The Nokia 6120 Classic is the first handset we've seen compatible with all the 3G networks in Australia, including Telstra's Next G network. It's a slimline smartphone appealing to those seeking a reliable, easy-to-use phone.
Design
Nokia's kept things simple with the 6120. It has a classic candybar design, a glossy black case and curved edges with a silver trim. The loudspeaker is placed on the side of the 6120, which means the sound doesn't get muffled when placed on a desk or table.
Nokia is starting to come around to the idea of standardised ports on its phones -- the 6120 includes a mini-USB connection at the bottom for data transfers. You'll still need an adaptor if you want to use your regular headphones as Nokia has stuck with a 2.5mm audio jack.
The 6120's keypad seemed a little bit cramped initially, but we adjusted to it during our test period. Navigation is painless with a four-way directional button under the screen and two soft-keys for various shortcuts. As usual, the camera can be fired by pressing a button on side of the phone.
A 256MB microSD card is supplied that can be easy swapped out on the side of the phone.
Features
The 6120 sports two cameras -- a 2-megapixel one on the back for taking photos and a lower-res one on the front for video calls. There's an LED flash on the back and nightmode to assist taking shots in the dark. Panorama shots and video capture are welcome additions. The camera's sequence mode lets you fire six shots in rapid succession -- about two per second.
Through the Gallery on the Nokia 6120, you can watch saved video clips, listen to music and voice recordings, stream video over 3G and view presentations.
Out of the box you can fit around 64 songs on the 256MB card. The 6120 supports cards up to 2GB, increasing the storage capacity to around 500 songs. We're a bit disappointed in the a rather lame set of headphones you get in the box -- there's very little bass and they're kind of uncomfortable after a few minutes.
Powered by the Symbian operating system, you can install third-party applications on the 6120 -- other applications such as PDF and Office document readers come pre-installed. We found one game called Marble on our test phone, but it's quick and easy to download more.
Performance
Call quality was good and we have no complaints about the volume of the earpiece for hearing people speak. The loudspeaker is more than adequate at maximum volume -- you'll won't have a problem hearing the 6120 ring.
The camera didn't fare so well, however. The shots we took with the 6120 tended to be a little blurry and colours tended to be washed out. The panorama feature of the camera automatically lines up and captures the next shot in a sequence, but we found it often mismatched the frames.
The battery life on the 6120 is great for a 3G phone -- we managed to get four days between charges with average use of calls and SMS and daily Web browsing of online news. With HSDPA (3.5G) speeds, we had fast Internet and downloading data was quick and trouble-free.
All things considered the Nokia 6120 Classic is a good all-round phone that is destined to become a popular handset due to its attractive price, decent feature set and support for all 3G networks in Australia.
Like this article? Click below to send it to your mobile for free!
helkev
08/10/2008, 10:39 PM
rating
9/10
It has been a long while since I have use a decent phone (apart from the Nokia 6300). I have no problem reconmmending this phone to anyone- it has the basics covered and a little luxury on the side. This model is available on Telstra, Vodafone and 3 Prepaid. Check out their prices.
Pros: There is no doubt this is a good phone. It does the basics well. This phone is more towards the conservative side in terms of looks.
Good screen resolution.
Nokia put the effort with visual and sound aesthetic- unlike Samsung with their constant black GUI and same bloody ringtunes. I like their themes and the ringtune- for those of you that like to mix and match.
Cons: The plastic construct brings the prestige down a little.
Keys are slightly on a smaller side for some.
The revamped menu platform may need some time adjusting to.
Report offensive comment
Luke
26/09/2008, 04:24 PM
rating
9/10
You will not regret getting this phone if you just want a phone that WORKS. I went through 2 other next g phones that were not nokias and this phone is the only one ive been happy with.
Pros: Excellent battery life for a 3G phone
Good call quality
Good internet speed
Easy to use
Cons: Back cover gets a bit loose but i love the phone too much to care much about this... i stuck some blu-tac on the battery to stop it from sliding off anyway.
phone gets hot, never bothers me though
thats all the cons there are and these are seriously nothing compared to the cons of the other brands of next g phones around
Report offensive comment
Steve W
25/09/2008, 10:46 PM
rating
4/10
Nokia now falling behind the likes of Sony/E etc. OK phone but overheats - not good if you are a business traveller overseas where the phone needs to work harder
Pros: small/slim
Cons: overheats/key pad small/typical Nokia menu system outdated
Report offensive comment
jame
11/09/2008, 09:16 PM
rating
10/10
gr8 phone everything in it is gd
Pros: all
Cons: none
Report offensive comment
Raphael
08/09/2008, 02:02 PM
rating
10/10
very good cell phone in the range
Pros: Obviosly its a good phone from the house of nokia
Cons: I am using this phone and the coloring is very super super.
Report offensive comment
strumf99
04/09/2008, 11:54 PM
rating
8/10
The phone feels good. At 1st I thought the keys were way to small but after a while I got used to it. I SMS a lot and so far no probs.
Pros: The OS, the screen, the design...
Cons: The battery life and the back lid has gotten loose after a while.
Report offensive comment
Millsy
04/09/2008, 02:39 PM
rating
9/10
Great phone - very pleased with it. Low mp of camera is disappointing but still takes good snaps.
Am only leaving it behind to upgrade to PDA-phone (Nokia E71)
Pros: sturdy workhorse
versatile
stylish and functional
great applications
good battery life
Cons: does get a bit warm - but never bothered me
Report offensive comment
AizenSousuke
02/09/2008, 05:22 AM
rating
10/10
Very good phone, best quality for this price. It got everything i need in it.
Pros: Everything.
Cons: Overheat. There is nothing else to worry about.
Report offensive comment
Ray
25/08/2008, 03:21 PM
rating
2/10
The phone has a serious bug where the internal speaker mutes and you cannot hear the voice of the party you are calling or is calling you. The cause of the problem is the phone's software (firmware) and for some strange reason nokia has not yet fixed this bug though its been around for over 6 months.
The reason for the bug is not known, as its not regional or based on a particular batch.
This is a very sad situation, since the phone is superb in features, the size makes it superbly pocket-able and also looks classy (though the build quality can improve!)
Pros: Super feature set
Fair battery life
Nice display with sharp text
Decent camera with a very effective flash
Fast responses for a symbian phone due to the new processor
Cons: Software bug which mutes the audio of the phone
Overheating during long calls and during data transfers (3G usage)
Camera pictures are grainy and has a green tinge
Headset provided is very messy due to the tangling of the wires
Report offensive comment
Sanikkah
25/08/2008, 05:41 AM
rating
10/10
I think this is an excellent phone. I have had no trouble with it so far and i have had it for about 2 months now. I have never noticed any over heating at all, sound quality is good and the camera is excellent. The keypad is a bit small but i got used to it really quickly. I have never had any trouble with it turning off by itself. It is a beacon of light in an era of darkness and despair for all mobile phone users. Nike is too sneakers as nokia is too phones. AAAA+++++
Pros: Everything.
Cons: Keypad is a bit small.
Report offensive comment