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Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Review

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The Nokia 5530 is an affordable touchscreen phone which features a 2.9-inch resistive screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash and access to Nokia’s Ovi Store, where you can download a host of apps, wallpapers and ringtones.


 

What we like

Nokia phones have a reputation for being reliable and hard-wearing – while we didn’t kick our review handset down several flights of stairs or submerge it in water we did note that it feels reassuringly weighty and sturdy. Even the thin, lightweight stylus feels as though it could take a lot of punishment. The 3.2-megapixel camera is also pretty good, capable of taking colourful detailed snaps. There’s no macro mode but it was possible to get up close and take pretty detailed shots using the digital zoom.

You can upload tracks to the Nokia 5530 through the Nokia PC Suite software. A 4GB microSD card comes included so there’s space for around 1000 songs. Similar to other phones from the XpressMusic range you can play around with equaliser settings and easily create playlists. Most importantly for any music phone that wants to be taken seriously, there’s a 3.5mm audio jack so you can use whatever headphones you like.
 

What we don’t like

The resistive touchscreen works best with the stylus. Trying to type an email or compose a text on the 5530 with your hands is a nightmare. Not only is this annoying in itself, but the stylus is also thin, black and isn’t attached to the 5530 by a lanyard. Which means that it could easily get lost on a night out.

The dedicated camera shutter key located on the side is stiff and unresponsive to the point that any pictures you try to take with it are going to end up blurred. You’re better off using the virtual shutter key on the touchscreen. This makes the addition of a dedicated camera key on the side of the phone pointless.

While the USB port cover keeps the port free of dust, it’s also a real pig to get open. It’s easy if you take the battery cover off the back and nudge the cover open from the inside with the stylus, but in doing so you run the risk of accidentally removing the battery – like we did the first time round. Not great if you want to quickly connect to your computer and upload a bunch of songs.

Finally, there’s no 3G so don’t expect to enjoy watching YouTube videos on the go.


 

Conclusion

The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic is a decent music phone, but it’s definitely not an all-singing multimedia device. We really didn’t like using the stylus and the lack of 3G means browsing the Web on the go isn’t great. But if you don’t mind using the stylus and you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive music phone then it’s worth checking out.

Specification

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