Review: Nokia 5230 Nuron
To my eyes, the Nuron is almost indistinguishable from the 5800 XpressMusic, which launched in October 2008. It is a monoblock phone that is fairly light and easy to grip. The top surface is larger than the back surface, meaning the sides of the Nuron taper slightly. On most phones, this makes it rest easier in the hand. The one problem with the Nuron's form is that it's a bit chubby. It is by no means a monster handset, but it's far from thin. It'll fit into your pocket with no problems, but you're going to know it's there.
The touch screen on the Nuron is flush with the plastic above and below it, but there is a ridge all around the edge of the top surface of the phone that sticks up. This protects the screen a bit, but does take away from the look.
Touring the rest of the front, you'll find a touch-sensitive Media shortcut button above the display, plus physical Send, End, and Menu buttons below the display. These three buttons are thin, but protrude from the surface so that they are easy to find and use. Travel and feedback was a bit mushy.
On the left side there is a memory card slot covered by a hatch. The hatch require some seriously sharp fingernails to dig open. I had to resort to using a pen cap to get it open.
The volume toggle is on the right side of the Nuron. It is set just above the side surface, making it easy to find without being obtrusive. Travel and feedback was just right. The spring-loaded sliding lock switch is below the volume toggle. It has a ridged surface, which makes it easy to find and even easier to grip for action. It feels solid, and springs right back up when let go.
The top surface houses the power button, microUSB port, 3.5mm headset jack and charging port. It's too bad that Nokia relied on an older chassis with the Nuron and doesn't allow the phone to charge via the microUSB port. Instead, it relies on the older mini pin-style charger. Just like the SIM and microSD card hatches, the hatch covering the microUSB port is a pain in the fingernail to open.
The back cover peels off easily enough if you need to pull the battery or get at the SIM card.
In all, by using an older design, Nokia has assured that the Nuron looks a bit dated. Thinner is in-er.
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Nokia 5230 Nuron
