Nokia X3-02 Touch and Type puts a touchscreen on your Series 40 featurephone
By Vlad Savov 
posted August 17th 2010 5:26AM
posted August 17th 2010 5:26AM
Update: Nokia has informed us the X3-02 uses a resistive touchscreen, no real surprise given its price.
Nokia debuts 'Touch and Type' design with the latest Nokia X3
In a move to continue driving innovation, Nokia today unveils the super slim Nokia X3 Touch and Type, with a unique combination of a touch screen and traditional 12 button phone keypad. As Nokia's first 'Touch and Type' phone, the Nokia X3 allows people to tap quickly on the bright color touch screen, as well as enjoy the familiarity of the full keypad for quick fire text messages and phone calls. Anticipated to be on sale in the third quarter, the Nokia X3 is expected to retail for approximately EUR 125, excluding taxes and subsidies.
"We continue to push innovation at all price points. The Nokia X3 brings new consumer value with a device that combines a touch screen and a keypad at an affordable price, offering consumers the best of both Worlds." said Mark Loughran, Managing Director, Nokia UK.
The Nokia X3 has a large screen with clear icons, menus and text, as well as critical keys such as the send and end keys, and dedicated function keys for important links like music and text messaging. Touch and type is ideal for SMS and social networking where fast and frequent input is needed, while touch is ideal for functions such as setting alarms, smooth browsing and controlling applications like music and games.
With its sleek and modern design coming in at a very thin 9.6mm – making it one of the slimmest Nokia phones ever – the Nokia X3 slips easily into the purse or the pocket, and looks the part with its brushed aluminum back cover which will come in five vibrant colors designed to suit any mood or wardrobe.
Despite its size, the Nokia X3 is jam-packed with features including 3G, WLAN, a music player and an FM radio.
Lovers of the snapshot and social networkers will enjoy a great 5 megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom that can take both still and video images.
The Nokia X3 also features dedicated music and messaging keys allowing fast access to important Ovi services including social and entertainment applications. In addition to Ovi Mail, people's favorite consumer email and chat accounts can be pushed direct to the phone via Nokia Messaging.
With a gentle glide over the touch screen people can go online and get access to many services including thousands of apps from Ovi Store. In certain markets, the new phone will also be available with Ovi Music Unlimited, enabling the owner to access a virtually limitless range of the latest hit music that can be stored on the available 16GB memory card.
The Nokia X3 – affordable and accessible touch and type which is simple-to-use and beautifully designed. The Nokia X3 Touch and Type sits alongside the Nokia X3-00, a slider with strong music functionality, which was launched in September 2009.
The Nokia Mini Speaker MD-11. Pocket-sized speakers for big sound
Music lovers can boost the Nokia X3's inbuilt speaker with some extra 'oomph' with the new MD-11, a light pocket-size speaker with great audio quality. For even more fun, you can connect two for stereo sound - a great way to get the music out of your phone and enjoy with friends. The MD-11 is estimated to retail for EUR 25 excluding taxes and subsidies.
"The keypad -which is the most used mobile user interface on the planet..."
Is he being funny? In 1939, black and white TV was the most owned TV on the planet.
I love qwertys though...
@TareG
Well he is working for the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturer, so I think it's safe to assume he has the data to back up his claims.
Just saying.
@Vantaa
And I think it's safe to assume you didn't understand the point I was making.
@TareG
While touchscreens are the current trend for any smartphone, they have their shortcomings.
It certainly isn't a keypad = B&W, touchscreen = color.
Here is a few pointers to get you started, I probably could make a very long list (although I do prefer the touchscreen & qwerty combo :)
1. Using touchscreens is smudge fest, while my keypad phones almost always had clean screens
2. Touchscreen phones are lot harder to use one handed
3. Touchscreen phones are lot harder to use without looking at the phone
4. Touchscreen phones are usually harder to lift or grip since you have to mind where you are touching
5. Touchscreen elements affect the screen clarity and robustness
6. Touchscreen phones are usually very poor with action games with complex input
and so on and so on...
