard for a much more adequate set. Our test unit included a 4GB card already inserted into a side compartment, which is included with every Nokia 5230.
Your comments (8) Click to add a new comment
jth
January 5th 2011
8. does anyone know if the Nokia 5230 can act as a modem to connect to laptop by bluetooth?
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suzyfido
December 16th 2010
7. I got my first nokia handset and was happy with what i got.. a month later the phone started having problems.. the camera switched itself on after every phone call incoming.. then the text messaging vibrator started going off constantly and i had to restart the phone.. then the phone would randomly crash. i took it back to Phones4you where they exchanged for a brand new handset.. this one had been fine for longer than the other one but this one started to go wrong. first the music player decided to show me pretty colours and the handset crashed and restarted itself.. now the screen has gone funny.. im a fan of nokia handsets and i am very disappointed with this particular phone. i will be taking this back to the phone shop at the weekend to see what they will do for me.. if they dont then ill be taking my business with someone else.
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kbell
November 18th 2010
6. I bought this phone back in July at Costco under my tmobile account. I was sold on the overall "deal" I was getting, renew my account for 2 years and only pay $50.00 dollars for the phone, memory card, car and wall charger and navigation stand for the car. And I was told by the Tmobile/costco repp that I have a 1 year warranty, so if anything goes wrong with the phone I can exchange it for a NEW phone. So 4 months later, my phone has been freezing up and/or not working at all. There has been no water damage or drops to the phone. So I have to take the battery out to get it to work again about 3 times a day. So I call Tmobile and they tell me I can exchange it, but there is no guarantee that is will be a new phone, it might be refurbished. So my complaint is that I was mislead by the tmobile/costco rep saying it would be a new phone. And tmobile and my attorney say they can get a way with it because of course I never got it in writing. So how many of you were told the same thing? Sound like a class action law suit to me. So now I am going to have to keep my fingers crossed that my so-called "new/refurbished" phone will work better than the brand new one I just got 4 months ago.
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marcusascaron
June 29th 2010
5. This is a rather poor review indeed. The WiFi bashing coupled with criticism of the processor, which I haven't come across in any other reviews make this phone look like a nuisance instead of a helpful device at a bargain price.
I'm looking to buy one and the last review I read was almost completely opposite, almost placing the 5230 above Nokia's more expensive (albeit older) XpressMusic line.
Writing that the greatest con of an entry level smartphone is lack of WiFi is like writing that the greatest fault of a Dacia Sandero is the lack of a V12 supercharged cigarette lighter. If I have WiFi I will also have my laptop with me...
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pasturelands
May 17th 2010
4. I bought this nokia 5230, and had it for 2 months, and its ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! The price is just right, and the feature set is ABSOLUTE value for money!!
You can buy 4 5230s for the price of 1 iphone, YET you still get a Big 3.2" touchscreen, Symbian s60 v5, accelerometer, tons of apps, 3G, camera, accelerometer, RDS radio, QWERTY pad, bluetooth, kinetic scrolling, AND FREE GPS (with voice navigation) for LIFE!!!
Really I don't mind "LOSING" the Wifi (3G is enuf), and I will GLADLY trade the "physical" keypad for MORE SCREEN SPACE (very handy for web surfing, reading e-books, and watching mobile TV / videos). In the UAE, 3G is not expensive, and wi-fi hotspots are still rare.
As for HTCs and Iphones, well, I really don't need a phone that I have to MORTGAGE coz its just a tad less expensive than MY CAR!! You think buying hi-tech phones are a pain in your bank account?? Think again -- REPAIRS. Most repair centers don't take in "smartphones" like Iphones or HTCs. But they still repair nokias, coz Nokia "shares" their specs sheets, so that 3rd parties can customize (and repair) their phones.
The reason? the HARDWARE of HTC, BB, and Iphone are disposable-- if they burn out or malfunction, you have to replace them with NEW ones from the Manufacturer. And since only the Manufacturer makes them, they will cost you hundreds of dollars.
