Sixty phones
news and opinions about Nokia Series 60 Symbian phones and other high-priced Finnish trinkets
Saturday, October 15, 2005
My Nokia 6681 Review
Given the news this week of the E series phones, I really feel like a throwback writing about a Nokia 6681, which is so yesterday's news. But I followed my own advice, which is wait three months or one firmware update until buying a new Series 60 phone to let other people discover the bugs and kinks. As this phone was released in spring, it was definitely time to take the jump from my Nokia 6630.
These phones are very similar except for three areas: flash, form/slider, keypad, and active standby.
Flash: the flash is an excellent addition- it allows you to take serviceable photos in total darkness, and may help you while shooting in low light conditions where night mode just leaves you with a grainy mess. However, sometimes use of flash in mid-level conditions, such as under incandescent lighting indoors, will lead to an overexposed, bright yellow coloration of the photo. I think this varies by situation, and you just have to try using the flash setting in various conditions to see what works for you. But the bottom line is that it is a very useful feature. Here are three photos: no light, regular mode, no light, night mode, and no light, flash:
Form/slider: The physical form of the phone is excellent. I find it fits better in my hand than the 6630, and I get a better grip on the phone while talking (I've dropped my 6630 several times, and I'm convinced the shape has something to do with it). The sliding door is definitely on the flimsy side -- it is plastic and is not a tight fit when in the closed position. If you are a 10 on the obsessive compulsive scale when it comes to solid feeling phones, you probably won't like it. But I'm a seven and can deal with it. If Nokia had made this phone with an aluminum case, they would have solved this problem. But it does keep lint and other dirt off the lens (my exposed 6630 lens would get pretty skanky from day to day usage). Unlike others, I've never had the slider open up in my pocket -- it requires a little more resistance than the normal sliding around in a pants pocket to open it up. The functionality of the slider is excellent -- you open it up and the camera application almost instantly appears on the screen.
Keypad: I had a rough time with the 6630 keypad. I'm a fast T9 tapper but often hit the wrong keys on the 6630. I have normal size hands - not a fat fingered type. I found myself missing the keys on the 7610, which were firm plastic with a decent amount of resistance. The 6681 keypad is much like the 7610 in terms of tactile feel, but obviously laid out in a normal display. I like it much more than the 6630's keypad; I find I can type a lot faster and more accurately with the 6681 than the 6630; it's better than two of my other fave keypads, the 6600 and the 6310. Of course, do a search on Howard Forums and you'll find people who will differ.
Active standby: I'm just getting used to having a start page that has five icons for programs at the top, and your next appointments from calendar below that, and a list of uncompleted to dos below that. But it definitely presents greater ability to customize the look of your phone and it is a net plus.
Other comparisons 6681/6630:
- The signal strength is on par, maybe a bit better, than the 6630 and significantly better than the 6600; maybe almost as good as my 3650.
- The earpiece sound is very good -- cleaner than the 6630, but not quite as loud, though loud enough.
- The round directional pad is the best I've used on a S60 phone.
- Receiving call quality: there is tonal improvement over the 6630 -- callers sound less tinny to me.
- Sending call quality: sounds similar to the 6630 when I leave a recording on my work voicemail, potentially a little louder than the 6630.
- The picture quality: outdoors seems slightly better with the 6681 over the 6630. Sharper and slightly better colors, and night mode gives off less noise on the 6681.
Rating:
6681: 4.75/5. If the slider was tightly fitted to prevent any wiggle, it would have been a 5. Flash, lens protection, and keypad make it a worthy upgrade from the 6630, which remains an excellent phone in its own right. Advice for new buyers: for $40 US more, it's worth going for the 6681 over the 6630. For current 6630 owners: you won't regret the upgrade, but if you are cost conscious, try and hold out for the E70, which will give you wifi, 2mb camera, and a qwerty keyboard. For all other Series 60 owners pre-6630, go for it! ¶ 10:57 AM
Given the news this week of the E series phones, I really feel like a throwback writing about a Nokia 6681, which is so yesterday's news. But I followed my own advice, which is wait three months or one firmware update until buying a new Series 60 phone to let other people discover the bugs and kinks. As this phone was released in spring, it was definitely time to take the jump from my Nokia 6630.
These phones are very similar except for three areas: flash, form/slider, keypad, and active standby.
Flash: the flash is an excellent addition- it allows you to take serviceable photos in total darkness, and may help you while shooting in low light conditions where night mode just leaves you with a grainy mess. However, sometimes use of flash in mid-level conditions, such as under incandescent lighting indoors, will lead to an overexposed, bright yellow coloration of the photo. I think this varies by situation, and you just have to try using the flash setting in various conditions to see what works for you. But the bottom line is that it is a very useful feature. Here are three photos: no light, regular mode, no light, night mode, and no light, flash:
Form/slider: The physical form of the phone is excellent. I find it fits better in my hand than the 6630, and I get a better grip on the phone while talking (I've dropped my 6630 several times, and I'm convinced the shape has something to do with it). The sliding door is definitely on the flimsy side -- it is plastic and is not a tight fit when in the closed position. If you are a 10 on the obsessive compulsive scale when it comes to solid feeling phones, you probably won't like it. But I'm a seven and can deal with it. If Nokia had made this phone with an aluminum case, they would have solved this problem. But it does keep lint and other dirt off the lens (my exposed 6630 lens would get pretty skanky from day to day usage). Unlike others, I've never had the slider open up in my pocket -- it requires a little more resistance than the normal sliding around in a pants pocket to open it up. The functionality of the slider is excellent -- you open it up and the camera application almost instantly appears on the screen.
Keypad: I had a rough time with the 6630 keypad. I'm a fast T9 tapper but often hit the wrong keys on the 6630. I have normal size hands - not a fat fingered type. I found myself missing the keys on the 7610, which were firm plastic with a decent amount of resistance. The 6681 keypad is much like the 7610 in terms of tactile feel, but obviously laid out in a normal display. I like it much more than the 6630's keypad; I find I can type a lot faster and more accurately with the 6681 than the 6630; it's better than two of my other fave keypads, the 6600 and the 6310. Of course, do a search on Howard Forums and you'll find people who will differ.
Active standby: I'm just getting used to having a start page that has five icons for programs at the top, and your next appointments from calendar below that, and a list of uncompleted to dos below that. But it definitely presents greater ability to customize the look of your phone and it is a net plus.
Other comparisons 6681/6630:
- The signal strength is on par, maybe a bit better, than the 6630 and significantly better than the 6600; maybe almost as good as my 3650.
- The earpiece sound is very good -- cleaner than the 6630, but not quite as loud, though loud enough.
- The round directional pad is the best I've used on a S60 phone.
- Receiving call quality: there is tonal improvement over the 6630 -- callers sound less tinny to me.
- Sending call quality: sounds similar to the 6630 when I leave a recording on my work voicemail, potentially a little louder than the 6630.
- The picture quality: outdoors seems slightly better with the 6681 over the 6630. Sharper and slightly better colors, and night mode gives off less noise on the 6681.
Rating:
6681: 4.75/5. If the slider was tightly fitted to prevent any wiggle, it would have been a 5. Flash, lens protection, and keypad make it a worthy upgrade from the 6630, which remains an excellent phone in its own right. Advice for new buyers: for $40 US more, it's worth going for the 6681 over the 6630. For current 6630 owners: you won't regret the upgrade, but if you are cost conscious, try and hold out for the E70, which will give you wifi, 2mb camera, and a qwerty keyboard. For all other Series 60 owners pre-6630, go for it! ¶ 10:57 AM
