Not everyone needs all the features found on a modern high-end smartphone, and in plenty of cases, paying the extra cost for features that rarely get used will be a waste of money. While Nokia has handsets such as its impressive N97 to compete with the cutting edge smartphones from HTC and Apple, it also has a large selection of cheaper handsets designed to meet the needs of users who would like a large touchscreen device, but have no need for extras such as Wi-Fi or a super-high-megapixel camera.
The Nokia 5230 is a great new model in the Nokia Music Phone range, designed to be ideal as both a personal media player and a phone. One standout feature of the Nokia 5230 is the screen, which is both large at 3.2 inches, and also high-resolution. This makes it ideal for surfing the web, as well as browsing through your music collection. There is a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, so you can keep using your favourite headphones, plus an FM radio.
As well as its media playing capabilities the Nokia 5230 is pretty feature-rich for a mid-range smartphone, with its 2 Megapixel camera that can record video at 30 fps, and a GPS sensor that allows it to work with Ovi Maps. The 5230 has a 3G HSDPA connection for fast downloading of web pages, and the built-in storage can be expanded by up to 16Gb with the use of a MicroSD card.
The speedy 3G connection means a great online browsing experience, making the Nokia 5230 ideal for keeping up to date with your email and social network contacts. The 5230 comes with the new Ovi Maps software, which together with the built-in GPS sensor, provide you with voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, right out of the box, for free. The 5230 can also access the new Ovi store, where you can download extra applications and games for your phone.
If you require a powerful handset that can run the latest mobile games, want a phone that can replace your digital camera, or serve as a portable video player, then the Nokia 5230 may not going to be on your list of candidate handsets. If your needs are more basic, however, then the Nokia 5230 is an excellent mid-range touchscreen smartphone that is definitely worth considering.