Nokia 5300 Lilac Review - Introduction & Design

Nokia has been pushing their high-end N-Series "multimedia computer" handsets in the United States over the past year, going so far as to open flagship stores in New York and Chicago where consumers can purchase the devices unlocked for use on T-Mobile, Cingular, and other GSM networks.  The Finnish cellular giant's business devices have also been gaining a little traction here in the states, with the E62 holding a place down in Cingular's smartphone lineup.  Now Nokia looks to the mid-range customer with the arrival of the 5300 XpressMusic on T-Mobile.    A music-centric slider featuring a 1.3 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and a T-Mobile branded version of the Series 40 interface, the 5300 competes against other mid-range musicphones like Sony Ericsson's w810i (Cingular) and the LG Fusic (Sprint).  The 5300 offers a sporty (if somewhat chunky) design, a degree of customization not usually found in mid-range carrier-supported phones, and an included 1 GB memory card to load up with music from your digital collection.  While the 5300 isn't for power users, it is a solid choice if you're looking for a quality music phone that won't break your budget.  And I was honestly surprised at how many people who saw my review model commented on how cool they thought it looked.
 
Nokia isn't known for making ultra-thin, ultra-chic handsets, and while they clearly put some thought into designing the 5300, nobody's going to mistake it for a RAZR.  Instead, the 5300 has a sporty look: The phone Nokia sent me was finished in white with black and silver trim, and featured rubberized side panels for easier gripping.  It's an attractive device and its beautiful front-mounted display adds to its good looks.  At 92 x 48 x 21 mm, the 5300 has a small footprint but is rather thick; as such it's a little bulkier in a pants or jacket pocket than its competitors.  Still, everywhere I took the phone people commented on how hip it looked.  

The front panel of the handset is largely given over to a 2" LCD display.  Black rubberized plastic forms a border around the display, while the rest of the phone's front is framed in a glossy white plastic.  To the left of the screen, three small buttons raise up from under the rubber - these are the 5300's dedicated music controls (Play/Pause, Track Advance, Track Rewind), and they're labeled in white.  A white Nokia logo graces the black border on the opposite side of the display. 
All edges of the phone are rounded off, giving the 5300 a fun, youthful look.  Above and below the display, silver plastic insets house the earpiece (top) and navigational buttons and microphone (bottom).  The navigational array is made up of a four-way directional pad with center OK button that's flanked by four additional unlabeled, color-coded buttons: two softkeys and dedicated Call/Hang Up keys.  It's funny, with all of these buttons you might think the 5300 would look rather busy from the front; instead, it's got something of a Zen quality to it.  The white/black/silver color scheme and four subtly colored buttons make the handset look something like a small spaceship from a planet inhabited by young, style-conscious gadget heads with a sense of whimsy about them.

Sliding the front panel up is made easier by a raised thumb ridge along the display's lower edge, and an internal spring-assist mechanism.  The sliding movement ends with a satisfying click.  The dialing keypad revealed beneath is finished in matte silver with grey labels that glow a cool blue when the backlight is activated.  In fact, the entire "middle layer" of the handset is finished in silver, including a cool metal plate with reflective Nokia logo that's only visible from behind when the phone is in the open position (it's the back of the phone's front panel, if that makes sense).  Again, the effect is "Spaceship from Planet Fun."  The 12-button dialing keypad is easy to use, with raised soft-touch keys that provide good tactile feedback during dialing.
The left panel of the phone houses the aforementioned music player buttons as well as the 2.5mm headphone jack.  On the right we find three more small, raised buttons for Camera access and volume Up/Down along with an infrared sensor.  Additionally, a lanyard clip is housed in the top left corner of the phone.  A power button, mini-USB port and AC adapter jack grace the top of the 5300, while the bottom panel is devoid of any buttons or ports.

The back portion of the phone is finished in white with a wide black rubberized stripe that wraps around from the sides.  Above the stripe lies the camera sensor and a self-potrait mirror, while a speaker grille andT-Mobile's "MyFaves" logo are found below.  Nokia added one more of their logos, finished white, in the middle of the black band. Next: Features »