Nokia 5310 XpressMusic
Despite its less-than-impressive camera performance, the 5310 XpressMusic is still one of the best-equipped music-phones in the market today.
| The good | Slim, chic design; good sound reproduction; onboard 3.5mm audio jack; dedicated music controls; A2DP Bluetooth stereo; microSD card slot; crisp image quality. |
|---|---|
| The bad | Slow camera performance; average battery life; no 3G/HSDPA. |
CNET Editors' Rating
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CNET Editors' rating
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Rating breakdown
Design
There's something about the 5310 that makes you want to pick it up to use. It may not be the most attractive-looking or the thinnest handset you can find in the market today. But the combination of a 9.9mm-slim profile, bright color lines (red or blue) and a rather simple yet trendy design somehow makes the phone likeable for most people on first impressions. It also helps that once you pick it up, it's got comfortable and solid feel.Even though the exterior casing is predominantly plastic, there are no creaky parts or plasticky-feeling keys on the phone. In fact, most of the buttons are responsive except for the "+" side of the volume toggle on the left edge. Those with larger digits may also take a while to get used to the five-way navigation key. We found the dedicated music buttons on the left panel of the screen very convenient for quick access to song playback.
Many thin phones these days use a single port for charging, headset and data transfer. This usually means you cannot do more than one task at anytime. The 5310, however, comes with three individual ports onboard for each of the functions, including one for data transfer via microUSB. We were pleasantly surprised to find a port for a 3.5mm audio jack, especially on a sub-10mm slim phone. This must surely be one feature that will win the hearts of music junkies who like the freedom of using their own earphones.
On the back of the handset, you can find the 2-megapixel camera and two tiny speaker slits. The camera lens juts out slightly, so extra care will have to be taken to avoid scratches and cracks. There are no LED lights or self-portrait mirrors, so it's a pretty basic feature-set for the camera.
The microSD card slot is located under the battery cover. This means you have to remove the battery cover in order to access the card. Fortunately, the slot itself is located beside the SIM card slot and not underneath the battery, so there is no need to remove the battery as well.
Features
The Nokia 5310 may not be the most feature-packed cellular in the XpressMusic series, but not many handsets out there can claim to offer a more complete music-phone package. In addition to the 3.5mm audio jack, the 5310 also offers A2DP Bluetooth stereo for wireless connectivity to compatible stereo speakers and headsets.An onboard microSD card slot accepts up to 4GB capacities, ensuring you won't run out of storage space for your music, videos and photos. (Nokia bundles a 512MB card with the 5310.) Even if you run out of songs to listen, there's always the FM stereo radio.
The onboard music player supports various song formats and can display album art, too. It synchronizes with Windows Media Player 10 and 11. The presence of Windows Media Digital Rights Management (WMDRM) encryption means users can play songs purchased from the Nokia Music Store when it is launched here next year.
We found the 2-inch QVGA TFT display to be crisp in its image quality with realistic colors, thanks to a 16 million-color support. Activating the flight mode allows the phone to be used without its cellular functions.
Performance And Battery Life
We didn't experience any dropped calls or poor reception when testing the 5310 in the downtown area in Singapore. The speakerphone volume was sufficiently loud and clear. Music playback quality was excellent, whether it was via the onboard speakers or the supplied earphones, though it's our fervent wish that Nokia had thought to bundle a more comfortable pair of earbuds. According to the company's fact sheet, the 5310 is equipped with a dedicated audio chip, which may be one of the reasons for the better sound quality.The new Series 40 3rd Edition user interface may look a little more complicated at first, especially when you compare it to earlier Series 40 phones. But it is really not too difficult to master. Once you get the hang of it, it actually makes it easy to access commonly used features on the handset.
The 5310 is rated for 5 hours of talktime and 12.5 days on standby. During tests, our review unit lasted an average of two days with moderate usage, including occasional music playback during the daily commute and playing games.
About the author
A Back to the Future fan, Reuben Lee secretly hopes the flux capacitor works so he can go back in time to tell the younger him to invest in Google shares. This former engineering graduate stumbled from varsity straight into games and tech writing just for the fun at CNET Asia. He found it so much fun, he stayed on for the next 11 years. You can also catch this Senior Editor for chats on all things Japan, the manga One Piece, Star Wars, Liverpool and football, and racing games.
Latest comments
Pros: al most all
Cons: not at all
Summary: well this is my dream mobile and i m luicky to have this as my best freind
love you nokia 5310 very much
Pros: It has good sound quality and small
Cons: Drops calls alot, bad reception, slow camera
Summary: I had to return this phone 4 times
I bought this phone because it was small and the music capability features and it's cute. What isn't so cute about it is I had to return it 4 times to the manufacturer for dropping calls constantly and losing reception. This cost me $40 shipping and handeling and they still sent back a phone that does the same thing. I gave up. I would never recommend this phone to anyone who actually wants to have a decent conversation with anyone.
