Nokia 5230

Samsung Corby S3650

Lets compare the 2 to know which is more suitable for you -

Appearance – Both 5230 and corby are quite attractive, the former has a candybar form factor whereas the latter belong to block form factor with wider body.

Size and Weight – Samsung Corby is more slimmer and lighter than Nokia 5230. Its 12 mm thick with 90 g body weight. Nokia 5230 is 15.5 mm thick and it weighs 115 g.

Display – As i already told you the USP of Samsung Corby is its capacitive touchscreen with multitouch same as iPhone. Its Screen size is 2.8 inch with resolution of 240×320 pixels. Nokia 5230 has a resistive touchscreen bigger in size (3.2 inch) as well as resolution(360×640 p).

Memory - Nokia 5230 has 70 MB internal memory with Micro SD card support up to 16 GB. Samsung Corby  has 90 MB phone memory with card support up to 8 GB.

Software – Nokia 5230 is a smartphone based on Symbian Operating System (S60v5). It has new improved UI with support for kinetic scrolling and access to popular social networking sites such as  Facebook and Myspace directly from homescreen. Ovi service from Nokia offers  image and files uploads directly from phone. As 5230 is a smartphone it has multitasking and support for 3rd party applications.
Samsung Corby is a non smartphone based on Samsung’s Touch Wiz UI. It has a widgetized user interface  for creating  shorcuts in the form of widgets on homescreen. It has Samsung’s unique  smart unlock feature through which you can launch applications, games etc by drawing a letter on the touchscreen.

Hardware – Nokia 5230 has 434 MHz processor and 128 MB RAM. As Corby is a non smartphone so these figures are unknown.

Connectivity – In terms of connectivity 5230 has GPRS, Bluetooth, EDGE, USB, 3G and GPS. Samsung Corby lacks high speed connectivity options. It neither has 3G nor Wifi. It also lacks GPS.

Multimedia – Nokia 5230 offers excellent sound quality through earphones. Thanks to the standard 3.5 mm Audio jack. It lacks stereo speakers so audio through speakers is of average quality. Bigger and higher resolution display is a plus for watching movies and videos on the go. As 523o is a smartphone it supports 3rd party apps.You can watch DVD Rip movies in avi format through 3rd party applications such as smartmovie player.
Samsung corby lacks 3.5 mm audio jack. It offers good output through stereo speakers. It has adequate size display for videos but the screen resolution is quite inferior to 5230. Movies can be played only in Mp4 and 3GP format only after conversion as it lacks 3rd party application support.

Camera – Both 5230 and Corby has 2MP fixed focus camera without flash. However, 5230 camera offers top notch video recording at 30 fps and 640×480 pixels. Samung Corby has smile detection feature.

Additional Features – Both the phones have accelerometer sensor, but in case of Corby you cannot use it for automatic screen rotation. Nokia 5230 has proximity sensor for screen auto turnoff during calls.

Battery – Nokia 5230 has a more powerful 1320 mAh battery. Corby has 960 mAh battery.

Price – Unlocked Nokia 5230 and Samsung Corby S3650 are both priced at $199.

Conclusion - Samsung Corby is a basic touchscreen phone with the USP being capapcitive touch display. Nokia 5230 offers more value for money as its a Symbian smartphone, has got higher resolution display, 3G, GPS and 30 fps video recording. Both Corby and 5230 are cool budget phones. You can decide between the two based on your  personal needs.

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Nokia 5230

Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

Lets compare these budget smartphones in more detail -

Looks and Design – As you can see, Nokia 5530 is more attractive than 5230. It is slimmer  and has got a stainless steel lining along the border. Nokia 5230  has got the same old 5800 design.

Weight and Volume – 5530 is lighter and compact than 5230. 5530 weighs 107 g and its body volume is just 68 cc. On the other hand, 5230 weighs 115 g and it body volume  is 83 cc.

Display – The screen resolution of Nokia 5230 and 5530 is same (360×640 Pixels), but 5530 has a smaller screen (2.9 inch) as compared to 5230 (3.2 inch)

Software – 5530 and 5230 are smartphones based on Symbian S60v5 Operating system and both have new improved homescreen and kinetic scrolling feature.

Hardware – Nokia 5230 and 5530 have same hardware which comprises of 434 MHz Processor (CPU) and 128 MB RAM

Memory – Nokia 5230 and 5530 has 70 MB of internal memory which can be expanded with Micro SD cards up tp 16 GB. Nokia 5530 has 4 GB memory card in sales package whereas 5230 has no memory card in sales package.

Connectivity – As i already told you, 5230 has all the connectivity options ( GPRS, EDGE, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, 3G and GPS),  except Wifi. 5530 has Wifi but lacks 3G and GPS.

Audio – Nokia 5230 doesn’t belong to XpressMusic series, but still it delivers exceptional sound quality through earphones. 5230 speakers will however disappoint you. It has got Mono speakers unlike, 5530.

