Nokia X3 review

The Nokia X3 is decently equipped as a budget music mobile without having that 'must-have' X-factor.

The music player software is standard issue Nokia, so functional rather than flashy, but it puts an impressive audio show for a low-cost phone, with enough in-box to make it an attractive slim-line slider package.

Elsewhere, the X3 has a low-key set of features – there's no 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS or smartphone gadgetry, and it has a limited camera – but if music is the focus, the X3 does the job fine.

The mediocre call performance on our review sample was a concern, however.

What we liked

The music player puts in a punchy audio performance, with decent sound quality through the better-than-average in-ear bud earphones supplied.

The 3.5mm headphone socket offers easy upgrading too, while the 2GB MicroSD gives decent tune room out of the box at this price.

Being able to use the FM radio without having headphones attached is also welcome.

The X3's design is slim and quite attractive, and the Series 40 interface is typically straightforward-to-use Nokia stuff.

We liked the additional Opera browser to enhance its online performance. The email client is easy to set up too. We were also pleased with the phone's sturdy battery performance.

What we disliked

The call performance was surprisingly lacklustre. The lack of 3G connectivity limits data speeds when using online applications, although the Opera Mini app pre-loaded does offer a speedier alternative to the Nokia software.

The camera put in a mediocre performance – image quality is limited and video recording is distinctly low-grade. Without GPS technology inside, the Maps software is limited too.

Verdict

The Nokia X3 is a tidy budget music mobile that concentrates on the audio performance and music player features.

Slim on other higher-end features and lacking 3G, it doesn't demand centre stage, though some will nab it based on its tune playing highlights alone.