Iphone, RIM, and HTC have an iron grip on their patents, meaning ONLY THEY can repair, replace, or re-configure ALL their phones. Lucky for THEM, LOSER for YOU.
And the WORST PART is that it will take WEEKS (IF NOT MONTHS) before you get back the Iphone you sent for repairs to TIMBUKTU Iphone Center. By that time, all the emails, notes, meetings, calls registered on your device would have been PASSE, and all your Facebook friends have written you off as "incognito."
So if your UBER-EXPENSIVE Iphone or BB or HTC, breaks down.. You are better off mourning your old phone, and buying a new one. Better for your SANITY, and your SOCIAL LIFE.
What I need is a reliable device like the Nokia 5230, which can perform ALL TASKS I need done, and for just a good, affordable little price. Simple, isn't it? And should my beloved 5230 conks out for good, I can always go out and buy a new one, WITHOUT getting a MORTGAGE.
Life is meant to be ENJOYED. Make it Simple, like a Nokia 5230. Just NO PHONE IN THE WORLD LIKE IT.
Now, all I am waiting for is for Nokia to come up with a 5230 WITH CAMERA FLASH, AND 4 Mp camera!!!
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streetpuppy
April 22nd 2010
3. Correction: The reviewer did not state it would be average four years ago, but still clearly misses the point that it is an amazing value touchscreen smartphone at the price point.
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streetpuppy
April 21st 2010
2. Is this reviewer for real? The Nokia 5230 is NOT a version of the N97 it is a cut down version of the 5800 for a start (as is the 5530, no 3G but with WIFI). Comparing it to the N97 is ridiculous.
The camera is just plain ****, but there isn't a touch screen phone with the same features that can touch it at the price point, which is now around £70 if you look around. If a camera isn't your priority then this phone is exceptional value.
The majority (if not all) of touch screen phones the 5230 is in direct competition with are NOT 3G, which is also not mentioned. The browsing speed is more than adequate with a decent 3G signal, albeit at the lower 3.5 standard. Opera & Skyfire greatly enhance the phones browsing capabilities at no extra cost and are available from the ovi store.
The lack of WIFI is superseded by the price point, not to mention the other features offered, as this is a budget smart phone, so to continuously beat the phone with the WIFI stick does not paint a true picture of the market segment it is aimed at. Most users with WIFI enabled phones have never used it, but WILL benefit from a decent 3G connection.
Free turn by turn voice navigation is excellent and has been used by me on a number of occasions while I was in possession of one of these devices, and the inclusion of lonely planet & weather reports is a nice touch.
The ability to download maps directly to a microSD card is brilliant as you don't need to rely on a fast internet connection to make use of the navigational aspects.
Nokia have also included a PUSH EMAIL client (which they may charge for at some point) which gathers your messages from various email accounts and gives you instant notifications of new mail from each one, this also has not been touched in this review. It is not the default client, but it is there and works extremley well, replacing the default one on the home screen.
The OVI store needs addressing by Nokia as it still has much to be desired, but appears to growing slowly. Nokia really need to get a grip of this aspect.
For many people the 5230 will be their first dabble into the smart phone arena, and in that respect I challenge this reviewer to show me a better value handset that would warrant it being only "average" if released four years ago. Being blinded by the undoubtedly fabulous HTC Desire & the like is no excuse for such a statement.
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dyonas
April 17th 2010
1. A couple of things that bother me about reviews like this have been put in once more.
Referring to SD cards, please use the term "storage" because when you say memory I assume you mean RAM. It's a term that has been used for a very long time but now memory is used to describe storage. As a technology site I hoped TechRadar would go against this trend. I'm aware that it's flash memory but it isn't the same and is classed as storage.
Why is a lack of a physical keyboard a negative point? A good on-screen keyboard is a far better option than a physical keyboard. Ignoring that point there are only a few touchscreen mobiles with a physical keyboard that I can think of. The G1, Droid / Milestone and the Pre. Instead of putting lack of a physical keyboard as a negative point why not use the real reason this is a complaint? A poorly implemented touchscreen keyboard.
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