Nokia C7

“Nokia C7 is a nicely made handset with an extra thin profile. Maybe it’s too rounded for our taste, or maybe it’s just us. This cool cat provides distinct E-series styling and the no-nonsense C-series attitude in a package that means business.The 3.5-inch screen is surely among the best touch displays we’ve seen from Nokia (we have yet to check out a Nokia Clear Black display). The HD videos produced by the camera are a treat to watch – on the handset itself and on a computer screen. You can also put the mobile display to good use with some DivX/XviD videos as those are seamlessly supported. The excellent audio output quality and the great connectivity package also set the C7 apart - you rarely see penta-band 3G, WirelessN, Bluetooth 3.0, an FM transmitter, TV-out and USB-on-the-go functionality all in one device.The stills from the 8MP fixed-focus camera on board the C7 were a definite downer but nearly everything else works just fine.The latest iteration of Symbian clearly shows Nokia’s will to change and improve, but there are still ghosts from the past that we discover when we dig deeper in the user interface – such as the camera UI or the web browser.Nevertheless, we do believe that Nokia will continue to better Symbian so it catches up with the standard-setters.”

“Clearly better priced than the Nokia Nuron from last year, the Astound is undoubtedly something you might want to look at if you simply tire of the usual smartphones out there and want to experience Symbian^3. Sporting a fantastic looking design that’s assisted with various features that are generally abundant with most high-end devices, the $79.99 on-contract Nokia Astound is something you want to keep a watchful eye on. Although it’s not literally astounding in all aspects, its balanced performance and affordable cost will no doubt keep it high in the pedestal within the mid-range market.”

“It's simple to make calls on, and makes the phoning experience a pleasure. Add to this the functionality of Symbian^3 which admittedly won't be for everyone, and the fantastic multimedia support, and you've got a pretty nice package. The build quality is also great, and we would say it comes in at very fair price-point to boot. If you wanted more of a gadget with an amazing camera, and like Symbian, then the Nokia N8 would trump the Nokia C7. If you're after another platform, then the HTC Desire or the iPhone 4 each offer a different premium OS experience. Having said that, we are on the whole impressed with the Nokia C7.”

“The Nokia C7 is another return to form from Nokia on the hardware front. It's well made, has great battery life and call quality puts many rivals to shame. However, except for the incredibly useful OVI maps application, the software trails pretty much all other smartphones for ease of use and - in some cases - functionality. As such, we think that anyone used to slicker OSes like iOS, Android and WebOS won't be tempted by this device. On the other hand, fans of previous Nokia and Symbian devices will probably see this as a nice upgrade. Regardless, with this phone only costing about £50 less than the much better N8, we'd recommend that anyone tempted just stump up the extra cash and go for that phone instead.”