Video – The bigger display would be an added advantage for watching videos and movies on Nokia 5230.

Camera – Nokia 5230 has a 2MP Fixed Focus camera without flash, whereas 5530 has 3.2 MP Autofocus camera with LED Flash.

Additional Features – Both 5230 and 5530 has Accelerometer as additional feature and both lack TV Output which is present in Nokia 5800.

Battery - 5230 has a more powerful 1320 mAh battery with a rated music playback time of upto 33 hrs. Nokia 5530 has a 1000 mAh battery which offers music playback  for up to 27 hrs.

Price – Nokia 5530 price may have gone down by now, but it launched for a price tag of $278. Unlocked Nokia 5230 is expected to cost around $200.

Sales Package – Nokia 5530 has a 4GB Micro SD card and USB data cable in the sales package. Both the things are missing from 5230 sales package.

Conclusion – Nokia 5530 offers better looks, better camera, better  sales package and Wifi. Nokia 5230 is cheaper, and comes with  3G and GPS. Both are budget smartphones which  offer good value for money. You can choose one based on your personal needs.

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Nokia 5230

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Looking at the above two images it is difficult to differentiate  between the two phones. Nokia is expanding its touch range by launching new phones with little variations for different price segments.The left one is the newly launched Nokia 5230 which looks exactly same as Nokia’s bestseller 5800 XpressMusic. Nokia 5230 is  a stripped down version of 5800. It retains most of the essential features of its predecessor. Nokia has cut down few features to in order to reduce the price so that i can compete with Samsung Star and LG Cookie KP500. Cutting down to essential features has resulted in a good price drop.

Lets see which features are retained and what is left out in Nokia 5230  -

Exterior – As you can see, in appearance Nokia 5230 is a true copy of 5800 with same 3.2 inch display and 3 hardware keys below the display

Display – Nokia 5230 retains the same big, 360×640 pixels display with 16 Million Colors and resistive touchscreen.

Hardware – Nokia 5800′s processor was clocked at 369 MHz at the time of its release which is now 434 MHz after a recent firmware update. Nokia 5230 has same 434 MHz CPU and 128 MB RAM as 5800.

Software – Both 5230 and 5800 are based on the same Symbian S60v5 operating system, but 5230 has an upper edge as it has got the new improved homescreen and kinetic scrolling same as 5530 XpressMusic and N97.

Memory – When the price is reduced the sales package also gets affected. Same thing happened with Nokia 5230. This time there is no memory card in sales package. Nokia 5800 comes with 8 GB Micro SD card.

Music – By now you may have noticed that Nokia 5230 doesn’t belong to XpressMusic range. As a result, it lacks stereo speakers, but retains the 3.5 mm standard audio jack. Nokia 5230 has Stereo FM with RDS. I can’t say anything about the audio quality as its not released yet.

Camera – Camera Mega pixels are reduced from 3.2 to 2.0. The bad news is that 5230 lacks flash. The good news is that it can record QVGA DVD quality videos (at 30 fps) same as 5800.

Connectivity – Nokia 5230 retains all the connecticvity features of 5800 XpressMusic except Wifi. It  has USB 2.0, GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth with A2DP, 3G (HSDPA), and GPS as connectivity options.

Additional Features – Nokia 5230 has Accelerometer and Proximity Sensor but lacks TV Output feature.

Battery - Nokia 5230 has the same powerful BL-5J (1320 mAh) battery which can give up yo 33 Hrs of music playback

Price – Expected launch price of Nokia 5230 is $199 and 5800 XpressMusic is currently available at Amazon for $269.

Conclusion – Nokia 5230 has average camera without flash, lacks Wifi, TV output and has no memory card in sales package. If you are on a tight budget and can manage with the above mentioned drawbacks, Nokia 5230 is for you.

Nokia 5230

Apple iPhone 3gs

Nokia 5230 vs iPhone 3GS -

1. Screen Resolution – Nokia 5230 has higher resolution (360×640 pixels) display than iPhone 3GS (320×480 p).

2. Bluetooth File Transfer – These days Bluetooth file transfer is a must have feature for sharing multimedia files with you friends on the go. iPhone don’t let you use Bluetooth for this purpose. It can be used only for making calls and listening to music over stereo Bluetooth headset.

3. Multitasking – If you have used a smartphone with multitasking then you will feel handicapped using iPhone 3GS. Multitasking lets you use lot of applications simultaneously and you can easily switch between them or close any application as per your wish.

4. Flash in web Browser – We all know that iPhone has the highly rated Safari web browser. But are you aware that it lacks Flash support. These days most of the sites use flash which can be accessed with Nokia 5230′s S60 web browser.

5. Overheating – iPhone 3GS has a powerful hardware, may be thats the cause behind overheating reported by many users.

6. File Manager – Just like Windows Explorer a File Manager is a must for every smartphone to browse through all you files at one place. iPhone 3GS lacks file manager.

