Nokia 7610

By Jeremy Roche on 27/08/2004

More Nokia reviews , RRP: AU$999.00

The good:

  • One megapixel camera
  • Additional applications can be installed through Symbian operating system
  • Good battery life

The bad:

  • Irregular keypad difficult to get used to
  • Need to remove battery to change 64MB MMC

The bottomline:

While it might be too wide for some tastes, Nokia's 7610 is a stylish handset that paves the way for higher resolution camera phones.

Buying choices:

Users' rating:

8.9/10
Design
Nokia has gone with a slightly unconventional design on the 7610. Its keypad is laid out irregularly in a sweeping fashion with keys flush against each other having different sizes and shapes. The outer case is easily removed so changing covers should be no problem. Our test handset came in a white case with grey and mirrored elements on the back.

Wide and short dimensions give the 7610 a blockish appearance which Nokia has offset by curving two opposing corners, similar to the style of the 3G-enabled 7600. All up, its 118g weight is evenly distributed throughout the phone, which measures 109 x 53 x 19mm.

The 7610's display is a large and bright TFT screen (65,536 colours; 176 x 206 pixels) which is one of the most impressive screens we've seen on a Nokia handset to date. A decent screen is pretty much a necessity for a mobile phone that includes a one megapixel camera, such as this.

Features
As the 7610 runs on Symbian's operating system, users familiar with standard Nokia handsets might initially experience a degree of difficulty swapping over to an unfamiliar interface. The menu structure is somewhat similar to other Nokia phones (contacts, messaging, gallery, etc) but the main menu is icon-based, which scrolls through the many available functions.

One of these applications is Real player, included to play back MP3 and AAC music files as well as 3GPP and RealMedia files. 8MB of internal memory is onboard with support for external memory through a Reduced Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC) slot. Like Nokia's original N-Gage, to insert the MMC you need to remove the back cover as well as the battery, so you can't change cards on-the-fly. Nokia bundles a 64MB card in the package that can be used to store contacts, messages, photos, music, applications and other files.

Videos up to ten minutes in length can be taken at a resolution of 128 x 96 pixels or 176 x 144 pixels. Photos can be captured in three resolution setting, the maximum using one megapixel. Through the Gallery application, you can browse image, sound, and video directories on the phone's memory or on the memory card.

Nokia has added a couple of fun video editing tools so you can play around with the movies you take. Movie Director is an application that automatically converts videos by adding a theme, overlays and an accompanying sound clip. For instance, if you choose to make a "paparazzi" movie, the 7610 adds camera flashes, overlays of lenses and a stalking soundtrack to your clip. It's a cute feature that can quickly spice up videos to send to friends via MMS.

An interesting diary-like application included on the Nokia 7610 is Lifeblog. It combines text messages, multimedia messages, photos, and video so you can browse them chronologically in a timeline. By downloading the complimentary PC version of the software, you can synchronise these elements with your desktop and send them via e-mail.

The Opera Web browser is also onboard and with the help of the Noweigian company's Small-Screen Rendering technology, the browser reformats Web pages to fit nicely inside the 7610's display.

It's always handy when a mobile phone comes with a USB cable even when it has Bluetooth. The thoughtful inclusion from Nokia allows you to synchronise elements such as Outlook contact and calendar, transfer files and photos, plus backup the contents of your phone using Nokia PC Suite (which comes bundled on a CD).

Travellers should note the 7610 provides tri-band coverage to keep you connected when you are roaming internationally.

Performance
Battery life on the 7610 varies greatly depending on what features you use. With average usage we found the handset to last between three to four days. Expect a bit less than this if you're going to be using the camera for stills / video a lot, or if you plan on watching video clips constantly. Nokia states a maximum talk time of three hours and standby time of up to ten days.

The Nokia 7610 is the first handset from the Finnish phone manufacturer to include a one-megapixel camera. The next in the company's megapixel line-up on the cards is the 6630 Smartphone -- a 3G handset.

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nokia 7260
11/06/2008, 05:39 PM

rating
8
/10

Great mobile with 1 mega pixel camera. Stylish and unique designed cell phone. Brings great fun and entertainment. Have expansion slot and download able games.

Pros: Gorgeous color.
Decent talk time.
Very easy to use and understand.
Small stylish design.

Cons: Battery cover easily scratched.

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sCas
04/01/2008, 04:10 PM

rating
3
/10

qwerqwetgfewrg

Pros: yt

Cons: ertyer

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machindra_121
21/12/2007, 06:47 PM

rating
9
/10

macchibndar

Pros: vashi navi mumbai

Cons: lakhani bldg

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eders
25/07/2007, 08:27 AM

rating
10
/10

awesome phone had mine for a year no problems at all 10/10 until it got stolen. have a DOLCE & GABBANA V3i now total trash, actualy looking to buy another 7610 just cant let go

Pros: great screen and easy to type messages with right hand only awesome style/ accesories good phone internet (best ive seen).

Cons: got stolen, too many people love it!

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julian89
12/06/2007, 08:27 PM

rating
7
/10

I have this phone for like 15 months. The first year is alright but this year, the problems arose. It started to randomly shut down by itself very very frequently >< and now it's totally dead and i have never dropped it before. I felt really sad because i really love this phone as it has one of the best design and i just love it. :(

Pros: Fantastic design.

Cons: Very slow sometimes. Randomly shut down.

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Phoenix
09/06/2007, 08:44 AM

rating
10
/10

Love this phone!
It's nice and stylish and stands out in the crowd!

Pros: Memory Epxnasion,
Design,
MP3 Player
Good Cam.
Lots of features,
Doesn't look like the typical phone.

Cons: Hard to work Keypad at first.

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Justin
21/02/2007, 06:07 PM

rating
9
/10

i luv this phone.
i havent had a prob wit it yet.

Pros: good mp camera, rec, looks stylish and lots more

Cons: mp3 sounds scratchy at times..

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cem
09/11/2006, 08:42 PM

rating
5
/10

ive had my 7610 for 25 months now i have never dropped it. its still brand new but it hasnt had 100% coverage last month. the problems is with my phone not the operator, ive tried it with other sim cards. i cant believe it stopped working, i have never dropped it.

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10/08/2006, 08:13 AM

rating
8
/10

Extraordinary!

Pros: Great phone.I've used it for 18 months.Not a single pblem.Now planning to move to a v3i...Good idea?Time would tell...

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nokiamania
07/08/2006, 09:36 PM

rating
9
/10

great phone and long lasting

I love this phone.. big screen, great camera and stylish design. I've had this for almost 2 yrs with no probs. a bit bulky tho..

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