Nokia 5230 Full Review
Nokia is busy announcing new products this quarter. First, Nokia booklet 3G and now the cheapest Nokia touchscreen, 5230 came as a surprise without any leaks and rumors. Nokia 5230 belongs to the low mid-range category and is ready to give a tough competition to Samsung Star and LG KP500.
Video Review -
Nokia 5230 Features/ Pros/Advantages -
- 3.2 inch , 360x640 pixels display with 16.7 Million Colors
- 3G for high speed internet connectivity
- Accelerometer and proximity Sensor
- Excellent Audio quality
- Powerful processor for fast operations and sufficient RAM for multitasking
- Long lasting battery providing Nonstop 33 hrs Music Playback
- Best value for money touchsreen smartphone ever released
Nokia 5230 Cons/Disadvantages -
- Doesn’t belong to XpressMusic Series (Mono Speaker)
- Same old 5800 design with added weight(115g)
- Lacks Wifi
- Inferior camera as compared to 5530 and 5800
- No TV Output
Difference between Nokia 5800 and 5230 -
- Weight - Nokia 5800 is slightly lighter than 5230. Nokia 5800 weighs 109 g, whereas 5230 weighs 115 g.
- Volume - Nokia 5230 is more compact. Its body volume is 78 cc as compared to 83 cc of 5800.
- Plectrum Stylus
- Stylus - Nokia 5230 lacks Stylus slot, so there is no Stylus in sales package. However, a Plectrum Stylus is included as shown above.
- Thickness - Nokia 5230 is slimmer. It is 14.5 mm thick whereas 5800 has a thickness of 15.5 mm.
- Wifi - Nokia 5230 lacks Wifi
- User Interface - Nokia 5230 has more polished user interface with new homescreen and Kinetic scrolling which is a cool feature. 5800 is supposed to have this feature in future firmware update. Watch 5230 Kinetic scrolling in above video.
- Camera - 5230 has a fixed focus 2MP camera without flash, wheras 5800 has 3.2 MP Autofocus Camera with Dual LED Flash. Both of them have same, DVD quality video recording with frame rate of 30 fps.
- Music through headphones - Nokia 5800 belongs to XpressMusic range so you may think that it offers better audio quality than 5230.Thats not true, Nokia 5230 sound quality is comparable to iPhone 3GS. Its quite surprising, but Gsmarena has done the Nokia 5230 audio test and found that it is no way behind in the music department in comparison to 5530 and 5800 XpressMusic.
- Speakers - Nokia 5230 offers mediocre sound quality through speakers as it has Mono speaker whereas 5800 has Stereo Speakers.
- Memory- No memory card in 5230 sales package whereas 5800 comes with 8GB micro SD card.
- Xpress-on Covers in Sales Package - Nokia 5230 comes with 2 spare battery covers in the sales package. However, it is not confirmed whether it’ll ship with Xpress-on covers or not. The sales package may vary region-wise.
Rest of the features of 5230 are same as 5800. Check the specifications below to know all features present in Nokia 5230.
Specifications -
| Model No | Nokia 5230 |
| Form Factor | Candybar |
| Frequency | 1800/1900/850/900 |
| Dimensions | 111x51.7x14.5 mm |
| Weight | 115 g |
| Volume | 78 cc |
| Display | Touchscreen, 3.2 inch, 360x640 |
| with 16:9 Aspect Ratio | |
| Keypad | Virtual QWERTY keyboard |
| Additional Keys | Camera Key, Volume Key, |
| Menu Key, Call + Call End Keys. | |
| Operating System | Symbian OS v9.4 S60v5 |
| Java | MIDP 2.0 |
| Flash Player | Flash Lite 3.0 |
| CPU | 434 Mhz |
| RAM | 128 MB |
| Internal Memory | 70 MB |
| Memory Card | Expandable up to 16 GB |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Proximity Sensor | Yes |
| Camera | 2MP Fixed focus camera with |
| Single LED Flash, 30 fps QVGA video | |
| Image Formats | BMP, EXIF, GIF, JPEG, MBM, PNG |
| Audio Formats | MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+ WMA. |
| 3.5mm Audio Jack | Yes |
| Video Formats | 3GPP, Flash Video, MP4, RM |
| FM Radio | Stereo FM |
| USB | Micro USB v2.0 |
| Bluetooth | v2.0 with A2DP support |
| GPRS
|
Class 32 |
| EDGE | Class 32 |
| Wifi | No |
| 3G | HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps |
| Web Browser | S60 HTML Web Browser |
| GPS | Yes |
| Email Protocols | IMAP4, POP3, SMTP |
| Document Viewer | Excel, PDF, PPT, Word |
| Games | Roller Coaster |
| DJ Mix Tour | |
| Available Colors | White and Red |
| White and Dark Silver | |
| White and Pink | |
| White and Yellow | |
| White and Blue | |
| Black and Red | |
| Black and Dark Silver | |
| Accessories | Mini Speakers MD-8 |
| Mini Speakers MD-9 | |
| Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-214 | |
| Stereo Headset WH-102 | |
| Battery BL-5J | |
| Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-504 | |
| Stereo Headset WH-500 | |
| Bluetooth Headset BH-103 | |
| Battery | Battery BL-5J (1320 mAh) |
| Talk Time | Up to 7 hrs |
| Standby Time | Up to 18 days |
| Music Playback Time | Up to 33 Hrs |
| Video Playback Time | Up to 4-6 hours (MP4 ) |
Sales Package -
Nokia 5230
Charger AC-8
Battery BL-5J (1320 mAh)
Stereo Headset WH-102
Plectrum Stylus CP-306
Xpress-on Covers
User Guide
Competitors -
Samsung Star 3G, LG KP500
Price -
The expected price of Nokia 5230 is €149=$213=Rs10000
Release Date -
Nokia 5230 is expected to release in 4th quarter this year.
