Nokia 8210

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At its list price of S$799, this phone is somewhat pricey since there are no special features which would help distinguish this from the lower-end Nokia 3210. If pocket-sized mobility rates high on your list, then perhaps the huge difference in price margin would be justified.

A Lady's Phone
The Nokia 8210 is a truly an exercise in mobility, fitting into my (occasionally) tight jean pocket without creating much of a bulge. The flip side is that the phone extends from the user's ear to just below the cheekbone, meaning the microphone embedded at the base of the phone had better be sensitive enough to catch spoken words clearly. Then, too, this phone looks more suitable for women users. On men with large faces, the Nokia 8210 not only looks dwarfed, it makes the men appear to be talking into clenched fists.

Being so tiny also means a proportionately tiny display and minuscule numeric keys. However, the keypad lights up in the dark, which is a nifty touch on the designer's part.

Puzzling Reception
Here's a hiccup that caused us to rate this phone lower than expected. The Nokia 8210 proved inconsistent where reception was concerned. Perhaps this was due to the service provider, but a common flaw observed by users was that while they had no trouble hearing what the other party said on the other end of the line, the other party had some difficulties picking up the reception. In fact, line disruptions were pretty regular and frustrating.

Features Menu Identical To 8850
Since the 8210 was released at almost the same time as the Nokia 8850, it wasn't as much of a surprise to find that both models featured identical user interfaces. This is an advantage for Nokia advocates who can easily switch between phones without having to learn about a new menu again.

Interchangeable Accessories
This also meant interchangeable accessories. On an unlucky day when I had left the travel charger back home, I decided to attempt charging the Nokia 8210 on the 8850's cable. It was a pleasant surprise when this worked. It would appear that Nokia is making its phone accessories "smarter", allowing users to utilize the same Li-ion batteries for the 8850 and 8210 models.

Brand Power
For a price tag of S$799, one would expect WAP features (see the Nokia 7110). However, given the pulling power of the Nokia marque and Singaporeans' love for all things miniaturized, one suspects that cost in this case may not be such a major consideration in the buying decision.