Nokia 6230
Average Ratings
the best phone ever made!
When I went to purchase a new phone I did alot of research on different models available and when I came across the 6230 I was blown away. This phone has Bluetooth, infrared (which makes it very easy to print out my pics and inexpensive!), an Mp3 player, FM radio, camera, video, EDGE high speed data download, etc.,etc.,etc. Now that I've had the phone for 2 yrs. I'm still impressed with it. It's small and stylish with easy to customize faceplates and an expandable memory card which most phones are just now coming standard with. The bluetooth feature is much easier to use then most other model phones. The reception is awesome, I can be in a house where noone else can use their phone and I'll still have at least 2 bars of signal (thanks Cingular). My battery just now is starting to lose life but after 2 years of constant use I can't complain. The only 2 things about this phone I don't care for is the middle toggle button (sometimes hard to navigate with it), and the size of the screen. So now that I'm almost due for upgrade and I've started my research over again I know i'm going to have a very hard time finding a phone that even compares.
Love this phone
I have had this phone for about 2 months. I am so happy I purchased it. I bought it off ebay unlocked, popped in my sim card, and away we go. I looked at the Razr and the Moto V551, and this one. I went to user reviews at this site and this phone got rave reviews. It has a lot of pros, The video I can take is awesome, I haven't figured out the camera so much, they come out kinda blurry, i must be doing something wrong.
The only con I have is that is so hard to open the cover
Packed for the Price
Nokia definitely tried to cram every imaginable feature into this phone. The bluetooth, MP3 player, video player,memory card slot, and EDGE support all work great. The screen is sharp for a 40 series phone and has excellent RF and battery performance (about 4 to 5 days with moderate usage), but this phone suffers from random GUI freezes. For some reason the keypad locks up, but the function still functions. I am currently in the process of sending the phone back to Nokia for a firmware update, but other than that, the phone is an excellent choice for any gadget lover.
Average
PROs:
- Small size
- Bluetooth works perfectly
- Camera is okay for phone size
- Good reception
CONs:
- Awful navigation button... takes a lot of getting used to and even still is a problem frequently.
- Awful screen. Not as bad as the lower models, but still very bad for a modern phone. The colors are really poor.
- Doesn't feel great on your ear, the shape didn't fit well and was a little uncomfortable to me.
Good phone with a few problems...
I had this phone for a short period of time and I believe I must've gotten a buggy unit. My phone was Cingular branded with v5.34 firmware. My phone exhibited the same bugs that many users have had with this particular model and firmware, i.e., the continuous scrolling contacts problem along with the phone randomly freezing when left idle.
The RF performance was decent, but nothing extraordinary like most people claim. But again, my phone was probably a bad unit but I'm basing my review on my personal experiences. This little phone is feature packed however. Maybe sometime down the road I'll try out an unbranded 6230b with the latest firmware...
PROS:
*Decent RF (to be expected from a Nokia)
*Tons of features - bluetooth, IR, FM radio, expandable memory, MP3 & AAC support, edge, streaming multimedia support, speakerphone, and so on...
*Best VGA camera quality I've seen so far
CONS:
*Bugs, bugs, bugs....
*128x128 display? You can do better than that Nokia...
*Not so great battery life
I have had this phone..
For over a year. When I got it I was trading in a Nokia 6560. I have been a business phone type of user for a long time and thought the need for a camera was for kids. Well, I was wrong and I have used the video and digital camera a lot. One of the features that Nokia offers is the infrared connection to your laptop. I have recently went to my Cingular dealer to get a new battery for my phone and he offered me a $30 trade in fee for a Razor. I passed and ordered my battery.
PROS:
Good reception and clarity anywhere I use it.
Infrared port
Very durable.
CONS:
Battery could last longer, but what the hell.
Great Phone!
I've had this phone since Aug 05 and I've loved it! It's got all the features you'd ever need on your phone (assuming using it as a phone is you main use). The only problem I had with it is after a while it would start to freeze up and not respond to anything. I replaced it four times, and each phone did the same thing. I'm not sure why it did it, but Nokia has pulled it from the market.
Pros:
-Removable MMC card.
-FM Radio.
-Great reception and clarity.
-Classic Nokia menu layout.
-Loud ringer.
-Speakerphone.
