Nokia 6220 Classic

Classic is in, and Nokia has been cashing in on this trend for the past few months, unveiling a series of devices tagged with its first generation model numbers, and adding the Classic moniker to it. But there's nothing classic about these devices as they all have undergone vast improvement in their features and functionalities, as we have already seen with earlier models such as the Nokia 6120 Classic and Nokia 6500 Classic. So let's cut to the chase and talk about the next device with the Classic tag, the 6220 Classic.

A Familiar Sight

There are no surprises with the 6220 Classic when it comes to the form factor, which is the all too familiar candy bar design. Exploring further, there's a few changes to the shortcuts on its side profile, like the inclusion of a dedicated button at the top left that links you to the preloaded Nokia Maps 2.0. For memory expandability, you get a hot-swappable microSD slot at the bottom left, and instead of the plastic cover that's held by a flimsy connector, the 6220 Classic uses a plastic hinge which was definitely to our liking. The Volume and Camera buttons are at their standard position on the right, and below, we have the microUSB connector and unfortunately, a 2.5mm AV connector.

Unlike the Nokia N78 that got us riled up over its thin and painful numeric keystrips, the 6220 Classic retains the classic (pun fully intended) 12-key numeric keypad. However, with a lack of tactile feed from the flushed keypad, text got a bit mangled and we made quite a number of typos on the device. All is not lost though, as the five-way navigation pad, coupled with a raised Menu and Clear button, made the interface navigation easy on our fingers.

A New Interface Approach

Similar to the previously launched Nokia N78, the 6220 Classic sports the latest S60 interface, updated to the 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 which has a few tricks up its sleeve with a smoother and better looking interface design. Connectivity options are just as varied, ranging from Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0 and HSDPA. Unsurprisingly, Wi-Fi is not available and it's all for the better due to the lower capacity 900mAh battery that comes with the device. Without the power-draining Wi-Fi connection, the 6220 Classic managed to give us nearly one and a half days of moderate usage of its cellular functions on top of a constantly active Bluetooth connection.

With a 5-megapixel imaging sensor aided by Xenon flash, some might call the 6220 Classic a more affordable alternative to the Nokia N82. We decided to leave that thought aside for the moment, and see how the 6220 Classic fared in the imaging department. Without the aid of the Xenon flash and on macro mode, the colors did not turn out as bright as we had hoped for, but line resolutions gave us some pleasing results, with a reading of 13 and 11 on the vertical and horizontal axis respectively.

Classic Afterthoughts

While you might not get the full suite of functions that's fast becoming a much desired factor for wireless connectivity, it should not be the deciding factor for those who seek a phone that scores well on both the aesthetic and performance level. Though not as well equipped as some of its N-series cousins, the 6220 Classic does perform its job adequately, with strong imaging capabilities to keep itself ahead of the competition. And speaking of competition, we aren't sure if the S$728 price tag (without contract) will be a crowd puller, but couple it with an attractive two-year contract pricing and its 5-megapixel image quality, it should satisfy the crowd that requires more phone and imaging capabilities than wireless connectivity.

source : http://www.hardwarezone.com/