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Build Quality of the Nokia 6220 Classic

By The Guru on September 22, 2008

I’ve spent the past weekend using the Nokia 6220 Classic, which WOM World sent me to play with for a bit. If you’re not familiar, you can get the full feature list of the Nokia 6220 Classic here. The first thing I want to cover is, in my opinion, the most important – build quality. You can cram as many features and abilities as you want into a phone, but if it falls apart easily, it’s not worth much, and certainly won’t become the tool that it should be.

The Nokia 6220 classic is cased completely in plastic, with no metal parts. The front is a shiny plastic, while the back is a matte finish that completely resists fingerprints. The phone is very lightweight, specifically against my N82 and N95-3.

Overall, the 6220 Classic feels solid. The phone does not squeak or make any sounds when in use, other than the usual click of the keys. The numeric keypad is very roomy, with large keys that are brightly labelled, even without the backlight shining through. There is a very confident click for each one, with no mushiness whatsoever.

The S60 navigation cluster, however, is a bit of a pain to use. The end/send keys and left/right softkeys are nice and big and easy to press, but I can’t say the same for the S60 menu key and the clear key. These 2 keys are located on either side of the d-pad, positioned between the softkey and the appropriate end/send key. However, these keys are also miniscule in size, but stick out further than the other keys, making them annoyingly easy to accidentally press.

The d-pad is very nice, with a raised edge and well-defined clicks. There is a nice notification light ring around the d-pad, showing a beautiful blue that matches the keypad backlight. This light ‘breathes’ normally, and begins flashing repeatedly when you have a missed event, such as a phone call, text message, or email.

There is a lens protector on the 6220 Classic, with a small switch located just above the actual lens. Unfortunately, this lens switch is not spring loaded, and does not feel anywhere as sturdy as the one on the Nokia N82. The lack of a spring-assist also means that it’s possible to only partially open the lens protector. I found this to be an issue repeatedly, and found myself having to press the switch firmly in the open position for the phone to recognise the action.

Overall, I’m rather impressed with the build quality of the 6220 Classic. Aside from the S60 menu and clear keys, the buttons are easy to press and give solid feedback. The phone doesn’t squeak or make any other noises when in use, and it feels solid in your hand.

I’ll be checking out the other features of the 6220 Classic soon, so stay tuned for the rest of the review.

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The Guru

The Guru, aka Ricky Cadden, started Symbian-Guru.com in November 2006, out of his excitement for the S60 3rd Edition version of Symella. The Guru has used Symbian devices since the Nokia 6620, and is known for his perspective as a power user. You can follow The Guru on Twitter at @Rcadden

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  • http://blog.abhista.com Arjun Parsi

    I used it for a day.And it was like keypad was coming out even tho I didnt even used it properly. the next day I returned it.

  • http://phoneomenon.com/ Tim

    nice to know that a good phone can still be produced while using all plastic.

  • http://phoneomenon.com Tim

    nice to know that a good phone can still be produced while using all plastic.

  • http://symbian.site666.info/ Diabo

    What about wear and tear?

    The d-pad on the 6220c that looked “very nice, with a raised edge and well-defined clicks” in your one-weekend test looks very similar to the d-pad of its predecessor, the 6120c. That d-pad looked great in the first weekend too, but the paint started peeling off soon after that. Like most painted plastic, it’s simply not compatible with the chemistry of your fingertips.

    The rest of the 6120c’s seemingly solid build quality didn’t last very long either. Both the novelty and the finish wore off very soon. Is its successor any different?

  • http://symbian.site666.info Diabo

    What about wear and tear?

    The d-pad on the 6220c that looked “very nice, with a raised edge and well-defined clicks” in your one-weekend test looks very similar to the d-pad of its predecessor, the 6120c. That d-pad looked great in the first weekend too, but the paint started peeling off soon after that. Like most painted plastic, it’s simply not compatible with the chemistry of your fingertips.

    The rest of the 6120c’s seemingly solid build quality didn’t last very long either. Both the novelty and the finish wore off very soon. Is its successor any different?

