Handset Review: Nokia C7

Nokia has recently launched the C7 mobile handset, expanding its much popular C-series.

Based on the latest version of Symbians, the Symbian^3 S60, the Nokia C7 boasts of some nice features, enough to keep the users happy.

To begin with, the C7 has a very sleek and stylish look, grabbing immediate attention of all those around you. Its body is made up of pure metal, that beside giving the C7 a sleeker look, adds some more years to its life.

The screen is protected by Gorilla glass which is very effective against minor knock outs. Furthermore, Nokia has provided a protective holster to the C7 to help protect it from scratches and occasional bruises.

The C7 has a 3.5 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen that provides greater detail and enhances color reproduction of images. The ambient light sensor works perfectly in tandem with the display and helps control display brightness and conserve battery life too.

Display is handled by Broadcom BCM2727 GPU, which is the same as the one used in the Nokia N8, which enhances graphics giving an upthurst to the overall gaming experience of the users.

The C7 has some striking similarities with the Nokia's flagship smartphone the N8. Be it the display, processor or the operating system, all of these are same in both the phones and that describes the reason behind the performance that this device gives.

The C7 features all standards of Wi-Fi (b/g/n to be more specific) and has bluetooth 3.0 with advanced two-way data port or A2DP and supports faster file transfer speeds of up to 24 Mbps.

The C7 has a standard three-page home screen, which is user customizable of course, and the same old Symbian inside. The user interface is faster in terms of usage and perfectly complements the capacitive touch screen of the C7.

The handset has a very good sound clarity and call connectivity even while traveling. The C7 doesn't disappoint either if you play music or FM radio on its loudspeakers.

A major drawback with the C7 is that it heats up quickly. But a silver line here is that it does not affect the overall performance of the phone.

Camera is another area of concern with the C7. Though, Nokia C7 has an 8 MP camera with a dual LED flash but sadly it comes with a fixed focus. Obviously this is done to save some space but the fixed focus affect the picture quality significantly.

Also, night photography is limited to 1-2 meter unless you are shooting in a brightly lit room.

Considering the configuration one would expect this phone to be a battery guzzler but it is not. It gives a battery backup better than expected. The battery last for up to 2 days with medium usage while for a day of heavy usage.

Overall the C7 comes out to be a good phone with some exception here and there. So if you are a true Nokia aficionado, and want a good smartphone without going overboard consider this on top of your list.

With a price tag of Rs 18,900 this phone makes an excellent value for money.