Nokia 6700 Classic

If the touchscreen smart-phone frenzy leaves you cold, the Nokia 6700 Classic could be the phone to raise your temperature. The shiny chrome may be too blinding for some, but the metal case feels solid in your hand and looks elegant.

The 6700 handles the basics well, with good call quality and an easy-to-use, attractive user interface. A few quality bells and whistles, like the good 5-megapixel camera, customisable home page and Ovi Store access, are the icing on top.

The combination of low price, lovely looks and solid quality make the 6700 a classic by name, and a classic by nature.

Read original review at CNET.

At the end of this review it's less what we think and more how we feel about the Nokia 6700 classic. The honest truth is we fell in love with the phone the moment we opened the box. Mature and poised, business-like and trendy, the real classic styling seems to give the handset a very wide appeal.

In this train of thoughts the Nokia 6700 classic stands as a much more affordable (but equally stylish) version of the Nokia 8800 Sirocco. Amazingly thin it truly is, but you'd never guess that holding it in your hand. For such a compact device, the phone does have a nice heft to it. Add the top notch feel of metal in your hand and you get the sense of a very reliable and stylish gadget.

As for specs - they are excellent for a feature phone. The handset can cater to a younger audience with its IM features provided by Ovi Contacts, and to a more diverse crowd with its trouble-free handling of email and navigation.

Lack of Wi-Fi hurts a bit, but what really limits its usability is the lack of a document viewer. Without it, the excellent handling of email is not much of a benefit in a business environment. The phone has the looks to come out of any pocket and keep its head up, but it's unlikely to compete with other feature phones that offer basic document viewing.

On the other hand, laptop tethering doesn't involve special software (other than the Nokia PC Suite) or additional carrier fees besides the data charges. We're not sure if this is going to be a commonly used feature but you can set it up in almost no time, so it's worth keeping in mind.

Let's now have a brief look at the Nokia 6700 classic alternatives. First up is the obvious, cheaper option - the Nokia 6303 classic. It omits the fastest data transfers, has a lower-res camera, and Ovi Maps comes bare without built-in GPS. What you'd miss the most is the looks however - the 6303 is simply no match in that department.

The Samsung S7220 Ultra b matches most of the key features of the 6700. It offers a document viewer, but lacks the navigation software - it relies on Google Maps instead. With a distinct and bold styling, the Samsung bar sure looks a worthy rival.

Another Samsung handset, often mentioned in the context of fashionable candybars, is the Samsung M7500 Emporio Armani. We won't fuss over the differences in specs - what matters here is the looks - and the Armani is supposed to bring it in spades. So, keep bringing it, says the Nokia 6700 classic.

All in all, the Nokia 6700 classic is poised to be a strong seller - especially among the crowd that likes to simply walk into a store and pick a phone. The handset is truly hard to resist in person and photos rarely do it justice, let alone make the similar kind of impact. So, the Nokia 6700 classic is designed to appeal to your senses and marketed to appeal to your common sense. You've been warned.

Read original review at GSMArena.