  • Cheung Yuen Wong

    Seems that overall the build quality is still just ok.
    Nothing to jump the roof for.
    Waiting excitedly on the other parts of the review.

  • Cheung Yuen Wong

    Seems that overall the build quality is still just ok.
    Nothing to jump the roof for.
    Waiting excitedly on the other parts of the review.

  • Viipottaja

    I would say its pretty much given that the build quality is just ok (in fact, I’ve seen a lot people kind of assume without having perhaps even used it that its crap). I gather its supposed to be just ok for production cost reasons, but also due to its place in the product lineup. I would imagine that this phone will stay in production for a while, and some point (after R&D and production line set up etc. have become sunk cost and parts are getting cheaper and cheaper), Nokia will make a killing with this phone. Very smart indeed, and not because its a “smartphone”. :)

  • Viipottaja

    I would say its pretty much given that the build quality is just ok (in fact, I’ve seen a lot people kind of assume without having perhaps even used it that its crap). I gather its supposed to be just ok for production cost reasons, but also due to its place in the product lineup. I would imagine that this phone will stay in production for a while, and some point (after R&D and production line set up etc. have become sunk cost and parts are getting cheaper and cheaper), Nokia will make a killing with this phone. Very smart indeed, and not because its a “smartphone”. :)

  • Tim

    In my opinion, the 6120c was the best symbian phone EVER. The bright screen, mediocre but quick camera, the tiny size, low weight, lack of pretense, lightning fast operation, oodles of memory, and the unbelievable price – all combined to make it the best value for money in a cell phone ever.

    Until I used it for three months. That d-pad proved downright painful, with its edges pinching your fingertips, and the paint peeling off. SUbsequently the d-pad broke in two.

    I would gladly have a few more grams of weight and a few dollars more in return for phones that are meant to be used. Tragically, this seems to be the same deal. You could see how flimsy it is just by looking at it. And those blue fonts on keys are hideous. At least 6120c looked awesome.

  • Tim

    In my opinion, the 6120c was the best symbian phone EVER. The bright screen, mediocre but quick camera, the tiny size, low weight, lack of pretense, lightning fast operation, oodles of memory, and the unbelievable price – all combined to make it the best value for money in a cell phone ever.

    Until I used it for three months. That d-pad proved downright painful, with its edges pinching your fingertips, and the paint peeling off. SUbsequently the d-pad broke in two.

    I would gladly have a few more grams of weight and a few dollars more in return for phones that are meant to be used. Tragically, this seems to be the same deal. You could see how flimsy it is just by looking at it. And those blue fonts on keys are hideous. At least 6120c looked awesome.

  • http://www.womworld.com/nokia/4281/6220-build-quality-%e2%80%93-%e2%80%98solid%e2%80%99/ WOM World / Nokia » Blog Archive – 6220 build quality – ‘solid’

    [...] at Symbian Guru, the man himself has posted his thoughts about the construction of the 6220 Classic, and his opinions seem to counter most posts that have been reported on these pages to [...]

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2008/09/s60v3-feature-pack-2-on-the-nokia-6220-classic.html S60v3 Feature Pack 2 on the Nokia 6220 Classic

    [...] already shared a few thoughts on the build quality of the Nokia 6220 Classic with you, but now I want to talk about the interior – S60v3 Feature Pack 2. The Nokia 6220 Classic [...]

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2008/09/nokia-6220-classic-vs-nokia-n82-silliness.html Nokia 6220 Classic vs Nokia N82: Silliness

    [...] figure out to honestly review the Nokia 6220 Classic. I’ve already shared my thoughts on the build quality and the experience of S60v3 Feature Pack 2 on this candybar smartphone, and typically I [...]

  • http://blog.abhista.com/ Arjun Parsi

    I used it for a day.And it was like keypad was coming out even tho I didnt even used it properly. the next day I returned it.

  • http://blog.abhista.com/ Arjun Parsi

    I used it for a day.And it was like keypad was coming out even tho I didnt even used it properly. the next day I returned it.

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