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I’ve been using the handset for more than two weeks already and it’s a great experience trying another Nokia phone running Series 40 platform. Released in September last year, the Nokia X3-02 is a
Touch and Type phone with a candy bar and lightweight form-factor.
It’s already available in Nokia stores here in the Philippines and if you thought of getting one, I suggest you read my review first to help you decide whether this phone would fit your lifestyle.
Nokia X3-02 Key FeaturesSeries 40 UI
Touch and Type functionality
2.4-inch QVGA touch screen and physical keypad
Slim design with brushed aluminum cover in colours: Dark Silver, Dark Metal, Petrol Blue, Pink, Lilac
3G, HSPA, and Wi-Fi
Dedicated music key for instant music player access
Dedicated messaging key for direct access to SMS/MMS
Email and IM
Facebook and Twitter with Communities client
Access to Ovi Store to download apps and games
5MP camera with 4x digital zoom
FM Radio
The BuildWhen I get to hold the
Nokia X3-02, its build reminds me of my Nokia 8250 when I was still a sophomore back in 2002. It’s very portable, lightweight, slim, easy to hold, and fits well even in small pockets. The Nokia X3-02 is originally inspired by its predecessor, the Nokia X3, just that it got a wider display (2.4-inch) and no vertical-slider mechanism to reveal the keypad.
Nokia X3-02 comes in to fill the gap of available mobile phones, that is a candy bar handset featuring a keypad with dedicated keys for instant player and messaging access, and a touchcreen complementing for the entire Touch and Type experience. The lower portion in the frontage has been trimmed, making it look stylish.
There are no functional buttons in the curvy sides except for volume control and lock switch in the upper right.
The back is designed with brushed aluminum cover which can be removed by pressing the notches in both sides, and pushing the cover back to reveal the phone’s battery, MicroSD and SIM card slots.
There’s the 5MP camera and Nokia decided to have the connectivity ports at the top including the 3.5mm AV, microUSB, and charger ports.
FunctionalitiesNokia X3-02 touchscreen provides quick access to the popular features of the phone. The Home screen is customized with Favorite contacts, the Communities client, and quick access to several apps like Email and Chat, camera, and Ovi Store.
The Communities client is for social interaction in which users can access their Facebook and Twitter accounts easily. Applications are available from the Menu, but users can download more apps and games from the Ovi Store. I downloaded 2 apps (check out
Apps for Series 40) to test the phone’s Wi-Fi and it works seamlessly, thanks to its WLAN 802.11n support.
Using a Touch and Type phone is easier when you’re used to keypads. Most of the tasks in Nokia X3-02 like sending SMS and Emails, updating Facebook and Twitter, and etc. can be done through the use of the physical keypad, while other functionalities are available in the touchscreen. That basically explains that you need to use both most of the time, hence the name Touch and Type.
For photography aficionados, the 5MP fixed-focus camera on Nokia X3-02 probably won’t suffice. I must admit that I’m not really good in cameras, but with basic knowledge in photography - I would say that it can only take decent shots if there’s enough amount of light. Without flash or any way to have higher film speed (ISO), still images in low-light condition using the phone’s camera is not really that much impressive. The camera is capable of recording videos though, but it’s only limited to 5-seconds per video.
The audio is great. I tried playing MP3 files and it’s good the phone’s music player supports shuffle and repeat modes. There’s an FM Radio too, though it requires a headset as antenna - you can actually hook a portable speaker. I used my
iTour-Pop speaker and it’s a perfect match.
Another thing I liked with
Nokia X3-02 is the USB connectivity. With
USB On-The-Go support, you can connect any USB drive to transfer files from the phone, a great help when you’re running out of mass storage. The phone can also be charged through the USB port.
Though I haven’t tested the phone’s battery life in different cases, charging it just once in a week (less calls) is an indicator the 860 mAh power source inside is more than enough.
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Posted for pre-order is the Samsung Galaxy Z (model I9003), and with a 2-core processor under its hood - it’s no doubt Sammy has something more on its dual-core smartphone lineup for 2011. Though it appears as a downgraded version of Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Z still got decent specs with 1 GHz of dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 4.2-inch SC-LCD screen with a 800×480 resolution (WVGA), 5 MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, 4x zoom and 720p video recording support, Front-facing camera, 8 GB of internal storage, microSD card slot up to 32GB, and the phone runs Android Gingerbread. 
Pre-order price of the phone is set for €435 or $630 at Three Sweden, but of course we can expect different pricing here in the Philippines. More on this once we got official word from Samsung. [via]
