For the release of the fantastic Nokia 7650 is just a few months away (June 29 this year) and we are ready to share with our readers a detailed review of the most functional mobile phone of our time. The review used an engineering sample that is fully consistent with what the company is preparing for consumers this summer. We tested the novelty in work scenarios, evaluated the new Symbian 6.1 operating system, and checked the capabilities of the built-in camera with an incredibly high, until recently unattainable, 307,000-pixel resolution.
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| Technical characteristics Nokia 7650 | |
| Dimensions | 114 × 56 × 26 mm |
| Weight | 156 g |
| Screen | 2.1 inches |
| TFT 4096 colors | |
| 176×208 (130 PPI) | |
| Processor | 104 MHz ARM 9 |
| Memory | 4 MB |
| Operating system | Symbian 6.1, Series 60 v1.0 UI |
| Camera | VGA integrated |
| Wireless communication | WAP GPRS |
| Bluetooth 1.1 | |
| IrDA | |
| Battery | BLB-2 750 mAh |
| Start of sales | On June 29 this year |
| Estimated cost | 700$ |
In addition to the phone itself, the manufacturer puts a charger with a usual Nokia plug, a large 750 mAh Nokia BLB-2 battery, a 2.5 mm audio headset with a built-in microphone. A CD, paper documentation and an instruction manual are also included in the box. Most importantly, the camera is already built into the phone and the owner of Nokia 7650 does not need to connect it as an accessory, as is customary for mobile photography enthusiasts.
The new flagship of the company is made in a slider form factor. The appearance is austere, and the dimensions of the device are considerable. It is unlikely that the Nokia 7650 will be of interest to fragile women, as the device is positioned as a more convenient replacement for the Nokia Communicator series.
The opening mechanism works smoothly, and the phone can be opened with one hand. When folded, the user has access to three keys on the front panel and two more on the side. Let’s take a look at the functionality of each of them.
A long press of the right side button turns the phone on and off, while a short press allows you to switch between modes and lock the device. The left red button is used to activate voice commands that need to be pre-recorded. This allows you to control the phone by voice, which is useful for drivers.
The main navigation element is a five-position joystick placed in a small dimple. The ergonomics of this solution are excellent, and it is easy and convenient to move around the system. Two soft keys are located a little higher, and the menu button with dual functionality is on the left.
A short press launches the program menu, and a long press activates the task manager with a list of running programs. You can switch between them without closing them, or close them by pressing the C key at the bottom of the slider.
In addition to the standard number pad, Nokia 7650 has buttons for accepting and ending a call, the C button, which is used to delete text and any elements in the system, and the ABC button. It is difficult to overestimate the functionality of the latter because the key allows you to change the input method, switch the language, select text and work with the clipboard, just like on a personal computer.
The digital pad is medium-sized, and despite the small buttons, they have good ergonomics and sufficient distance between them. The surface is rubber, not slippery, and dialing is comfortable. There is a pleasant white backlight, which is useful in the dark.
The Nokia 7650 has a giant 2.1-inch TFT display with a resolution of 176×208 pixels. 14 square centimeters, 4096 colors and an ultra-high density of 130 PPI do the trick. The screen is phenomenal without exaggeration and behaves perfectly in all conditions.
Thanks to the trans-reflective matrix, the Nokia 7650 display is not afraid of direct sunlight. It is also worth noting the high-energy efficiency because the device’s battery life is good, which was hard to expect with a large TFT panel.
In the standby mode, the screen shows the time, date, and notifications with minimal power consumption, but the Always-on Display function is no longer a surprise in 2002 — it is a mandatory attribute of all modern mobile phones.
The smartphone is based on Symbian 6.1 operating system with Nokia Series 60 interface. This is a completely new graphical shell, which the hero of the review was the first to receive. The system is built on the basis of the familiar Symbian EPOC, but adapted to the classic form of a mobile phone.
Up to 9 main menu items are displayed on the screen at the same time, where you can move shortcuts, create folders, etc. This gives you unlimited space to organize your workspace, just like on a personal computer or PDA. It’s unusual to see such functionality on a phone, but it’s nice.
It is important to note a considerable number of built-in programs and games. The functionality of the smartphone can be briefly described by listing the most important points:
The list is impressive because just a basic research of the smartphone takes a lot of time, not to mention a detailed study of all the features of Nokia 7650. After the primitive competitors, the hero of the review seems to be a multimedia monster that can do literally anything.
