• Phones
• Phone Finder
• News
• Carriers
• Android
• iOS
• How To
• Glossary

• Advertising
• About
• Contact
• Privacy
• Terms of Use

At an analysts' meeting in New York City yesterday, Nokia announced a pair of new 3G phones for WCDMA networks. One was the 6233, a compact and relatively basic bar-style phone for Europe and Asia. But since we focus on the U.S. market, we were far more interested in the 6282, a 3G slider phone specifically aimed at the Americas, including the U.S.

The 6282 has a solid feature set, including a QVGA display, Bluetooth, a miniSD memory card slot, and EDGE data for areas where WCDMA coverage is not yet available.

The 6282 is based closely on the previously-announced 6280. But while the 6280 supports WCDMA (UMTS) 2100 and GSM 900/1800/1900 for European and Asian networks, the 6282 supports WCDMA 1900 and GSM 850/1800/1900, for networks such as Cingular's.

There are a couple of other differences compared to the 6280, both of which are consistent with with Cingular's rumored 3G launch plans. First, the 6282 lacks a secondary, front-facing camera for 2-way video calling. That's fine, since Cingular's 3G network is not expected to support 2-way video calling, at least initially. While 2-way video calling is certainly a nifty feature, it hasn't been exceptionally popular on most 3G networks that have launched it elsewhere; it's just not very useful compared to other 3G services.

The 6282 also has a 1 megapixel camera, which is a slight step down compared to the 6280's 2 megapixel unit. That makes some sense when you consider that Cingular is also expected to launch the N80 around the same time as the 6282. The N80 and 6282 are both relatively high-end 3G slider phones, so having a 1 megapixel camera on the 6282 helps lower cost and further differentiate it from the N80. Shutterbugs will probably want the N80 anyway, which is expected to have one of the first 3 megapixel cameras on a U.S. phone.

The 6282 also sports some slightly different styling compared to the 6280. Specifically, the keys have a smoother, more rounded look. The 4-way direction pad looks flush with the rest of the keys, like it might be hard to feel by touch alone. But when I tried it, I had no problems with it. The main keys on the front are all more than large enough to avoid any risk of pressing the wrong one, and the outer edge of the direction pad is raised just enough that you can feel it with your finger. Those with very large fingers might find the center select key and the number keys a bit small, but they should be perfect for those with average hands.

The phone has a good slide mechanism with a spring assist so it "snaps" open and closed. It's not quite as solid-feeling or powerful as the one on the 8801, but it the quality seems fine.

The 6282 is quite lightweight for a 3G phone with the features it has. Unfortunately, that gives it a size-to-weight ratio that might make it feel "cheap" to some people. It's just a mental thing, though; all parts of the 6282 in fact feel quite high-quality.

One very impressive feature of the 6282 is the ability to capture VGA-resolution video. VGA is 640 x 480 pixels, which is as good or better than standard-definition television. Most camera phones can only record at QCIF resolution (176 x 144), and ones that can record at QVGA (320 x 240) or CIF (352 x 288) are considered good.

QuickTime format

I tried the VGA video capture, and was impressed with its quality (check it out for yourself above). Unfortunately, the still photo quality left a lot to be desired, but of course it was a pre-release version, so it's possible the final version could be great.

Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.

This forum is closed.

This forum is closed.

Log In  or  Register

Forgot password

By registering, you agree to our Terms of Use.
We value your privacy and will never share your email address. (full privacy policy)