The Nokia 603 is supposed to be the workhorse of the new Symbian Belle portfolio, balancing the value-for-money virtue in the low mid-range spectrum. Thus it is pretty average in terms of specs – 3.5” display, 1GHz processor and 5MP camera with 720p video recording but no LED flash.
It shares the “brightest mobile display” of the Nokia 701, however, and has an abundance of swappable back covers in various colors for the joy of the teen market, but does it deserve its price point, and is it distinctive enough apart from those different shell paints? Read on our review to find out...
The Nokia 603 is supposed to be the workhorse of the new Symbian Belle portfolio, balancing the value-for-money virtue in the low mid-range spectrum. Thus it is pretty average in terms of specs – 3.5” display, 1GHz processor and 5MP camera with 720p video recording but no LED flash.
It shares the “brightest mobile display” of the Nokia 701, however, and has an abundance of swappable back covers in various colors for the joy of the teen market, but does it deserve its price point, and is it distinctive enough apart from those different shell paints? Read on our review to find out
In the box: Spare color back cover In-ear headphones Wall charger microUSB cable Warranty and information leaflets
Design: The Nokia 603 comes chubby at 0.5” (12.7mm), so it's not going to win any design awards that seem to be all about waistline these days, but its tapered edges and sloping corners make it pretty ergonomic and easy to hold. Operating the phone with one hand is also easy, and all buttons around the sides are protruding enough for a decent feel, plus their travel is decent.
The 3.5” IPS-LCD display boasts 360x640 pixels of resolution, and 210ppi pixel density, which only came detrimental when we were trying to read very small text. Viewing angles are wide, and brightness is very high thanks to the 1000 nits output, plus the ClearBlack tech minimizes reflections. The higher than average brightness and low reflection make for an excellent outside visibility on the Nokia 603.,
The handset comes in black and white, with a number of swappable back covers in different colors, and one is included in the box for free. There is no front-facing camera, just a 5MP fixed-focus shooter without an LED flash.
The leaves in your yard may be transitioning to the more subdued hues of autumn, but Nokia's new 603 smartphone certainly isn't. Available in six different back cover colors. It’s a fairly attractive handset, with pleasantly curving lines, and features a 3.5-inch screen boasting Nokia’s ClearBlack display technology so it’s easier to view in direct sunlight.
As with all the Symbian handsets we’ve seen released over the past few months, Nokia has fitted a 1GHz ARM 11 processor inside, though there’s no separate graphics GPU so it will have to shoulder a fair bit of work.
The 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and 720p video smarts is equally familiar, while you get 2GB of internal memory to play with before you have to resort to the microSD card.
As you’d expect it’s Nokia’s latest Symbian Belle OS running the show, which is a decent step forward from previous versions of the platform. Probably the highlight is the fact that it supports Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which Nokia is pushing quite hard at the moment.
As far as pricing goes, the 603 will set you back €200 (about $275), with the Luna headset sitting at €70 (around $96).Hopefully it will hit the market in Q4 of this year.
