Nokia 5233 Mobile Phone

Mobile manufacturers are making handsets cheaper and still managing to keep the features quite relevant. They easily meet the demands of today’s youth looking for quick connectivity and transferable media for on the go entertainment. They even manage to throw in a few extras. In this particular case, I’m not referring to the ultra budget Java mobiles, but bigger brands like Nokia, specifically this, their much awaited 5233.�

Before I proceed with the review there’s something that needs to be clarified as there seems to be quite a bit of confusion regarding the features of this handset and that of the 5230 that’s been advertised. What seems like a bit of a faux pas on Nokia’s part is that the 5230 has been advertised all over but doesn’t seem to be available in the market and this, the lower-end version, the 5233 is available. The difference between the two models is that the 5230 is the 3G version and is equipped with integrated GPS according to Nokia’s website. However, the same website doesn’t mention that this, the 5233 has A-GPS. Me thinks Nokia themselves are a bit confused.

Form Factor

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It’s just as good looking as the 5800, which is of course a matter of opinion. I’ve got an innumerable amount of mixed responses to the question – is it a good looking handset? What no one can argue with is that it’s very well designed.�

Features and Performance
Interface
The 5233 is also equipped with an ARM 11 434 MHz processor used to run its S60 Symbian OS (v9.4, rel. 5). It’s smooth but the double tap process to access certain features can be a bit of a pain. That still hasn’t changed. You can get used to it though. The layout is very finger friendly though and the large display is crystal clear and easy to navigate. The only issue is that it gets a bit sluggish if you’re trying to run more than 3 apps at a time. That’s still pretty good as multitasking goes for a handset that’s priced less than Rs. 10,000. The touch sensitive Media bar option just above the display makes it really easy to access all multimedia features. The Home Screen’s Contact bar is also another handy addition to the UI.

All the sensors, including the accelerometer and gesture turning control for silencing the handset work just fine. The accelerometer though, is still a bit oversensitive. The virtual keypads are easy to use and there’s also the handwriting recognition option available for those who prefer that.�

Media
Thankfully the handset’s media functionality hasn’t taken a hit except for the fact that the 5233 doesn’t support TV out though it does have a Line Out option for audio only. The music player with Stereo Widening, EQ presets and of course the customizable option is great. From the quality of delivered audio the decibel level is all good. This time you’ll even get a couple of freebie vouchers for the Nokia Music Store. The FM radio has pretty decent reception in most places. Nokia’s Podcast feature as well as the voice recorder are both present.

MPEG4 and 3GP video files play without a hitch and you can also adjust the aspect ratio for videos, if you don’t mid a bit of stretching here and there. I still wish Nokia would include a few more video codecs, however it does play FLV files quite well. The video center service available allows you to access video feeds from different sites.