Nokia 7650 supports installation of third-party programs in *sis format. Currently, the amount of compatible software is small. But the popularity of Symbian EPOC and the incredible excitement for the world’s first smartphone with a camera give us hope that by the end of the year we will see a whole library of software for Symbian 6.1.
A utility for taking pictures of the screen (enthusiasts call it screenshots) at the system level proved to be useful. The pictures are saved in their original quality in the phone’s internal memory, from where they can be sent via email, MMS, infrared or Bluetooth.
Equally interesting is the call recording option. This third-party program allows you to automatically record phone conversations, and this functionality is hard to overestimate. It is a must-have for a certain category of people.
To test the gaming capabilities, we downloaded a racing simulator with three-dimensional graphics. The performance of Nokia 7650 is enough to play video games like on personal computers or game consoles. The level of map details is high, and the car has a high-quality 3D model.
It is equally important that everything works fast, with a high frame rate. With such features, the hero of the review brings mobile video games to a fundamentally higher level, unattainable for competitors.
It is also possible to work with *jar programs because Nokia 7650 has a built-in Java machine, which also shows a decent result. The phone supports 3D graphics both for native Symbian software and for Java, which is more common among lower-end phones. By default, Nokia 7650 has 3 games installed, one of which is a Java application.
The built-in camera has a resolution of 307,000 pixels and is capable of taking pictures in several modes. The module itself is hidden at the top of the slider and is inaccessible when folded. Access to the camera is as quick as possible — by default, the left soft key is used for this purpose.
The user has several modes and a choice of image quality. During testing, we used the standard settings. In addition to high resolution, the camera can take night photos, but there is no flash. In fact, this is the only drawback compared to external cameras for modern phones.
The memory is enough for many dozen photos, which can be transferred via Bluetooth or infrared. The photo quality is excellent, especially in good light. You’re not ashamed to show these photos to your neighbors who still use film cameras.
Examples of photos taken with Nokia 7650:
In any case, Nokia 7650 managed to do the incredible — combine a camera and a phone into one, which no other manufacturer has been able to realize so far. There is no doubt that in the near future, everyone will emphasize this.
To send photos via MMS or email, you need to reduce the resolution. The average size of a JPEG photo in maximum quality is 30-40 KB, and with a minimum number of different colors in the frame it is 15-20 KB.
In conditions of active use, Nokia 7650 holds a charge for at least two or three days. The battery life of the device was a pleasant surprise, considering the large size of the bright display. Thanks to the 750 mAh battery, the hero of the review will provide stable communication to its owner no less than the weakly functional analogues of competitors.
Impressions from using Nokia 7650 are extremely positive because it is the first phone of its kind with incredible potential. Thanks to the Symbian 6.1 Series 60 v1.0 operating system, the user gets unlimited possibilities by installing various software and 3D games.
After the monochrome fun of the Siemens SL45i and the best games on Nokia’s proprietary phones, 3D racing feels like playing on a Sony PlayStation. No phone has ever had such a high performance, and the Nokia 7650 is fast in everything.
Thanks to the powerful hardware, the built-in camera is just as fast, and it will surprise even an experienced photographer. The mere presence of an integrated digital camera in a smartphone is a great achievement, and Nokia engineers managed to do it right the first time at a high level. So far, Nokia 7650 is the best multimedia GSM combo of our time, and there is nothing to compare it to.
The Nokia 7650 is scheduled to start selling on June 29, 2002, in a few months. The manufacturer promises a starting price of 700 USD (3800 UAH) which seems to be adequate for this set of characteristics and the complete absence of direct analogs.
The Siemens S55 can only be considered a distant and compromise competitor, which has already been announced, but its release is expected only this fall. The phone has a compact size, supports Bluetooth, but does not have a built-in camera and has a smaller screen. The advantage of an external camera, which is promised for the German novelty, is the presence of a flash.
The Sony Ericsson T68 has much simpler functionality, but it is now available at a bargain price. It is the low price of the T68 a year after its release that gives it the right to compete for customers because technically, it cannot compete with the Nokia 7650.
As the world’s first phone with a built-in camera, the Nokia 7650 is in an incredibly favorable position. It will definitely be in demand among owners of large companies, wealthy photography enthusiasts, and tech gurus who are ready to do anything for the best technology.
