Nokia 6126 (Unlocked)

The first thing about the 6126 is the screen; the 98 squillion colours and image definition are outstanding, so much so that when I look at my old 6230, I can't believe I used a phone with such outdated graphics for 2 years.

Connected to this is the camera; the photos I've taken with it are full of vibrant colour, with excellent definition. The phone's built-in memory isn't great for storing too many at full definition, but a trick I've picked up is to zoom in on things where definition isn't important, and the zoomed pics are stored at a lower def, and thus lower memory.

Sound on the mp3 player is excellent; I have it paired with a set of HS-23 earphones, which are great. A trick for creating playlists is to create folders on your memory card; the phone doesn't have a device for creating playlists in and of itself.

Oh yeah, and it's also a phone. Crystal clear reception, no problem with coverage bars, a very loud speaker phone and ringtone with customizeable settings for silent, flight, etc modes.

The menus and settings are the usual Nokia, completely costomizeable and utterly user-friendly. If you think the controls are different to your old Sony/Samsung/LG, don't worry, you can change the Nokia around so that every function is exactly where you would find it on your old phone. The options menu is the best thing anyone has ever added to a phone, and no function on my phone is more than 2 clicks away after opening.

The flip mechanism on the 6126 is great for playing with; it snaps open quickly and crisply every time, and you're talking. Your roommate/partner/close friends will get fed up with you constantly opening and closing it, though, so don't overdo it.

The faux-leather exterior really feels nice in your hand, but it is soft, and after a couple of months I've noticed some very slight peeling in a couple of places. A clear plastic case looks nice on other phones, but on this one it takes away from the leather appearance, which is a bit unfortunate.

The buttons on the keypad are big and well lit, and click properly so you know when you've pushed them. The phone feels really comfortable in the hand and up against your ear.

Cons; battery life. It does have to be charged every 2nd day at least, probably every day under heavy usage (if you're using the mp3 player all day, for example). A car charger is a very worthwhile investment.

Of all the functions to leave out, I can't for the life of me work out why the 6133 can have an fm radio, but the 6126 doesn't need one. It's the one thing I really miss from my 6230.

Advice; if you want to use this phone as a mp3 player, get the decent headphones (like the hs-23) and a usb cable. Nokia Suite works quick with my Dell, and I've hardly taken my media card out of the phone.

I don't browse the web on my phone, or use bluetooth, so can't comment on those functions.