Nokia X3 Touch and Type review

The Nokia X3 Touch and Type is a slim, nicely made handset with a good range of features including Wi-Fi and a touch screen interface.

It is small, which means some aspects such as web browsing suffer from a cramped screen, but the keypad is well made and battery life is good.

There is a dedicated front button for music fans to access their tunes quickly, and an FM radio also helps song lovers to get their fill.

All this is good stuff. But we aren't convinced that the S40 operating system, even with its touch-aware makeover, is much to crow about, and we think these days people want something different from the look and feel, and accessibility of a mobile phone operating system. Nokia may need to go back to basics if it's to maintain a solid presence at this end of the market.

We liked

The build quality is good, and this is a light, well made and easy to handle mobile phone.

Battery life is impressive, and it ought to be possible to extend beyond two days of use if you aren't too demanding.

The camera shoots good photos and, while we'd have liked a dedicated button and a flash, we could see ourselves taking a fair few quick snaps with it.

The customisable Home screen and secondary shortcuts screen lets you get quick access to a wide range of apps and services. A good thing, because the menu system itself is rather convoluted.

We disliked

The resistive touch screen needs a fair bit of pressure before it will respond, and feels unresponsive compared to its capacitive counterparts.

The screen is simply too small for some activities, with web browsing the one that suffers the most. The Opera Mini browser saves the day a little, but internet users should really look elsewhere.

Nokia's bundled headset is average and, for a handset that's being pushed for its music features, it ought to be better.

The quirky keyboard design, where what is usually the bottom row sits in a column to the right, will take a bit of getting used to.

Verdict

Nokia hasn't really done a great deal that's wrong with the Nokia X3 Touch and Type. Making the S40 operating system touch aware breathes a bit more life into it, and there are some very positive features such as long battery life and good build quality.

But at this pricepoint, the competition is fierce. Android already has its place firmly staked out, and we think it can only push Nokia harder as time rolls on.