-Bluetooth.
Cons:
-It kept freezing.
-Have to remove the battery to remove the MMC card.
-Hard to see screen in sunlight.
-Menu select button was a pain at first, push the middle of the directional pad, if you have big fingers, a problem.
Overall, I would recommend this phone. I have heard from many other people about the freezing being a problem on this phone, and I'm sure Nokia has too since they have pulled it from the market. It is by far the best phone I have had in years.
If it only worked
I have replaced this phone 5 times in 3 months. When it works it is great! Unfortunately, I've had the address book continue to scroll, and buttons not work at all. The only thing to do is "reboot", by taking out the battery. I can't be opening up the phone every few days. I have been a Nokia customer for over 10 years and this is the only phone I've had a problem with. If they fix this problem, I will go back to it. But I need a phone now, so I've had to go to another phone manufacturer. ;-(
Great Phone (much better than V551)
I am a long time Motorola user. However, after I tried 6230, I will never go back. It has pretty much everything I asked for and more. This phone even makes Cingular look good.
Pros:
1. Great reception (most important as a phone). I replaced my V551 because I could not get much reception in my house. With 6230, I can talk anywhere in the house.
2. Battery: much better than V551 even with Bluetooth turned on and occasional MP3 musics.
3. Light: even lighter than RAZR (3.39 oz vs. 3.42 oz) although it is not as thin as RAZR. But small and light enough for my pocket. As being a guy, thickness is important for me, so I can have it in my pocket.
4. Bluetooth: I have Bluetooth headset, Palm T3, laptop and desktop computers with BT. Connection is solid and very quick. For example, with V551, it takes 1 to 2 seconds to answer a call via BT, but with 6230, the connection is instantaneous
5. MP3 and FM: this is a bonus. With a 1GB MMC, this is my iPod (I know nothing can replace iPod). With a proper headset, you can answer a call as you listen to music (something iPod cannot do). With a little mod to the Nokia headset, you can make an adapter to connect a regular stereo headset and still make a phone call. MP3 and FM sounds good. I have 173 songs and still 20MB left over. My firmware is 5.34 and it recognizes 1GB MMC and all sub-folders.
Cons:
Great phone, but not a perfect one
1. D-Pad: the D-pad is easy to use, but needs little time to get used to.
2. Not a flip phone: I like the flip phone because it protects the screen and prevents accidental pres of buttons. I can lock the buttons, but it is inconvenient to unlock before every use.
3. No regular headphone jack: no 2.5mm jack for cellphone headset, not 3.5mm jack for music headset. You need to buy the Nokia pop-port headsets unless you have a BT headset
I didn't test the camera since it is not that important to me. But, no mirror next to the lens. That means almost impossible to take self portrait.
very pleased!
PRO's:
best phone ive dealt with
Camera/camcorder/voice recorder/mp3 player/bluetooth/32 mb Memory card/able to record conversations/ most importantly it feels like nokia made a phone first then worried about all the other things, which it did a great job of.....but they didnt forget the most important part of a phone.. making phone calls! :)
also pleased in how intuitive navigating through all the above features and for that matter the phone is....
oh yeah....an fm radio (im listening to right now) makes you wonder where nokia puts all this stuff :)
signal strength is exceptional and the best ive seen on a gsm phone....(cingular, WV panhandle)
i was going with either this or the sony s710....i picked up the s710 in the store and it felt to me..huge..but the sony also has a huge screen..it felt that it was a camera first, then hey we should throw a phone in there..i guess its all a tradeoff, but the nokia has more then made up for that with everything else it has, in my opinion
Con's:
yes there are some issues..some more important then others..i cant really think of any except for one..i had heard alot about these
the five way navigation button....i personally have no issues with it but some people find it difficult to press correctly
dark backgrounds make it hard to see the display properly .this i do have some issue with..its not horrible but the only color the words are on the screen is black, they need to have an option where you can change your color of the words on the screen..then the problem would be solved
the back cover is difficult to remove....i really dont see this being that hard at all
the only other issue for me is nokia's propietary data connector..you can get a new earpiece that fits that connector..no 2.5 mm jack .. you can just get a bluetooth earpiece of course..not an issue unless you want to listen to the radio with your headphones.. they make an adaptor to fix just that.. so not a huge deal
