Nokia 5310 Review - Great music phone

The sheer variety of functions available on a modern mobile phone leads one to question the intention of the item, but in the case of the Nokia 5310 there can only be one conclusion – this handset is all about music, and very good in that area it is too.
With its slim casing and stylish design, the lightweight 5310 appeals to the younger generation, and with a fully functional music player and FM radio on board it makes its claim straight away. The 4gb storage is also a boost, and the special ‘Comes with Music’ package provides a full year of unlimited free downloads, making this a phone that promises great value for money to those for whom music is the in thing.
A closer look
Any phone that makes big claims for music capability is getting onto Walkman territory, and the 5310 certainly takes on Sony Ericsson’s best. With a 2 megapixel camera and Bluetooth on board it is not short of functions other than music either, and is a very handy piece of kit indeed.
At less than 10mm thick – very slim for this class of phone – the Nokia has a very purposeful look, and the detailing adds to the stylish appearance. Music keys are prominent and the phone feels good to handle, being sturdy and well built as well as astonishingly thin. The 5310 does not go overboard in the fashion stakes, but it holds nothing back in that it is a simple ad clearly defined while suitably attractive phone.
Back to the music
As we said, the Nokia 5310 is aimed at the music lover, and it carries out that function very well indeed. The phone can incorporate album art and has a play list function, and also an inbuilt equaliser for refining the sound. It comes with a useful built in speaker and also a stereo headset attached by a standard 3.5mm jack. This is something many manufacturers miss out on, and allows the user to use their own choice of headphones if required.
Ease of use is much improved from earlier models thanks to a brand new audio chip; the 5310 is as good as the Walkman range, and the quality is simply superb. The memory present is adequate, but the ability to add a card is also welcome and gives the phone a truly vast capability.
The interesting Comes with Music version that we have already touched on is well worth the extra, as nobody can complain at a years free downloads.
Other functions
While the 5310 is clearly designed with music as its priority, Nokia have not forgotten that it is a phone; it has excellent calling and messaging capability and although there is no 3G connectivity web browsing is facilitated by the Opera Mini Browser – built in – and fast download by EDGE. Java games can be downloaded, and for a mid range phone this one has many impressive plus points in its favour.
Like many phones in this area of the market the major drawback is the battery life, for while Nokia claim twelve days users report that two is more like the norm. This is due to it being designed to use power-sapping features, and there is little way around the problem.
Battery life on phones this thin is always going to be a bugbear, and until makers come up with a magic touch will remain so.
Should I buy one?
Depending on what the priorities of the buyer are it could be that the Nokia 5310 is a shortlist candidate. Let’s face it, it has great looks, it’s very slim, it has a camera and a fantastic music player, and it is very tactile and reportedly reliable. It’s great to use and, in the custom version, comes with a years free downloads of music.
It has few problems associated with it, and must rank among the choices for the music lover who wants a decent camera phone.

Specifications:

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