Conclusion -
You won’t get a touchscreen smartphone cheaper than Nokia 5230 offering high end features such as 3G, GPS and 30 fps video recording. So, if you are on a tight budget and can’t afford Nokia 5530 or 5800 just wait for this budget touchscreen smartphone. It won’t take long as 4th quarter is already running.
January 18th, 2010 at 7:11 am
u got a v good featured data…n compare. god bless u…! thnx .
January 26th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Apparently the 5230 differs from some regions. In some video’s and pictures I can see there is a stylus inside the phone.
There is clearly a stylus in this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YhKg2pl8c4
January 27th, 2010 at 10:27 am
I know I’ve mentioned it here -
http://nokia5230.com/nokia-5230-pictures/
January 27th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
which games can i play game.over.buddy@gmail.com reply me
January 27th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Very soon I’ll write post on free Nokia 5230 games.Keep visiting for regular updates.
February 16th, 2010 at 4:24 am
Please upload some images of 5230′s music play (white). Is it comaes with many preinstalled themes. I want to buy 5230 , but confused whether to buy white/red or black/red. Please help. Black looks better but its grey border is ugly.
February 21st, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Please update me whether we can do video calling using the main camera or can we at least we video call feeds from others!!
February 24th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Please teel me nokia5230 support Youtube video in webpage.
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:29 am
does 5230 have call recording facility…?
March 8th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Hi..I have bought the Nokia 5230. It is an easy and is a good looking phone. I love the phone as is is good to use and the internet speed is really quick.
March 9th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
5230 is a cool phone. The only problem I face is the lack of a front camera for video calling. There is no option for video calling, though I expected them to integrate it without camera support. Atleast we culd have made cheaper video calls….
March 10th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
hi hi! i bought a nokia 5230. i love it:)! anyone knows how to connect it to the internet? plz explain step by step cos i cant figure out. thx very much!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:17 am
a very good and handy phone i have ever gon through at an affordable price
March 20th, 2010 at 12:28 am
In your experience, can you suggest the best headphone for Nokia 5230? I prefer good Bass effect.
Thanks,
Boo
March 20th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
No flash in camera homei correction needed in your specification list
March 21st, 2010 at 4:29 pm
hi waqyum , do u know any website where i can download apps for this phone ? tnx a lot
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Jaian you can visit nokia,s ovi website ……there u will many good free apps and games and many more for free
April 11th, 2010 at 12:05 am
just got one of these disappointed no earphones in the box is this right? or are mine missing
April 14th, 2010 at 4:21 am
Nokia 5230 have some demerits.They are No flash,No wifi,No Tv out and Document viewer. Due to this without facilities Nokia 5230 is not a complete smartphone.So I hope, Nokia will add this facilities in this.
May 3rd, 2010 at 10:57 am
Very good comparison ..
May 12th, 2010 at 3:02 am
If you can live without ‘Tv output,wifi,camera flash’ then this is a very good deal, especially as T-Mobile offers this phone for £80 on PAYG with 6 months free internet and with no extra charges if you go over the 1gb a month surf limit.
I personally love the tv output on the 5800, very useful,so for some this is a downgrade, but for others its a VERY nice bargain.
May 17th, 2010 at 8:32 am
its a very good phone! and cheap too!
May 17th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Where are all the free apps?
The review specs mention doc and pdf viewers, mine had only a text viewer! Most dissapointing. They are about £8 each from ovi stores.
