Nokia 6126 / 6131 / 6133
Phone Scoop Review
Sep 8, 2006 by Eric Lin
An in-depth review of Nokia's new flagship feature phone. Find out how this stylish GSM clamshell stacks up. Updated with a video review. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
The Best Phone I Have Ever Owned
This is by and far the best phone I have ever owned and I have owned a bunch. I am on T-mobile in California and unlike some of the other unlocked phones everything works!
Pros:
1. Huge inner and large outer COLOR screens
2. Reception second to none
3. Very loud headphone speaker
4. Great speaker phone
5. The best voice dialing
6. Push to open is great
7. Solid, well built construction
8. Great menu system
9. Awesome MWI system. Outer display flashes
Cons:
1. I have not found a way to turn on outer display without hitting an outside button and turning on either the volume or camera. That doesn't make it convenient to check the time.
The con is minor compared to all the great features this phone has. I would highly recommend this phone.
Motorola should learn from Nokia
This is a fabulous phone with all the bells and whistles. The greatest thing about this phone is that it is quad band, and holds a signal like its life depends on it. We were in a structure. I was using my phone and my friend his Moto V3. Once we went further into the structure the Moto lost the signal, it went dead. The Nokia 6131 not only held the signal, but I was also able to connect to my data to check e-mail.
The other great thing about this phone is its form factor and build quality. It has a great feel in your hand, and the push button release is very handy for opening the flip.
The pros are too many to mention:
Screens (both are very large and crystal clear)
The features endless
The camera is a 1.3 megapixel but great quality
Speaker phone is crisp and loud;
Fantastic signal;
Many many other features (MP3 etc.)
Add memory
Cons:
I am unable to get the Voice Mail icon to operate correctly with Cingular (I am not sure if its software or network problems). I don't mind because I check voice mail often as it is. But someone else may think its an important feature. That's the only reason I am giving it a number less than 5.0
Nokia 6133 (T-Mobile)
Just transitioned from Cingular to T-Mobile and picked up this 6133. I have had Nokia phones for the last 4 years and think their menus are better than Motorola. This phone is awesome..tons of features.
GOOD: reception; speakerphone; HQ main and mini displays; fm radio; mp3 player; camera; flip feature; 2GB micro card (God who cares about having to remove the battery cover..could you be any more lazy); bluetooth.
NOT SO GOOD: T-mobile overlay. I got my faves and they layer some t-mobile crap over the Nokia platform and disabled infrared and don't allow mp3 as ring tones. Probably did some other stuff I have not figured out yet. Read complaints about battery life: but the more I recharge it and let it rundown, the better it is getting.
SUGGESTIONS: use the power saver; turn off "active standby" (a gimmicky battery waster); use the 6133 primarily as a phone(stop photographing stuff and listening to music and playing with the colorful menus)and the battery will last as well as most other phones out there.
Also, T-Mobile will unlock it after 90 days (not sure what that accomplishes but will do it just the same). All in all, a tight little feature packed phone with a brilliant inner display and great tactile feel.
Nokia 6133 Tmobile
I just got my nokia 6133 a week ago and I love it. Its very sleek looking and slim. About the mp3 issue for the ringtone its no big deal just convert the mp3 to wma and you are ready to set it up as your ringtone. It has a very loud ringtone and the screen is awesome, 16 million colors wow!
Very good phone - 6126
I just got this phone several days ago and so far I love it. It's definitely a keeper except for the battery.
Pros:
Feels good in my hand
I live the flip button
Good loud ringer
Excellent speakerphone
Good camera
I can listen to my music through a standard bluetooth headset
VERY crisp and clear screen
Overall great phone
Cons: I only have one.
That battery life on this thing is TERRIBLE.
Overall, I've say it's a wonderful phone. I'm definitely keeping it. I love everything about this phone except for the battery life. Which I knew coming in from reading the reviews, but I didn't expect to have to charge it every night (which is partly due to have very weak reception in my work).
The battery life is the only thing that kept this phone from a full 5 stars.
Better than most
Great phone! Better than most out there with the same feature-packed right at, or below a hundred bucks!
Battery life will mostly be dependent on the first couple of charging cycles given to the new phone and how its used of course, just like all the other phones out there.
A conditioned battery is a longer lasting battery.... :-]
Overall great... but a warning!!
I am an AVID Nokia user and just upgraded from a really old (but loved) 6120 to the 6126 w/ Cingular/AT&T in Athens GA. (btw.. the Cingular shop on the East side is AWESOME!! Do NOT go to the big one near the mall!)
The rep warned me about the battery life due to the highly active screen - he was right. Dismal... but here is the surprise: as a dedicated user of Nokia... I can use the same chargers and accessories, right? NO. This phone changed its power cord insert size and NOTHING on the retail market can be used w/ it!! AAAAGGGHHH!!! I have bought 2 chargers and neither work.. even though they say "For ALL Nokia models". They mean ALL but the 6126!! The same thing happened w/ the Southwing Bluetooth earpiece.. I am trying #2 of that one today!!??
Besides that... great phone, great reception, great features etc...
Better than RAZR or SIDEKICK in my opinion
Yes this is a nice phone, very little compact device with image editing, MP3, video, camera and voice dialing.
PRO
-Video is neat with the different effects of color that can be chosen.
-very clear when using a blue-tooth headset.
-GRRRREAT LOL push to flip open button.
--up to 30 minute video with memory card.
CONS
-very confusing at first.
-a little pricey.
-little slippery so be careful.
Unlocked 6126 a good way to go
I've had an unlocked Nokia 6126 purchased from Amazon for about a week and a half now. I've been very happy with it for the most part.
I am using this phone on Cingular primarily in the Washington, DC area. No Voicemail Indicator issues - it worked just fine here and when I was traveling to the Rockies last week. I'm using MP3 and MIDI files for ringtones with no problems.
I've used the phone briefly on T-Mobile with no issues either.
Good sound quality. Good reception and call holding. Phone feels solidly built. The interface is very good as is typical for Nokia. SE HBH-608 Bluetooth headset works fine. Good Bluetooth data transfer speeds.
Camera is average - it does better the more light there is. If you *think* it's dark - put it in Night Mode. Battery life is about what I had with a previous Nokia 6682 - it's okay but it's not outstanding. This is a recharge it every-other-day phone. Sony Ericsson seems to have Nokia beat here (I could go 3-4 days with an SE phone).
Syncs reliably with Apple iSync via Bluetooth with some minor hacking on the Mac side. iSync puts Addresses in the Notes field - but this is an Apple problem common with other Series40 3rd edition phones.
Pros:
Nice Nokia Interface and Features
Good Signal Golding
Good Sound Quality
Feels solid, smooth flip action
Cons:
Battery Life on the shorter side
Average camera
Different......
I have been using this phone for almost a week and so far so good. But coming from a Motorola it does take some getting used to.
Pros:
-Good reception
-Clear displays
-Nice to be able to customize the menu the way you want it
-Push to open flip works well - hope it doesn't wear out over time
-Music player works great
-Nice upgrade compared to the 6102i
-Easy to text on
Cons
-If the keypad is not locked (which this can be turned on for automatic) and press the front flip down it will press buttons on the inside
-Cannot push a button on the side to make the front display light up
-Battery life sucks majorly!!
-Camera quality is not what I expected and is not quite as good as other models with the 1.3 megapixel
Overall nice compact phone with lots of options. My main con is the battery life and the camera quality. If this is not an issue for you than it is a great phone.
