While Nokia is clearly looking at Windows to take over the future of its share in the mobile market, it is by no means ditching the Symbian platform that it has been faithful to so far. A new smartphone running the Symbian Belle OS has just been added to the Nokia lineup. This one is labeled the Nokia 603 and has quite distinctive contemporary looks and maintains a low profile with a conservative design and small form factor.
On first look, it features a 3.5” ClearBlack LCD display with IPS technology. On closer looks, the screen has an nHD resolution of 360×640 which is well below the standards established by the latest smartphones since the last year or so. On the inside, there is a 1GHz processor, so it at least comes close on the performance front. The design of the phone is quite simple and straightforward. Neat, straight cut edges with a few curves here and there, though it doesn’t stand out in a lineup. It also doesn’t have any of the glossy back or chrome finishes that most smartphones today are featuring.
On the connectivity front, this one supports four bands on 2G networks and three on 3G networks which is pretty neat as it can be used anywhere in the world. Data transfer standards are the common 14.4Mbps HSDPA and the 5.7Mbps HSUPA. LTE support would have been a great idea but it looks like Nokia is reserving that for future releases and the Windows platform. The usual WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth are all thrown in and an extra Near Field Communication capability also comes with the bundle. There is 2GB of built-in memory which is again mediocre compared to today’s standards but the saving grace is the microSD slot which is expandable to 32GB.
Multimedia options are the run of the mill. There is a 5 megapixel camera on the back without autofocus or flash, though 720p video recording is available. This handset is going to be released in the mid range budget but it might have a tough time against those in the same price range running Android.
