Introduction & Design
IntroductionFor a company not known for their flip-style phones, the 6131 is a stylish surprise from Nokia. Done up in soft-finish black plastic with chrome trim, this quad-band GSM handset toes the visual line between business and fashion. Though the phone isn't nearly so slim as the newest handsets from
Motorola and
Samsung, the 6131 is comfortable in hand and pocket alike. More importantly, it packs a brilliant internal display and impressive feature set into an elegant, easy to use package. If only it got better reception ... and had stronger battery life ... it might be the perfect mid-level mobile phone.
Design
Nokia is known for their candybar-style forms, so it's something of a rare treat to see a new flip or "clamshell" style handset from the venerable Finnish company. The 6131 is slightly smaller than average, at 3.62" x 1.88" x 0.78" and a weight of 112g. I must say, though, that the phone appeared smaller to me at first glance - something about its sleek look and rounded corners gives it a somewhat deceiving "RAZR-esque" appearance. One female friend of mine, in fact, remarked that the phone looked "really cool" until she picked it up and exclaimed, "oh, it's kind of bulky!" The phone is finished in "soft touch" black paint that has a nice rubbery feel to it, with silver chrome accents and logos.
The front of the 6131 features a sensor for the 1.3 megapixel camera set above a 1.3" active TFT color display. This display is used to show phone status, current time, caller ID info, and track info when the music player is in use, and it can be configured to show graphic wallpaper as well as photo or video caller ID. The external display can also function as a viewfinder for the camera, which makes taking self-portraits easy (and addicting!).
The back panel of the phone is finished in a leather-like texture that's easy to grip, and is blank save for a Nokia logo near the top. The top two-thirds of the panel slides off to reveal the battery, SIM card, and MicroSD memory card slots, as well as the AC charger and Pop-Port jacks located just below the phone's flip hinge.
A rocker switch on the left side of the phone controls volume for calls, ringtones, and music/media playback, and two buttons on the right side of the handset activate the camera and turn the phone on and off. A larger round button at the top of the right panel triggers the handset's auto-flip mechanism, which opens the phone for use with a single press. The flip button worked well for me, though I have heard other users complain of the button failing after a month or two of steady use. Between the overall look of the device and the flip button, the 6131 resembles a high fashion version of the old Star Trek Communicator.
The interior of the 6131 is quite nice to look at and to touch. The upper portion of the clamshell is devoted largely to the 2.2" QVGA display. This is the type of big, crisp screen usually reserved for high-end smartphones. Moving to the bottom portion of the clamshell, the keypad is comprised of the standard twelve buttons below a five-way navigation button flanked by four additional keys (call send, call end, and two softkeys). Like the rest of the phone, the keypad is done up in black with silver accents, and is very sharp in a simple, elegant sort of way.
Holding the 6131 in either the closed or open position is quite comfortable, and the spacious layout of the keyboard makes it very easy to use either right- or left-handed. Users with large hands and fingers shouldn't have any problems operating this phone.
The main display is simply gorgeous, and renders the menus and other text and graphics of the Series 40 user interface in sharp, bright color that's easy to read. The screen holds up better than most in direct sunlight, as well. This was my first experience with a Series 40 phone, and the Active Standby menu system did take me a little while to get used to. The icon screen is fully user customizable, and a built-in voice command system lets you navigate nearly the entire system by talking to the phone; once I got used to the operating system I began to appreciate its flexibility. A standard menu system that will feel more familiar to some users is also available.
Next: Features »
4
