Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
If we use the humble iPod as a benchmark for portable audio, it's safe to say that the media player on-board the Nokia 7230 isn't anywhere near that level.
Getting your music on the handset is a case of drag and drop (or transfer via Bluetooth). Note that a cable for connecting to your PC doesn't come as standard, which is slightly frustrating. Once music is on the phone comes another disappointment, the sound quality.
Playback via either the external speakers or the included headphones has a distinct echo and even at moderate volume, the audio starts to break up slightly.
On the plus side, if your MP3 or AAC files are tagged, Nokia's player does a neat job of subdividing your tunes, as well as allowing you to create your own playlists and making it easy to send (as a message), upload or transfer your tracks wirelessly.
In summary, the functionality is good, but the audio quality is distinctly average.
Video playback tends to suffer from the small screen. If you like the idea of squinting at a 2.2-inch screen for entertainment, it might be for you. It's also good for checking those mini movies you've just shot, but for us we would prefer our video on a larger screen, like the HTC Tattoo, as a minimum.
If transferring tunes sounds or squinting at video sounds like a chore, the Nokia 7230 also comes with an FM radio. We're not usually impressed with such things on a mobile, but this one is a bit of a gem.
Autotune comes at a touch of a button, reception is good, as is the sound quality in relation to your average home FM radio.
The only slight annoyance is the radio being a few clicks away from the media interface, really it should be operating in the same zone. Note also that the radio only works with the headset, so no blasting Chris Moyles all over the morning bus commute - although you can switch to speaker mode if you're that way inclined.
