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Nokia 3110 Classic

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By Frank Lewis, CNET.co.uk
Oct 10, 2007

As the 'Classic' tag at the end of this phone's name indicates, this is a traditional no-nonsense handset from Nokia aimed at those who want a phone that's simple to use and has decent battery life. The handset is available SIM free or on Pay As You Go for around £90, so it doesn't cost the earth either. Despite this, Nokia hasn't been able to resist throwing in a few surprising extras.

Editors' note:

This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.co.uk. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some other products or telcos in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.

Strengths

Nokia's phones have long had a reputation for being easy to use and this tradition has been carried over to the 3110. For the most part it conforms to the classic Nokia menu layout so anyone who's used one of the company's phones before will feel right at home. Nokia has also taken advantage of the phone's chunkier size by kitting it out with larger than usual buttons, which helps to make texting a breeze.

The phone manages to hang on to a good signal even in areas where reception isn't the best and the call quality is also excellent. The speakerphone mode also works particularly well and the battery life is good, as you'll get around 4 hours of talk time out of it.

When it comes to connectivity you're spoiled for choice. The phone has both Bluetooth and infrared support to take care of your wireless needs and there's a mini-USB port at the base of the handset. However, to use this you'll have to purchase your own USB lead and download the free PC Suite software from the Nokia website.

Perhaps surprisingly, the 3110 also has decent music features. There's an onboard FM radio with good reception and also neat music playing applications. It can play songs in popular formats such as MP3, AAC and WMA, although you'll have to invest in a microSD card for storing your tunes, as there isn't one included with the phone.

Weaknesses

Most phones these days are becoming smaller and thinner, but with its bulky frame, the 3110 goes against the grain. On the plus side this gives it the advantage of larger buttons that are ideal for texting, but it also means the phone looks distinctly old fashioned, especially next to super trim, low cost rivals like the Sagem my150X.

Also, although the 3110 does have a camera, it's not a very good one. It has a lowly 1.3-megapixel resolution, which makes photos look washed out. It also lacks a flash so it's pretty much useless for taking indoor shots in dimly lit conditions.

We can understand these issues, but what we find harder to fathom is Nokia's decision to ship the handset with mono headphones, despite the fact that it has a built-in music player. It seems like madness because when we tried the phone's music player with a stereo headset from a Nokia 5200, the playback quality was actually very good.

Conclusion

There's very little to get excited about with the 3110 Classic. At around £90, it's designed to appeal to those people who find all the bells and whistles on the latest handsets annoying rather than tempting and on that front it does the job nicely.

The large buttons and clearly laid out menus make it very easy to use and it also has a strong battery life. It's just a shame Nokia hasn't included stereo headphones to let users make the most of its surprisingly good music features.