Pros: Slim, stylish, shik, to the point, light
Cons: Slow camera, no flash, not loud enough
Summary: Stylish & good for the price
The phone is really stylish and shik. It easily fits in your pocket but since it's too slim and light you have to be careful not to drop it. but even though i have dropped it so many times, it's working pretty good! The accessories i think are to the point, not too many, not too little. The camera is very slow when saving and unfortunately has no flash. It's good for the price and for people who want a normal phone. A wierd thing is that it writes the senders name when you recieve an sms or a missed call which doesn't help with privacy issues. And since it's an XpressMusic I expect it to have a vaster range of volume(low and high). but since I don't need it to be loud i am ok with it. Fortunately it doesn't have any kind of plasticky and cheap feel than many other phones do. It seems that i gave more Cons than Pros but then again rated it high. it's because it's good for the price and the shortcommings are not of real importance to me.
Pros: low price
Cons: treadstead
Summary: Nokia 5000 - EGSM 900/1800, MP3, Java MIDP 2.0, 1.3M Pixels, FM Radio, Bluetooth, Dictionary
Hip Color Fun: Create more, play more. More features to enrich your life and help you express yourself. Features Capture images and video with a 1.3 megapixel camera and admire your moments on a 2" QVGA display Listen to your music or the radio while on the move with an integrated music player and FM radio Record your favourites from FM radio (available in selected regions only) Share images, videos, and ringtones via Bluetooth or GPRS* connections Keep in contact with SMS, MMS, email, and Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging Package Content 1*Nokia 5000 1*Nokia Battery BL-4B 1*Nokia Stereo Headset WH-101 1*Nokia Compact Charger AC-3 1*User Guide Specification Operating Frequency EGSM 900/1800 Display 65k color, 320 x 240 TFT pixels, 2" QVGA User interface Series 40 user interface Memory functions Up to 11MB user memory Imaging 1.3 megapixel camera Connectivity Bluetooth 2.0 Browsing WAP 2.0 xHTML Internet browser over TCP/IP, Opera Mini 4 Internet Browser, Dynamo Easy Flash II connector, Secure content download with Open Mobile Alliance Digital Rights Management technology (OMA DRM 1.0) Data transfer GPRS, EGPRS, DARP (downlink advanced receiver performance) for enhanced network efficiency Talk time Up to 4 hours 45 minutes Standby time Up to 336 hours Color Cyber Green, Neon Blue, Perfect Size (LxWxH) 10.6cm x 4.6cm x 1.1cm Package Gross Weight 0.750kg Package Size (LxWxH) 25cm x 20cm x 8cm Package Type Gift Box
Pros: Good Treble sound,Good Display,Good user Interface.
Cons: Distortion is very high when setting high bass.Very Very poor camera!display brightness is low.
Summary: This is what we call a music phone!
It is a very good phone , when you consider it as an Entertainment phone,except its camera.
Pros: mmmm
Cons: bad side of n5310
Summary: 5310's review
5310 has a good music player,but batteries are easy to low bat. it has a 2megapixel camerra and it has 4x camerra zoom.
Pros: Good Music, Series40v5 OS, External Music Controls.
Cons: Small Display, No LED/XENON Flash, No AutoFocus, Poor camera.
Summary: Good phone with Poor Camera...
Its a good slim Phone from nokia, it beats W880 with its low price tag.. BTW, all users who are experiencing low sound should UPGRADE their firmware by using Nokia Software Updater.. It will also solve Slow Video Recording and Restart Problem.. Regards..
Pros: Slim, Good Looking, Radio, MP3
Cons: Cant hear it! POOR SOUND LEVEL!
Summary: Would be a great phone if you could HEAR it!!
After several days of using the phone, i have sent it back. The sound levels are below acceptable. (yes, i have turned it up to the maximum!) I have missed so many calls, if you have your phone in your pocket, you cant hear it ring.. if you play MP3's you can barely hear it also. I have seen many other reviews with the same concern, so in my opinion it is a fault that will affect all 5310's. Its a shame, cause otherwise it would be a terrific phone. DONT BUY IT, Look for something else.. My next option was a 6500 but it has no radio! Is there a perfect phone out there?? I want a Nokia, Slim, Classic, MP3, Radio! ... ??
Pros: Slick design, excellent sound quality
Cons: volume key not comfortable to use
Summary: mp3 player with mobile fone
XpM, thats how I like to call it.. excellent sound quality, can compete with ipod nano. Thin and firm built and the best feature is 3.5mm audio jack. Addition of flight mode is very good. Cons: Locking key pad also locks dedicated audio keys, had to disable auto lock. Memory card is under the cover, thankfully not below the battery and SIM, but still its a pain to take it out. A small cut on the battery cover is all it needs. Volume keys are not comfortable to use. Dedicated volume keys for music player is missing on right side.. Overall enjoying it..
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