7. FM Radio – Even an entry level basic cellphone offers Radio, and this high end multimedia device lacks FM. Nokia 5230 has Stereo FM with RDS.

8. Expandable Memory – iPhone offers sufficient storage space for multimedia files but support for memory card is always a good thing. Moreover, you cannot use iPhone’s huge memory as USB mass storage device in Windows.

9. Battery – The iPhone hardware keeps on improving which is good thing, but whats the use if it affects the battery life so much. If you want to keep you iPhone awake for long hours you are bound to limited usage of other phone features.

10. Price – iPhone 3GS $199 price sounds good to hear, but along with that comes the  monthly plan which pushes iPhone 3GS price to around $1000. Unlocked Nokia 5230 is expected  to launch for just $199.

Nokia 5230

Samsung Star

LG KP500

Design - Design wise  all 3 are nearly same with candybar form factor and touchscreen occupying the major front portion.The navigation D pad is missing from all of them so you have to get used to touchscreen input for navigation.

Display - Nokia 5230 is equipped with a better display, in size as well as resolution. 5230 has a 3.2 inch, 360×640 pixels display with 16 Million colors whereas Tocco Lite has a 3 inch, 240×400 Pixels screen resolution with 256k colors. This means pictures will look more sharp and vibrant on Nokia 5230.

Software - I already told you that Nokia 5230 is a smartphone based on Symbian S60v5 operating system. A smartphone is like a mini laptop with huge catalog of 3rd party applications. You will be surprised to know that you can perform most of the tasks that you do on your PC through 3rd party applications. The other smartphones based on this OS are Nokia 5530, Nokia 5800, Nokia N97, Nokia N97 Mini, Nokia X6, Samsung Innov8, Samsung Omnia HD and Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou).
Nokia 5230 has the new kinetic scrolling feature same as Nokia 5530. It is quite cool and works through the entire User Interface.
LG Cookie and Samsung Star comes with widgetized interface through which you can create shortcuts on homescreen in the form of widgets.
Samsung star has a unique feature called smart unlock though which you can unlock phone or launch applications simply by drawing an alphabet on touchscreen. For example, drawing “C”  to launch Calculator.

Hardware - Nokia 523o has got a powerful hardware considering its low price tag. It has a fast 434 MHz processor (CPU) and 128 MB RAM. Usually smartphones in this price range have 64 MB RAM which is insufficient for multitasking i.e. running more than one application at a time.
As Samsung Star and LG Cookie belongs to non-smartphone category, CPU and RAM figures are unknown.

Connectivity - Nokia 5230 offers a wide range of connectivity options including GPRS, EDGE, 3G and GPS. 5230 lacks Wifi. Samsung star comes in 3 variants , one without 3G and Wifi, one with only wifi and one with only 3G. Star Wifi is the recently launched model. LG Kp500 lacks these high speed connectivity options.
Nokia 5230 has added advantage of GPS over Samsung Star and LG Cookie.

Camera - Samsung Star and LG Kp500 has 3.2 MP Fixed Focus Camera without flash. Nokia 5230 has 2 MP without flash, but it can record high quality QVGA (640×480 p) videos at 30 frames per second. The Video Frame Rate of Star is 15 fps and that of KP500 is 12 fps.

Multimedia – Samsung Star has DNSE (Digital Natural Sound Engine) technology for improved audio quality. But, both Samsung Star and LG Cookie lacks 3.5 mm satandard jack which is present in Nokia 5230. 3.5 mm jack allows you to plug in your own high quality earphones to get the most out of your phone’s MP3 Player.
All the three have got big display so watching movies would be a pleasure. On Nokia 5230  you can play DVD Rip movies directly without conversion through 3rd party software such as Smartmovie Player or Core Codec Player.
For playing full movies on Samsung Star and LG Cookie you have to first convert into a compatible format such as MP4 or 3GP which is a time consuming process and reduces the video quality.

Web Browser – Nokia 5230 has Series 60 HTML web browser with full Javascript and Flash support that means the web pages will look same as your PC web browser and you can play Youtube videos directly on your phone.

Battery - Among the 3 Nokia 5230 has the most powerful 1320 mAh battery. Samsung Star has 1000 mAh battery whereas LG Cookie has 900 mAh battery.

Price – Unlocked LG Cookie is currently available at Amazon for $160. Samsung Star is priced at $190 at Amazon and Nokia 5230 is expected to launch for around $200.

Conclusion – If you are on a tight budget and need a basic touchscreen phone than LG KP500 is the cheapest option among the three. Samsung Star offers you high speed connectivity options and widget interface for $190. If you are ready to invest a little more than you can get a true Symbian Smartphone, Nokia 5230  with added advantage of bigger & higher resolution display, Camera with Flash and QVGA 30fps video recording and GPS.

Now, you are the one to decide which one is most suitable for you.