The Nokia C5-03 can be called a smartphone which satisfies your budget too. Why? This device comes with a 600MHz processor which runs the outdated Symbian OS faster than any of the competitors. This is the fastest processor for any Nokia S60 device. At a minimum price range this phone will give you the functions and features of any pricey smartphone running the leading mobile OS’s in the market, like iOS or Android.
As the name suggests, the phone should have looked like the C5 which is a Symbian candy bar phone with simple look and full of features but it rather followed the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music which is one of the most successful devices ever produced by Nokia. It’s sticking with the older version of Symbian, a not a very impressive side of the phone though and its look and feel has been similar to the latest version of Symbian, Symbian^3. But there are some more shortcomings which you will have to face as you are getting it at the price of a feature phone of any other brand.
The first problem that comes to mind after looking at the features is the lack of a video call camera. In spite of having 2Mbps HSUPA and 10.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity the lack of a video call camera is really too much visible. The rest of the list of problems will convince anyone to take this phone as a feature phone rather than a smartphone. Specially in comparison to today’s phones it does not have any sensors like ambient light sensor or any necessary camera options like flash or autofocus. The viewing angle is very poor and the display fades in the daylight. And last but not the least is the problem with Symbian OS, specially the S60 which is now a mess in comparison to any other mobile OS’s competing in the world market.
For its price it has a good number of features like a fixed focus 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi with UPnP support, accelerometer, GPS with A-GPS support offering lifetime free navigation which is voice guided and free guides and information about cities and traffic. The storage has 40MB onboard and it is expandable up to 16GB with a microSD card(you will be provided one 2GB while buying this device). The built in web browser support both Java and Flash which is also a good feature as all the smartphone manufacturers are showing off their flash capabilities after the removal of Flash from iOS. Another drawback of this phone will be the 3.2 inch resistive touch screen which is now also getting the outdated tag. No one who has a little knowledge about touch screen technologies will go for a resistive touchscreen device as it’s not that touch friendly like the capacitive ones.
This device is aimed at a definite range of people and Nokia C5-03 is neither a complete smartphone nor a simple feature phone. If you are planning for a smartphone comparable to Android or iOS devices do not go for this one for keeping up with your budget as Nokia claimed that the retail price will be 225$. That may cause total disappointment. It should better be called a feature phone which has a good look and more than common features.
