Nokia C6-01

The basics

A touchscreen effort, but one that slips into the budget category thanks to its low price tag and positioning way down the pecking order from the top-end Nokia N8. The Nokia C6-01 rocks a 3.2-inch screen, Symbian 3 software, MP3, AAC and WMA music support, weighs 131g and measures 103.8x52.5x13.9mm.

The good

The Nokia C6-01 bests its basic touchscreen predecessor, the Nokia 5800, in pretty much every way possible. The screen is capacitive rather than resistive, meaning it’s more assured when you’re prodding and poking it.

It also means there’s no pesky stylus in sight, with your digits able to do all the work. The phone sits comfortably in your mitts, with a neat metal finish that is so much classier than the plastic build of the old-school Nokia 5800.

The bad

The 8 megapixel camera should be something to sing from the roof tops abut, especially on a phone which is billed as budget. But frankly the pictures are a real let down and lack the kind of crisp detail we’ve come to expect on even the most average of mobile phones. Symbian 3 is still not good enough to call itself a smartphone winner either and is hamstrung by the same quirks as its S60 predecessor. Navigation could be better, with the UI largely confusing at times.

The bottom line

There’s no denying the Nokia C6-01 pushes basic phones into new territory. With HD video, a neat touchscreen and features that until a couple of years ago were the preserve of super-pricey cells, this is a great phone if you can only manage around £20 a month but still want skills galore. That said, it does lack a certain slickness when it comes to usability.