I wonder what distinguishes this from a smart phone. I always thought the difference was that you can load extra applications onto a smartphone, but not a feature phone, but you can load apps onto this too - though only java apps, but then that pretty much describes Android too. I hear some claim about multi-tasking, but Apple's iPhone didn't have that for a long time (and it's still questionable), so it's not that...
So, what is the difference?
@davidmaxwaterman
Before the definition was heavily skewed by media to fit (unfitting) iPhone & Android into it, first smartphone OS'es (Symbian and WM) set the definition of a smartphone with these two important key points (which differentiated them from featurephones):
1. Installing & running *native* 3rd party applications (which excludes Android from smartphone league as you've mentioned)
2. Multitasking 3rd party applications (which excludes iPhones till OS 4.0 from, and includes some SonyEricsson featurephones to smartphone league)
But now as the result of dirty cheap marketing tricks, any phone performing tasks which ordinary people generally doesn't expect from a phone, is easily called a smartphone.
@GeceBekcisi Android can run native apps. not all apps have to be designed using their VM, but I think that more than 90% of them are based on their VM
but yes, you are right with the rest :D
@GeceBekcisi
I still wouldn't accept iOS 4 solution as multitasking.
Real multitasking shouldn't require any interaction from the application side and the application should be fully operational in the background. (+ several other more technical points)
@2beers
I know that for sure, but that doesn't help "more than 90% of its apps" being non-native. In contrast, Symbian/WM also has a Java VM (J2ME) but more than 90% of their apps are native, rest runs on VM.
@Rev
I agree with your points, iOS 4 solution is partially multitasking (also Android can't multitask fully preemptively); but it's still kinda able to run multiple tasks at once, so we can't ignore it completely.
As a conclusion, both iOS and Android still can't meet these two basic criteria set at least 10 years ago by their predecessors properly but they call themselves smartphone OS'es. Sad but true.
and again, this will change everything
I think it will be an excellent option for someone who wants a cheap, small and slim cellphone, which is "more than just a cellphone".
ahh. every time I see a Nokia phone, it's a flashback to the 90s. ahh. good times...
Damn, only $160 for this thing? It has Wifi (including N), 3G HSDPA, touchscreen and a brand new OS. Looks pretty enticing for a featurephone.
@N900
No new OS? its s40 with a twist
@Techtrino Oops. You're right, I meant UI.
If I wanted something affordable and mainly for messaging and light web browsing, I would definitely get this. I like how the buttons take up the entire phone.
@iZach not me! For $20 bucks more, you can get a smartphone. This is a bridge device to transition people from feature phones to smartphones. Nokia's one of the only ones working this strategy. Smart, when you sell 38% of all featurephones, too.
@christexaport
Except this is the price WITHOUT A CONTRACT. It'll likely be free or ~$50 with one
@christexaport And pay $30 mandatory for data. With feature phones, data costs a lot less ($10 with T-Mobile and $15 with AT&T unlimited) and it's optional. Time the $30 x 24 months and see how much you pay extra for your smartphone.
@Rev This is not a "standard" keypad either. Nokia seems to like to shuffle the basics just to push people's buttons. The "0" on this pad not unlike the spacebar on the N900's 3-row qwerty
Did the guy in the ad say you can download apps from Ovi?! Seriously, is S40 now going to give the likes of over-priced "super" phones a run for their money? I wonder if Nokia has any plans for Qt on S40 coz I thought they are Java only.
What I really like on this phone is they have broken the barrier between what is intuitively keyboard based input (phone call, SMS) and what is intuitively touch based input (pressing the soft keys or interacting with buttons on the screens directly instead of cycling thru a non-touch navigation key). Love this design!! HTC where art thou - Android needs something like this.
This looks pretty awesome. Contrary to what you'd think following gadget blogs, dumb phones aren't really going anywhere. A lot of the world, especially the developing world can't afford the likes of the iPhone, or even what we'd write off as some low-end smart phone. Phones like these, with innovative features like this, still have quite a market. The execution looks pretty good.
