Nokia rests on laurels, launches 6700, 6303, and 2700 classic handsets
By Thomas Ricker 
posted January 29th 2009 3:40AM
posted January 29th 2009 3:40AM
Nokia just launched three new handsets said to "build on the formula that made Nokia the world leader in mobile phones." The threesome includes the new 6700 classic (pictured) that continues the legacy of the Nokia 6300, a phone that "topped all sales records for a mid-range mobile phone" back in 2006 according to the tall slender cats from Espoo. As such, don't expect any fancy-pants software or touchscreen novelties here -- the "slim" 6700 classic (pre-tax €235 / about $311) plays it straight as a small-screened candybar with a 5 megapixel camera, aGPS navigation, and "high-speed" data access undoubtedly of the HSPA variety. Nokia has the nerve to call the 2.2-inch display on the (€135) 6303 classic, "large," but makes up for that assery with the inclusion of supposed "excellent" battery performance, a 3.5-mm audio jack, and aGPS with Nokia Maps. Bringing up the rear is the (€65) Nokia 2700 classic touting 2GB of on-board memory plus memory card expansion, a 2 megapixel camera, and full integration with Nokia's Ovi suite of services, natch. All are expected to ship before June. Hey, Nokia, we understand your quest for mid-market domination, but with market share in decline and your unlaunched, flagship N97 receiving a lukewarm response at announcement (think Palm Pre by comparison)... might we suggest looking forward, not back?
In other words "the same old thing, repackaged"
They're all starting to look the same.
This is like blaming Honda for still building Accords and Toyota manufacturing Camrys. Guess what? LOTS of people buy them and they bring huge profit to the companies. So, get a clue, knuckleheads (especially that igadget "journalist").
That looks like an excellent phone for people who actually mostly use their phones to call with, not do other things. You can certainly say what you want about Nokia phones but one thing they do supremely well and that is phone calls.
For many people there is no substitute for the good old hardware phone keys, the out-of-the-box voice dialing with actual voice recognition that my previous Nokia N-series did was uniformly excellent and this thing apparently adds some really nice touches like the 3.5 mm earphone plug and built in GPS too.
Sure, personally I now use a HTC Touch HD, but that's mainly because I am one of those who do use their phone heavily for computing tasks rather than calling - but I wouldn't hesitate to call a Nokia like the one pictured here the better phone. Not the better all-round pocket computing device, not by a long shot, but for pure voice applications it still is a great design and form factor.
However, I absolutely agree that Nokia needs to create a truly compelling high-end device sooner rather than later.
I think Engadget's criticism is unwarranted. Part of Nokia's business is the good old talking phone, and they make money for the company. Diversification is a good for a company as specialists are the first to go in any crisis if their niche dies. For Apple, they are diversified into digital music and computing. For Nokia, bread and butter handsets provide its safe revenue stream that allows it to sustain ups and downs. Not everything needs to be a smartphone - the 5800 and E71 are quite decent as it is.
The criticism here that Nokia is in big trouble and needs to launch something to save itself from the Pre (and others) is quite silly and I don't really see the part where the reception to the N97 is "lukewarm" - people were indeed fawning over the Pre, but I see others just as crazy about the N97. But of course, Americans do tend to be less excited Nokias less than internationals since the number of users in the USA and marketing is much more limited.
And cr0ft, what do you think is lacking from Nokia's high-end?
Is it the Symbian OS? I just switched from a Tilt to a E71 and I'm finding it decent, though e-mailing is no where as good as I thought it would be. The N97 has more features than its competition on paper except the screen resolution...
God I want that phone bad. Honestly those phones look really good. Being able to do some basic pda functions and then some, while still retaining a sleek cell phone look is what gets me. Honestly, I can't wait till the free phones look like that >.>
Nokia have rested on their laurels since the original N95! Shocking build quality and software issues on most of their handsets these days, I work for one of the big UK networks/carriers and I have to say Nokia are the worst for it. They can't keep up anymore, the N96 is second rate, and the 5800 would have been a hit maybe 1year - 6months ago. Maybe theyre focusing more on the North American market. Just another mehhhhhhhhh phone from Nokia
The N97 will be a revolutionary device in Nokia's lineup, I can tell you that. I'm really looking forward to it. It could be my next phone in a year or two. The N96 though was not needed. It is an N95 8GB with more memory, and smoother edges. That's it.
aGPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, 5mp camera - why couldn't they do this 2/3 years ago. They would have whizzed the market.
