Qwerty phones were the hottest selling category in 2010. From entry-level dual SIM Qwerty phones by Micromax, Fly and Karbonn to the high-end Nokia E72, Sony Ericsson or Aspen, Qwerty phones sold like hot cakes. However, there was absence of any Qwerty phone that came in the mid-level price range and actually was worth the money in terms of both features and performance. Nokia?s latest Qwerty phone?C3 aims to change that and almost manages to do it as well.
The Nokia C3 handset is very impressive when it comes to looks. The overall construction of the phone is superb with no loose hinges or creaks and a sturdy build. Even though the phone has a plastic body, the matt finish and metallic colours give it a classy look. The metal back battery cover makes the phone weigh 114 g, but just makes the phone more comfortable to hold. The phone has a bright 2.4-inch landscape display with large and easy to use keys on the keypad.
The phone has a D-pad with two soft keys, call and end key as well as dedicated keys for contacts and messaging. The 4th row Qwerty keypad has large keys that provide superb tactile feedback and are very well backlit. What we hated was that Nokia has put in too much text on each key! There is the standard English alphabet and two additional Hindi alphabets printed on each key. Now, this might be helpful when typing in Hindi, but in general usage the keypad looks over cluttered and makes it difficult to type. We see no reason as to why Nokia did this as this single flaw brings down the phone?s usability as well as looks. On the left side, there is the microSD card slot as well as micro USB slot. On the top of the phone are the 3.5 mm jack and the charger slot. On the whole, the C3 is a very well designed phone and feels good to hold.
The phone runs on Series 40, which has been tweaked to look like the Series 60 user interface running on the Nokia E5. The active home screen has three rows, which displays contact, social network updates and shortcuts to various applications. However, series 40 still works in the same way it used to. It is simple and easy to use, but does not allow any multi-tasking.
The C3?s user interface is very responsive and navigation is quick. There are applications available for most basic uses in terms of social networking on the Ovi Store as well as games. However, in comparison to apps on other stores, there are very few Series 40 apps available. As the phone has Wi-Fi, installing apps and staying connected was not an issue. Even on standard data connection, the phone continuously provided updates on Facebook, Twitter and chat. We were slightly disappointed that the phone does not come preinstalled with an IM client.
The phone scored in terms of multimedia performance as well. The audio output from the phone was surprisingly clear and loud. The loudspeaker was good enough for a small room, whereas the in-ear call quality was also great. The camera on the device is a 2 MP fixed focus one that took average pictures in the day. The phone does video recording at QCIF resolution at 15 FPS, and the quality is simply poor. The FM radio was able to catch 8 stations out of 11 on the first search and this has always been a plus point for Nokia Series 40 phones.
The Nokia C3 comes with a 1320 mAh battery that lasted us for around a day and half with constant connectivity on Facebook and Twitter. The phone is selling for under Rs 6,000 at the moment and at this price point, it is an absolute steal in terms of features it offers.
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