If I wanted a more basic phone again, I wouldn't hesitate to pick one of these up.
I love nokia. and more often than not do i find my self in need of a good unlock unsubsidized phone, but nokia hates me and the united states so they never release any of the good stuff, (like this phone) it will NOT be be available in the US at launch. this makes me sick. the N8 is good. but im not sure if i'm the type to drop 6 bills after tax to get a phone. i tried it with the n900 and it hurt me soul. and its hard to spend that much when the notion ink adam is only 499 in the highest configuration.
Nokia PLEASE start releasing your low end phone is the US. there is A huge market for low cost unsubsidized phones. every person i know with a sim card at some point wants or needs a new phone. and they hate extending there contract for the rubbish that att and tmobile offer.
"Nokia your only loosing money." i would buy 2 of these if it were available right now.
@Alexandertron
It seems to have quad band HSPA, according to GSMarena. So, it will work on AT&T. Give it a bit... you might be able to buy it unlocked from Amazon.
Nice ad! This is a perfect weekend phone for a tech geek or an everyday phone for everyone. There's nothing to spec-wank about either, that would only make it harder to decide. Good tagline as well.
lol they used to sell phones like these for $500+
Do we have a winner here? Sounds like iPhonesque specs
HSDPA 10.2/HSUPA
Brushed aluminium back
Touch scrren
9.6 mm thick
WiFi b/g/n
5 mp camera
I will have one of these as soon as it comes out in US. This along with Nokia C3 is going to shake up the low end of the market.
If Nokia can do anything, they can make great looking phones. And this phone looks GREAT.
I swear to god, anytime they touch aluminum on their phones, they look very very nice.
Damn. Was seriously considering buying Nokia C5 but this one has a better camera, aluminium back but no GPS and Ovi maps. Will be a touch decision...
Man, Nokia looooves those 2.4-inch QVGA screens, don't they?
I would imagine that they have this giant, Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-type warehouse filled with QVGA screens, and they're trying to unload them anywhere they can.
Hmmm.... Nicer then my EnV3 yet cheaper then my EnV3 It's just like the diamond water Paradox Diamonds cost less in europe because their useless to most people and water costs more in europe cause without it we all die.... So cell phones go with the diamonds in the cheaper then america section.
Can this use Ovi Maps? Also, is there a flash? I hope so, because it looks great otherwise.
does this have a 3.5mm headphone jack? cant see from the pic angles...
@rizeljamn35
Yes, the pics here show a 3.5 mm jack:
http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/devices/nokia-x3-touch-and-type/gallery
@enfantteribl im diggin this phone! apparently it also has USB On-the-Go
http://www.forum.nokia.com/Devices/Device_specifications/X3-02/
very excited with nokia phones lately..=)
@rizeljamn35 but this isnt mentioned in any other site...so could be wrong info...hmmmm i hope it has usb on the go though
This is actually kinda cool. Price seems right. Some low end kinda-sorta-smartphone users might like this.
Totally agreed, it's cool. And I'll keep it as my alternate phone
Wow simple but great, Nokia surprised me. Nokia is the first brand of phone I had used so I won't be having a hard time studying the UI. Can't wait to see these at the stores. How much is these in $'s?
@ilickericson12
i doubt we in america will get it, if that is what you are implying by USD.
It's funny when this guy at the video says: "... and we put a larger speaker for even greater sound..."... Really?? Greater sound from a tiny speaker?? LOL, then what... A woofer for improved bass response... :)
Although, the phone looks pretty and well finished.
@hnb its real, you should have used their latest mobiles to know how the tiny speaker can produce greater sound
very excited about this mobile for the first time im considering to buy an S40
cheers Nokia
I'm really diggin' this phone, can see myself sporting it when I don't need use of my smartphone. Wish they had burgundy or some type of red. Still buying!
I think you get Ovi Unlimited Music for the price too - which is unreal!
I think nokia finally got things right. i like the design.
BRING TO AMERICA, YES?