Perfect basic phone.
Looks very nice. This is obviously aimed at a different market demographic than us. Not everyone needs to have huge large touchscreens, you know.
Yep, and when buying a phone like this Nokia is the way to go because they are very reliable in this simple form of phone also Sony Ericsson is. It is not that Nokia sucks at the complicated phones its just competition is better and the N73/N95 were quite buggy phones.
Agree. I'd love one of these as a backup phone. The 6700 looks superbly delicious.
i'd rather have a huge large enormous gigantic touch screen.
This entire week I was forced to use a Nokia classic (don't remember the model name), because my SE C905 was in for repair (bugged software). Never again shall I repeat such a mistake! The phone was awful! Putting aside the horribly un-intuitive and illogical interface the plain design of the handset and the cheap build quality, the phone itself restarted more times than my bugged C905! Thank god I got my phone back working perfectly.
Nokia, thank you for further discouraging me from buying your handsets!
Then go back to Esato and tell yourself and the others there that SE is so much better, fanboy!
Looks like a 5310 Xpressmusic without the music keys and with a better camera. Kinda like it.
I have to say well done Nokia. These phones are simple, neat, and sleek. With the overall economic landscape changing peoples mindset from excessiveness to measured, these phone really hit the mark. Now if Apple are smart they will bring out their iPhone nano to target this same demographic.
i suppose there's always going to be a market for "normal" mobile phones
Ugh, no...
Dumbphones if you will...
I like the look.
But yea, some new insides please. Move forward Nokia.
I own a Nokia 3120 Classic, which is very similar to this, and it is by far the best phone I've ever had. As a person who uses the phone as a phone, not an MP3 Player/Camera/Calendar/Vibrator it fits me perfectly. Battery life is superb (Only needs charging every couple of days), sound quality is great and the interface is simple and easy to use.
Even though I don't really use it, the little 2 MP camera on it boots quickly and takes fairly crisp pictures. I'm hoping it would come in handy if I witness a crime or something, but that hasn't happened yet. :P
Dear Mr Ricker,
seriously, do you understand the concept of "mid-end" devices? Any idea what that means? If so, why the snarky post? They're excellent PHONES, at very competitve prices, that's undeniable.
Completely agree.
It's fine if all you folks at Engadget HQ have a boner for the iPhone, but if you're going to pretend to be a news site, try to sound more like journalists and less like marketing execs.
I don't like it when anyone else other than Chris Zizzler does the mobile posts :I
I've always been a fan of Nokia devices, their upper segment has been lacking however, so I was forced to go with a HTC Touch Pro, but should Nokia ever release a competing device, I would gladly return. But if all they can do for carrier subsidies is this and the E62, I won't be returning. The biggest problem in North America is that they have hardly any carrier subsidies for their "high end" devices. While I remember my 6256i on verizon, and Nokia pretty much saying "piss off" to carrier restrictions (Nokia interface, not verizons craptastic one on EVERY other phone at the time, full bluetooth OBEX, etc), I think to myself why has Nokia not been at the forefront, and then it hits me, carriers don't like being told to piss off... Work with the carriers to get better subsidies (for christ's sake, atleast offer a PHONE on their network!!) and maybe you will gain market share again instead of losing it. That said, I an a HUGE fan of candybar phones. I hate flips, and sliders always feel flimzy (even the Touch Pro). The E61i was perfect Nokia, just plain perfect. Your N95 was AMAZING....3 years ago. Get with it!!!
As a long time Nokia user I went from N95 to now E66, but I think it will be my last for at least a year after that. Nokia has nothing on their portfolio in the high end anymore barring that horrid N96 which is a real joke.
Obviously stupid pro iPhone bias here or just a plain lack of understanding of mobile phones and their market.
I don't know, has anyone seen a phone so thin and tiny packing GPS and a 5MP camera with dual LED flash?
Do you realize that the 6700's hardware features are a first for dumbphones?
Do realize that $311 is a steal for the 6700 considering that if it came to the US with carrier subsidy it would be $99 and will not require you to get raped paying $30 a month for data but $15 instead. Multiply out $30x24 and see what you're really paying for your jesusphone.
errr no they're not, what about the LG Renoir, SE C905, and Samsung Pixon, they're all EIGHT megapixel GPS "dumb phones", and they've been out for some time now, and why do people consider a GPS chip to be so amazing in a dumbphone, good luck with sat nav software! The LG secret was 0.6mm fatter with a 5mp, glass screen, carbon fibre back, accelerometers, touchscreen(ish) and thats been out nigh on a year now, I'm pretty sure you could slap a GPS chip in there, but the fact is, does it really matter that much? And cost wise, I can provide a customer with one of the aforementioned phones free on an 18month £35 tariff (the "going rate" in the UK) but an N96 is only free on a £45 tariff due to Nokia's crappy pricing. Oh, and it's nice to see someones using the "iphone bias" remark to incite further negative comments for a change, good work.....
