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Review: Nokia Surge

Form Basics Extras Wrap-up Comments 2

Screen

The Surge's screen is decent, but not fantastic. It gets the job done. It's bright enough for outdoor viewing, is large enough that icons and other on-screen objects don't look squished, but it just doesn't have the pow or pizzazz that other devices offer. Given the Surge's mid-range positioning, it's not surprising that its display is somewhat lacking, but a couple more millimeters would have helped out a lot. Bottom line, it lets you do most things with the phone no problem, but isn't meant for media playback.

Signal

The Surge is a solid signal hound. It connected to AT&T's 3G signal no problem pretty much anywhere I took it. I noticed a few wobbly moments in the concrete canyons of New York City, but I didn't miss any calls or messages due to signal gaffes.

Sound

Earpiece volume of the Surge is perfectly acceptable. In a very noisy coffee shop, I had no trouble at all hearing callers and vice versa. Quality of the calls was also excellent. No crackling, no static, just clear phone calls. The speakerphone also works well. Nokia usually excels at the "phone" part of its cell phones, and the Surge doesn't disappoint.

Battery

As with all phones, usage will play a major role with respect to battery life. With a good amount of browsing, emailing, and calling (I'm talking hours worth of phone calls), I consistently got 2 full days of usage out of the Surge. You can probably get away without bringing a charger for a weekend getaway, although personally, I would bring it just in case.

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Nokia Surge 6790

2.4" display 240 x 320 pixels
1,500 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Hardware Text Keyboard

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