May 24th, 2010 at 6:17 am
hi me too buy nokia 5230.. In this phone volume to low.. and same as battery…. but phone super….
May 26th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Have the phone for about 4 months, and I’m still very happy about it. Great phone with free navigation and a great price.
I’ve also found a site where you can buy covers with a stylus. I’m hoping it’ll fit on my 5230 without one, but I assume it does since there seems to be a minor gap in the phone itself.
May 29th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Hi! i live in Pakistan and my only one question…….. does this phone have a stylus in it or not?? plz help me cuz i m buying it in next 2 weeks..!!! Thanx!
May 30th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Hi! i m frm Pakistan and i m buying this phone in next 2 weeks…… I want 2 ask that is stylus slot included in Pakistani Version? Yes or not?
Plz help me …!! THANX!!
June 6th, 2010 at 6:01 am
hi..i bought tis phone yesterday….sound is too bad i m excepting so much.5130 best for music preference.
June 6th, 2010 at 7:35 am
I love 5230 but the cost is very high
June 9th, 2010 at 11:51 am
hi ..sure its got a document viewer?
June 11th, 2010 at 9:30 am
hi.. yesterday only i bought this phone for 7450/-
its cheaper very cool one. and i like it very much..
volume low.. but its enough foe me.. its a fantastic phone..
good picture clarity, video clarity, good touch screen, good battery backup free gps maps.. its good…
June 19th, 2010 at 5:45 am
i want to know whether it has document viewer can i install adobe to view the document please help me with this issue please send gu to ma mail
June 19th, 2010 at 11:45 am
5230 has video call feature?
June 25th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
hi i m also plannig to buy dis fone. its awsome as reviews told. in pakistan it has stylus but no back covers.
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:58 am
does 5230 is having video calling feature since no front camera is there?
July 8th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
hi is there is video calling facility in nokia 5230
July 12th, 2010 at 4:15 am
this is damn good phone…believe me…just brought yesterday…
July 12th, 2010 at 4:17 am
it comes with stylus here in india and also has 3g…and gps…anyways y we need video calling and wifi???whereas express music is concerned it is almost the same i,i personally compared…
u wont get a better phone than this…
July 12th, 2010 at 4:19 am
costed me rs 7300 in mobile planet, mg road , near theatre shenoy ,kochi- kerela
July 15th, 2010 at 5:49 am
Hello 4nds!!!……I hav purchased nokia 5230 a month ago..so far it’s fine wid some qualities. Lemme xplain to u
Pros: – camera clarity is very good for people who likes to use wid 4nds, relatives…..even it is 2MP….quality is nice….
- third party applications r also widely avaialable….
- Fortunate to hav audio jack of 3.5mm,compatible wid any external devices.
- Internet usage is also nice…..wid satisfying speeds
Cons: problem wat iam facing is battery ….. i need to recharge for evry 30 hrs……thinking dats problem wid mine only…otherwise we shud neglect as these symbian touch phone hardly gives two daz battery backup.And output sound volume is very dull due to mono speaker.Sometyms accelorometer for changing landscape to portrait mode doesn’t listen to us…it keeps on changing as it wishes when clicking menu..
Overall 5230 is nice for me….by the above summary u can choose abot it…….Rest depends on our fate!!
July 17th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Is 5230 has video calling options
July 18th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Can i watch utube,live tv using 2g in dis set.plz replay
July 22nd, 2010 at 7:18 am
# Rajesh Says:
July 18th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Can i watch utube,live tv using 2g in dis set.plz replay
yes u can…..
July 25th, 2010 at 3:04 am
i brought the 5230 one month ago its nice touch mobile with affordable price Rs 7,500 at vizag some faults are No video calling,call recorder,full screen caller,lack of sound quality speaker phone or head set(mostly lack of sound) overall nice mobile for me………..
July 31st, 2010 at 4:37 pm
hey i want 2 knw howz the sound quality of 5230. is it better then 5233???
August 6th, 2010 at 3:30 am
my nokia 5230 got some problem, while i switch off, then try to switch on back it only showing “NOKIA” blue color words then after a while it auto turn off again…:( y??? i just bought few weeks only.
August 14th, 2010 at 9:28 am
I have a query, can anybody plz tell me about Volume – 78 cc
how do you find volume of phone?
and is it volume of speaker which are used while phone call or is it for music player(external speaker)?
thnx
August 22nd, 2010 at 6:17 am
the phone is worth its price…… I bought it a month ago, but the speakers make crackling sounds….. Otherwise .. A good phone…. Video quality is excellent..
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Nokia 5230 do not support 3G video call, both incoming and outgoing.. Thats the only draw back..
