Why You Can Trust CNET Nokia 6230i review: Nokia 6230i
The Nokia 6230i is the upgraded version of the popular 6230. These two phones are not the most exciting to look at or use, but they keep things simple. The 6230i is compact, easy to use and has a better camera and more internal memory than its predecessor -- and it'll still work with old Nokia chargers
The Nokia 6230i is the upgraded version of the very popular Nokia 6230. These two phones are not the most exciting to look at or use, but they keep things simple. After three years the 6230 is starting to look pretty old, but the one-year-old 6230i can still hold its own in the mid-range market. It's compact and will still work with old Nokia chargers -- always a bonus, since there's so many lying around.
Nokia 6230i
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The screen on the front of the Nokia 6230i is larger than the 6230's, measuring 30mm wide and 30mm tall, making it easier to see text messages and WAP pages. The navigation button on the keypad is also different, sporting a new OK button in the centre. This makes it easier to select options and navigate through the menu.
The 6230i also has a slightly altered menu system that uses different looking icons, but it's still straightforward and simple to use. Overall, using the 6230i's menu isn't a particularly different experience from the 6230 and still retains an intuitive layout.
Aside from aesthetic changes, the 6230i also has better specs than its predecessor. There's a 1.3-megapixel camera, instead of a VGA one, and 32MB of internal memory, instead of just 6MB. You can also connect to an EDGE network and browse the Web faster than on GPRS, but this is only useful if you're with Orange, as it's currently the only network supporting EDGE.
Aside from that, the other features in the 6230i are identical to the 6230's, including an expandable MMC card slot, an FM radio, infrared, Bluetooth, WAP browser and Java games.
Weaknesses
Due to the fact that Nokia didn't make many changes to the upgraded 6230, it inherited many of its problems. The 6230i has the same keypad as the 6230, which is narrow at the sides, making pressing the numbers 1, 4, 7 and 3, 6, 9 and the star and hash keys less comfortable than if they were larger.
Another awkward area to press is the four-way navigation button. This is because the new OK button in the middle of the navigation key actually makes using the navigation key itself very difficult. This is because it doesn't leave enough space for your thumb to press up, down, left and right comfortably without tapping the OK button by mistake.
Considering the 6230i is now over a year old it can still hold its own. However, this phone is beginning to dodder a little in its old age and the 1.3-megapixel camera is no longer considered cutting-edge, especially when compared to newer camera phones like the Sony Ericsson K800i. The screen is also small in comparison with newer screens like the one on the Nokia 6234, which measures 31mm wide by 41mm tall.
Conclusion
The 6230i is the logical upgrade of the 6230 and if you need a phone that's simple to use and affordable then this is a good choice. It is starting to look slightly old against newer, shinier models, but this phone is a classic Nokia: it doesn't overwhelm you with too many features but it does have the essential ones. The 6230i is closer to the old-style Nokias and therefore a sensible buy if you're about to upgrade from an earlier model.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Nick Hide