@Alex,
You obviously do not know what you are talking about. GPS inside a Series 40 phone is now important since Nokia ported their Nokia Maps application to it.
All the phones you listed are pretty big. There is a huge market there and not everyone wants a big touchscreen phone or a silly iPhone. Nokia realises this. How do you think they managed to gain that market share over the years???
Yeah obviously don't know what I'm talking about, since I work for O2, lol. And yet again we have a negative iphone comment, funny how there's all these people that don't like apple or the iphone yet they're always the first to bring it up. In the REAL WORLD does GPS in a phone make that much difference to the MAJORITY
You work at O2. Figures. No wonder you do not know anything you are talking about. I am an O2 customer and I know more than you lot. It is shameful when you guys try selling me a product with the wrong specs!
5MP and GPS for the masses. i like!
This is Nokia at it's best. Simple, reliable and reasonably priced.
Seriously, this kind of negative publicity that Engadget keeps giving to Nokia is ridiculous. It's not like Engadget makes a over negative post every time Logitech announces a new mouse or something, you know. I mean come on... Wait for the super high end toy-phones all you want but stop with this crap...
I especially like the part where Ricker insinuates that "market share" comes from high-end devices alone. That's about as wrong as it gets lol...
Also, why the sarcastic quotes around "slim"? How is 11.7mm for a phone with a 5MPx not SLIM?
Americans get confused with the metric system. And you don't have time to convert mm's to inches when you really are in the Nokia-bashing-zone. It's such a rush.
I'll probably get downranked for saying it, but I find Nokia's phones to be completely hideous.
Low end phone that's a rehash of God knows how many earlier phones.
Where's the innovation Nokia?!?!?
Market grows, means that every moment there are people buy first phone in their life.
So think about it, you have 150 euro and want to buy a first phone of your life, would you buy a newer rehash one or "original" one which release in 2 years ago?
Well this is a cracker even by Thomas' standards.
It might do him good to look at sales volumes for the 6300 and its predecessors and to gain an elementary knowledge of market segmentation in future although that's probably asking a bit too much.
2.2inch screen IS quite large for the phone's form factor and it's dumbphone market segment. Hell, my SE C902 is perfect for my needs and that's got a 1.8" screen (quite often browse Engadget with Opera Mobile on there).
Bigger screen = Bigger phone. Not everyone wants to be subject to "is that a smartphone in your pocket or are you just glad to see me".
C902's screen is 2".
So it is, I stand corrected.
Oh and it's Opera Mini, if that correction means anything to anyone!
Engadget with an anti-nokia slant? say it aint so!
Again, mid-range devices, no need for bleeding edge tech on them. (But if you wanna compare them with something unreasonable: holy shit the 6700, camera kicks other phone's ass!)
I want that phone.
There's always a market for these simple, elegant, not-too-pricey phones; it's especially smart for Nokia push these sorts of devices in this sort of economy.
Your read link points to the wrong place.
And the 6300 didn't have UMTS, hence the 6700 is actually the sucessor to the 6500.
My old N-Gage from 2003 would be almost at par with current higher mid range models if it was in a smaller form factor. Okay, it doesn't have HSPA or WiFi but it has MP3 player & ringtones, "big" screen, memory stick, Bluetooth... And the biggest REAL software difference in the OS compared to current S60 platforms in terms of features and usability? Support for themes. Yeah, great thing Nokia. For the last 5-6 years Nokia has just been repackaging the same phone in different form factors with slight modifications in hardware configurations. Boo-oring. Well, they're so committed to Symbian so what can you do? The OS obviously has severe limits in usability but Nokia "invented" it so they aren't letting go. Such a shame.
Yeah - you officially have NO clue.
Simple, small, tough, with great voice quality and battery life. Just what most people like my mother need. The 5 mp camera, agps and 3G will help my mom progress technologically. Grow up Engadget, this phone is perfect for the segment. What is not perfect, is the fact that this mid range phone has a better camera then all the big screened smart phones.(The reason I still use my N95.)