Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have had the phone for some days now. It is a good phone overall. However, it seems nokia could have gone the extra mile to make the phone much better. Most people should love it, however some drawbacks might make it terribly frustating to some.
Some pros and cons -
Pros -
1. Good reception/phone quality. Typical of nokia. No problems here
2. Intuitive phone user interface. Again typical Nokia UI. This one has nokia 'S40' interface. Phone is very responsive, and has no sluggishness that was found in some earlier nokia models.
3. Good build quality. Slider is robust and smooth (No loose hinges). Buttons are not as flat as those found on some sliders, thus misdialing should not usually occur. External 'music' buttons can be easily felt by the fingers when phone is inside the pocket, and are hard enough to prevent unintentional pressing.
4. Clear and bright display.
5. Nice assortment of supported bluetooth profiles. Has stereo bluetooth (a2dp).
6. Comes with 1GB card.
7. Music quality is very good (however some noise issues may be experienced - see 'cons')
8. Phone comes with adapter to use regular 3.5mm headphones.
9. External speaker is very loud, and very clear for a phone.
Cons -
1. Music interface is highly frustating. Very difficult to make a custom playlist on the phone. If you want to combine different songs into a playlist (on the phone), the only way I found is to add each of those different songs to 'favorites'. Then open the 'favorites' list and then save as playlist. Even then song order may be lost. Each song from the favorites list then has to be deleted so that a new playlist can be made.
2. Music can be synced on a PC using 'yahoo jukebox' or nokia PC suite software. Yahoo jukebox is a joke, and very confusing to use. 'Nokia PC suite' is a better option, but you may come across occasional bugs in the software. You can also simply drag music into the 'music' folder on the memory card, but you cannot create playlists through the computer that way. Mac users only have this last option to put music on the phone, and so they cannot 'sync' music but just upload it.
3. When the headphone adapter is used (for the standard 3.5 mm jack), there is a slight but definite background noise (a slight hissing) that creeps in. This is not there when the provided earphones are used (which plug in directly into 2.5mm jack). And so though the music playback quality is excellent, the adapter is far from perfect. The provided headphones are functional but stock earbuds. Audiophiles may not like their options in either case. I exchanged the adapter at the store after a few days to see if my adapter was the problem, but the noise still remained. I shall get my phone exchanged to see if only my unit has this problem. Note - inline microphone cannot be used with the 3.5mm adapter.
4. If you are using the phone with the provided headset, and you pull out the headset pin "slowly" (to switch to talking through the phone directly), the call sometimes disconnects. Somehow if you do not pull out the headset jack in a clean swift motion, the pin grazes the inner leads causing the call to disconnect. I realized this problem after my calls disconnected whenever i when tried to pull out the jack using just one hand. I went back to the store and pulled out the headset pin 'slowly' on every phone on display. Sure enough, almost every call disconnected. Even the t-mobile floor rep was surprised to see this, and lodged a trouble case with t-mobile.
If you are careful and take out the pin swiftly, then it never happens.
5. Battery life is very disappointing. The phone has the same battery as in older Nokia phones. However with the large display, bluetooth and music playback, the talktime suffers greatly. Some users might find themselves not using bluetooth for longer periods just to save some battery charge. You cannot afford to forget charging this phone at night.
6. Voice dialing is a joke on this phone. You cannot save your own voice tag. A text to speech algorithm tries to match your voice with the address book entries and fails miserably. It is guaranteed to misdial almost every time.
Other thoughts - Camera is 1.3 MP, and nothing good or bad about it. You can find better and worse cameras on phones.
Mac users can buy isync plugin from [...] for a full featured phonebook and calender sync over bluetooth.
EDIT - My friend bought a 5300 and her phone too has the problem of background hiss through the 3.5mm headphone adapter. So, its there in all phones.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Nokia 5300 XpressMusic - Cellular phone - GSM - slider
The Nokia 5300 XpressMusic phone, which features a stylish slider design and can hold up to 1,500 music tracks, keeps the focus on advanced music portability. With dedicated external music keys, stereo Bluetooth, and a memory card slot supporting up to 2 GB of memory, the 5300 offers a comprehensive feature set at an accessible price. Never before has it been as easy or affordable for consumers to own a mobile phone that also offers a first-rate music experience that compares favorably to any stand-alone music player. Other key features include a QVGA display, speakerphone, a 1.3-megapixel camera, EDGE data support, and flashlight. It's the perfect companion to T-Mobile service. It also supports T-Mobile's great myFaves service.
