Nokia 6700 Slide review

Slider phones aren't all that popular these days, with the main emphasis for many people being on large-screened smartphones.

But there is still a place for the format in the range of different handset designs currently available, and, when done well, the form factor has some distinct plus points.

We liked

With a good front panel, a slider gives you quick and easy access to a lot of on-board features, and the Nokia 6700 Slide certainly has that feature sorted.

It's small and neat too, something that can't be said for many touchscreen handsets, whether they're aimed at the higher end of the market or, like the Nokia 6700 Slide, somewhere towards the middle of the road.

It's also going to be a winner for some simply because it has a keyboard. Fast texting isn't always possible on touchscreen handsets, but here it's easy thanks to a well constructed, if slightly unresponsive, numberpad - although there are others out there that perform better.

We disliked

The small screen is a real downer for anyone interested in multimedia, web browsing or anything that's media rich, though. If you are used to a larger screen, you'll certainly feel the difference.

With no Wi-Fi on board, the Nokia 6700 Slide feels hampered, and any data you want to get hold of will have to come either over the network or via your PC.

Verdict

The Nokia 6700 Slide is a very nicely designed, small format, slider handset. The front buttons are either large or constructed so as to be easy to hit, so that the keypad is hardly ever needed.

When you do call on it, the numberpad is responsive and easy to use at speed, calling out to frequent texters as a good choice.

However, if you are going to like this handset you have to be confirmed in your desire not to spend a lot of time on multimedia features, and you'll need not to want Wi-Fi either. Music fans will really dislike the 2.5mm headset connector, and we think Nokia has done the phone a real disservice by using it.

Overall, it's a phone that flatters to deceive - clad in aluminium-looking plastic, offering smartphone capabilities without a number of the connections we're used to, and struggling to perform in some key areas.

These are things we can accept in a budget handset, but this one is tipping the scales at around £150 on average, which makes it a little pricey.

The Nokia 6700 Classic might not be in the smartphone category, but offers a wider range of connectivity and a much more premium feel and chassis for similar money.