Review: Nokia 5230 Nuron
Screen
The Nuron's display measures 3.2 inches across the diagonal and packs in 360 x 640 pixels.That's many more pixels than some of the competition, and it makes a difference. The iPhone, HTC myTouch and Hero, for example, all use 320 x 480 screens. The extra pixels make the screen on the Nuron look just a bit sharper and clearer. Icons and text are just a fraction smoother, and that gives the display a much-needed kick. As for brightness, well, it works fantastically indoors. Outside? Not so much. Even cloudy days challenged the display's visibility. I can't say I love the aspect ratio. It's a narrow, tall display. I wish it were a bit wider.
Sound
If there's one thing Nokia can be relied on to (nearly) always get right, it is the telephone part of a cell phone. Clarity of phone calls was outstanding. I heard nary a second of static or noise when using the Nuron. Test calls were of the highest quality, and those on the other end said things sounded good, too. I do, however, wish the earpiece could have been louder. it was fine for making calls at home, but even with the volume set to max, it was difficult to use out in the real world. Ring tones are sufficiently loud, and I didn't miss any calls due to lack of hearing the Nuron. The speakerphone worked quite well, and was perfect for a quiet office setting. The vibrate alert was strong enough that it won't be missed if stuffed in your pocket.
Sound via Bluetooth was also very good. Using a Motorola Pure H15 headset, calls were crystal clear, and free of muddiness that sometimes comes with Bluetooth calls.
Signal
The Nuron also excelled at finding and holding T-Mobile's network. Sitting on my home office, it captured full 3G strength (with Nokias that's seven bars). Traveling around the Northern New Jersey area and Las Vegas showed the Nuron doing a good job of finding signal. It reverted to EDGE in much of Las Vegas, but so did other phones I had with me. I did not miss any calls, nor did I drop any calls during my time testing the Nuron.
Battery
Battery life with the Nuron was quite good. I was able to get through at least two full days of heavy use with no problems. That outperforms many of today's highly connected devices. Using Bluetooth didn't seem to put a dent in battery life. There's no Wi-Fi on the Nuron, so no need to worry about managing that radio.
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Nokia 5230 Nuron