DesignThe 5300's slider design features a large display that sports an impressive 240 x 320 resolution and support for over 200,000 colors. Even with the slider closed, the 5300 features great music and call control. There are music control keys on the left side and volume adjustment keys on right side of the phone, while a stylish five-way center button resides just below the display. Slide the phone open to reveal its easy to use backlit keypad. The phone's 1.3-megapixel camera lens is discreetly housed on the left edge of the phone. A built-in mini-USB 2.0 port is provided, as well as Bluetooth stereo headset compatibility. The built-in hot-swappable microSD memory expansion slot is compatible with cards up to 2 GB of capacity.
Calling FeaturesThe 5300 supports polyphonic ringtones, as well as MP3-based ringers so you can load your favorite sound effects and music clips to alert you of incoming calls. Plus, with the phone's picture and ringer ID functions, you can assign pictures and ringtones to your most common callers. For when you need to be discreet, there's also a vibrate ringer mode. Meanwhile, voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family, and associates as easy as saying their names. The 5300's built-in contacts list and phone book will keep track of all your contacts with its ample storage capacity. Lastly, there's an integrated speakerphone for talking hands-free, and the phone's Bluetooth connectivity means that your favorite Bluetooth headset is fully compatible (for music listening, you can still use your favorite wired headphones with the Nokia 2.5mm AV connector, sold separately).
Other calling features include compatibility with T-Mobile's myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts--on any network, even landlines--without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves.
Messaging, Internet and ToolsThe 5300 is a mobile messaging and Internet powerhouse. With support for the MMS (multimedia messaging service), the phone can send picture and text messages, and when coupled with the phone's powerful camera, MMS opens up great opportunities for robust messaging. The phone ships with a built-in email client that supports POP3, IMAP, and SMTP protocols.
Getting on the Internet is easy with the 5300. It supports the GPRS data protocol, as well as the high-speed EDGE wireless data service. When used with your carrier data plan and the phone's USB or Bluetooth data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. The phone is bundled with a mobile Web browser, too, offering hearty Web browsing abilities right on the phone. Meanwhile, T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit--a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
The 5300 supports PC synchronization via USB or Bluetooth, which means you can manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC. Nokia's PC Suite application makes this process a breeze. A number of handy software tools are bundled with the 5300 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar, a to-do list, and an alarm clock.
Imaging and Entertainment The Nokia 5300 can hold over 100 albums worth of music (approximately 1500 tracks) on a 2 GB microSD card. Thanks to dedicated music keys, you can easily control the playback of music while simultaneously enjoying other functions such as texting, browsing, or taking pictures. For an even louder groove, you can plug in your favorite headphones or external speakers with a 3.5mm headset jack by simply connecting them to the 5300 using the inbox adapter. The 5300 can swiftly transfer albums and music collections to and from a PC using a standard micro USB connector or Bluetooth. When traveling, you can use the Nokia Wireless Audio Gateway (sold separately) to stream music collections and favorite playlists wirelessly to any supported stereo from the 5300.
No one-hit wonder, the Nokia 5300 also comes with the latest messaging functions complemented by a 1.3-megapixel camera. The camera features a selftimer, an 8x digital zoom, and can be used to capture video and view video playback. You can even view video playback in landscape mode, and the volume keys double as zoom keys when the camera mode is activated. And don't forget about the games! The phone supports Java gameplay and other Java-based applications.
The 5300 also sports an airplane mode feature, which allows the user to safely use the non-wireless functions of a phone (such as music, games, or organizer functions) on an airplane during flight.
Vital Statistics The Nokia 5300 weighs 3.76 ounces and measures 3.64 x 1.90 x .81 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.20 hours of digital talk time, up to 223 hours of digital standby time, and up to 12 hours of music playback time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
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