Nokia 3120 classic

Design

The black metallic casing gives this Nokia a look stylish enough to appeal to a wide spectrum of users. Its metallic frame ringing the edge of the phone gives an overall assuring feel that comes across as solid and impact-proof. The only gripe we have here is its black and glossy make which is a fingerprint and dust magnet. So be prepared to wipe down the handset every time you whip it out to use.

Size-wise, the 3120 (at 111.3 x 45.4 x 13.4mm), is two-third the width of the 5070 making it a good fit in the hand. A rubber back casing provides a good grip. Being small had its tradeoff, however. We found the keypad positioned slightly too low for comfortable use. Nokia probably had to squeeze this down to make way for a display screen that sits over half the phone's length. This made for comfortable use. That said, the buttons were big and easy enough to text on.

Like most Nokia handsets, there's a center directional button at the top center of the phone, although you may need to get used to the rather flush surface which could be an issue for those with large digits.

Features

For a basic phone, this candybar packs some pretty decent features targeted at the masses. There's a 2-megapixel camera with flash, though as with all budget camera-phones, don't expect startling clear snaps, particularly in low light. Interestingly, the 3120 classic comes with a front-facing VGA camera for video-conferencing via 3G, not something we would have expected to find in an entry-level model.

Nokia has also packed onboard Bluetooth, so transferring music and images will be easier among friends. There's no data cable provided in the retail unit though.

There's 24MB of internal memory (about 20MB is available to the user), which is absolutely insufficient if you plan to store lots of pictures and music files. Fortunately, for your money, this comes with a microSD card slot at the back of the phone to expand to an extra 4GB.

The 2-inch display is big enough for watching your videos and view pictures without straining your eyes too much. Even under bright sunlight, we found text and pictures still legible.

Performance

Music reproduction was good, although the equalizer wasn't impressively powerful enough. It hardly makes any different when switching between rock, pop, jazz and classical equalizer. When played through the loudspeaker, it sounded flat to our ears.

Call quality was loud and clear, although ringtones produce through the loudspeaker tended to be a tad soft, causing us to miss a few calls as a result.

Nokia rates the phone's battery life at 12.5 days on standby and 3 hours 20 minutes of talktime. In actual use, which comprised making calls, photo-taking, text messaging and listening to the radio, the phone lasted a good five days before the next charge.

Conclusion

At S$388 without an operator plan, the phone is certainly worth the money. Although the camera is just 2-megapixels, it's hard to find a handsomer budget phone out there with 3G, Bluetooth, and MP3.