August 29th, 2010 at 6:31 am
i just love this phone 100 times more than my old corby
August 29th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
i want buy the nokia 5230. pls tell me whats is real price ? thanx.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:59 am
slartibartfast have you replaced it and does the sylus back case fit? because i want to get one but its coming from japan so im not sure if it will fit?????
September 9th, 2010 at 4:39 am
where can i buy a back cover for the stylus compartment?
October 3rd, 2010 at 4:21 am
very2 good gadget,very fast function better from my old hp E63,get it now.
November 4th, 2010 at 6:32 am
i am using nokia 5230 its superb….. but lack of sound is a main default… the mobile features are awesome
December 9th, 2010 at 9:41 am
I do enjoy this phone my only problem with the email is that some of the documents i cant seem to open and read due to it does not have doc viewer on as a application so thay sould have a look at that.
December 10th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
nice fone, latest price only Rs.7000. Blindly may take it.
December 14th, 2010 at 4:29 am
Its a nice fone, but problem in fone is out put of volume………….
December 16th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Sending text is fundamental to Mobiles and should be made easy. This one is not easy to understand. It is OK once you have mastered this…..it took me 3 days..
Touch screen not as good as it makes out to be.
Disappointed in my purchase.
7.5 outa 10
December 20th, 2010 at 7:19 am
hey u can watch youtube videos and i think it supports video calling with primary camera
January 12th, 2011 at 4:46 am
This is a very nice phone in its price range. It supports all external applications such as adobe pdf, word, excel, ppt etc. Its sound clarity is very poor. Best phone. It supports live 2g tv, very fast in downloading, nice browsing experince. Cool mobile has everything with google gps. Can browse on 3 diff browsers at same time. For those who buy it for music or watching movies its a waste due to very poor audio output even in head phones. But one may try buying this phone and nokia 5800 head phones for better sound quality but it costs you another 500 or so.
January 19th, 2011 at 6:19 am
how to install langauges in this mobile. Pls help me.
February 11th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Nokia 5230 has a stylus.
See the back of the phone, Now see lower part of left part , pull that slot. That is stylus inserted in that slot. It fits so nicely, feels like part of phone.
February 22nd, 2011 at 2:55 pm
pls, wen ever am copying a file, it’s always showing tranfered 2 clipboard, can any1 show me on hw 2 locate dis clipboard on my 5230.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
dis fone sucks.i dont even understand d fone anymore its keeps hanging.nokia shld improve den i tink blackberry is d best.
March 19th, 2011 at 7:49 am
hi gyus i have purchased my nokia 5230 and same the next day its creates a problem for me that when i used the cell phone it automatic restart.then after some time same problem happen any body know about it does its a software problem or any other problem??
April 6th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
hi,
Nokia 5230 i believe it’s perfect phone because it has all the features which is essential in now adays life..But i am in dilemma that Can i open any kind of internet video on this phone or only specific videos only applicable to play..because some videos supports various sorts of plugins driverss & other application on the internet So my question Can Nokia 5230 Play all types of internet videos without any hassles….Please reply anyone who is well versed in this to my personal E-mail Address: londonwajahat.ukanalyst@yahoo.co.uk
April 7th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
3g video calling facilities are avilable or not
April 12th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
hie
I need help, im faling to install a pdf viewer on my 5230.when i try to install the phone displays ‘install base package first’.PEOPLE PLEASE HELP.
April 28th, 2011 at 11:00 am
all is good but some software errors, lack of dual speakers, lack of secondary camera, no t.v output, …
MAIN SOFTWARE ERRORS ARE REPUTED !!! 5230 sucks but good smartphone compared to price !!!!!
June 9th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
can u suggest which headphone will best for nokia 5230.please reply i lost my headphone .
June 26th, 2011 at 10:16 am
nokia 5230 3g video calling s or not
July 1st, 2011 at 2:06 pm
keep on hanging i can’t jst tell nd sometimes switch off itself
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Hi there,
The phone does NOT have front camera, so you can NOT make video calls. It does NOT have .PDF, .doc or any book reader unless you buy them, because so far there is none for free. There is real player, so you can see quiet a few videos formats. The phone battery lasts 2-3 days on stand-by but less tham a day in heavy usage. The GPS is good and works well with the nokia maps, it is as good as tomtom, really! The sound is not very good. The camera not bad but no flash. I give it 7 of 10.
July 6th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
I have a problem with a Nokia 5230 (White). I used Phoenix service software to calibrate the touch-screen but.. now the touch-screen don’t work correctly.. I tried to calibrate it from phone menu.. but.. doesn’t work.. Any way to reset touch-screen calibration to factory setting? Thanks