Nokia 6300 - All Black Edition (Unlocked to all networks)

first off, I will outline the subtle (but welcomed) differences between the black version and the original.

the black looks better - the keys are slightly less hard than the original silver 6300 - the rear plastic cover no longer looks cheap but has a nice matt feel

now, about the phone - it is a fantastic phone and one of the best nokia have made - there are some minor niggles - the speaker could be a touch louder, the music player could be more refined, the side volume key is a bit stiff

these are tiny issues which do not affect the overall brilliance of this phone

i'm a big nokia fan and i'm very picky when it comes to mobiles - the last mobile i really liked was a nokia 6230i and this was my upgrade

the screen is also fantastic, one of the best you will find on any mobile - the phone does the jobs well (texting and phoning)- the interface is quick and easy to use

it does the basics very well - with some nice touches (eg. radio) - the camera is good for 2 megapixel - the sound is great - the screen is amazing - the phone is slim and light - the battery is very good - you will find it hard to find anything negative to say about this phone

this is one of the best recent phones nokia have made - even some of the newer models can't match this phone - this is a phone which will still be great in years to come

if you can get the black version - even better - but the nokia 6300 is great and don't let other reviews convince you otherwise

if you do happen to disagree with me, you're wrong! :)

I had a Nokia 6230i last year which was a fantastic phone, and I presume comes from this 'family' of 6 Series phones. The phone I've just got rid of, the 5300, was a tad dissapointing in the long term. The horrid shiny plastic case was falling apart, and it was increasingly becoming bulkier (and noticeably heaiver) in my Levi's 501's. Either that, or I've put on weight...

So I got this 6300 after reading all the good reviews. And wow! What a difference!

First impressions are everlasting, because this phone is incredibly slim and has a 'confident' weight to it. The casing is a mix of tin and plastic, but both are very robust. It feels solid and in your hand and is a joy to text with as all the buttons are so smooth to press - they don't have a 'clicky' feel to them... The centre menu and arrow buttons have a nice design too - they sunken, so you don't really press them by accident.

The menu system and options are generally the same as most current generation Nokia's, with an example being the main Status bar at the top of the screen. The crystal clear display makes using it a joy and doesn't strain the eye - it appears almost LCD like, as the screen isn't sunken back; it's very close to the fascia. The colours are so much more vivid than any other phone I've ever used.

People often bang on about camera and music playback quality with phones these days. I for one don't take these into account when I buy a communications device. That's why I have an MP3 player and Canon Ixus separately, because they're each dedicated to what they do. However, it's nice to see both areas fall well into this phone. 2 Megapixels may be small, but lets get something clear - on a phone screen, the resolution will appear better. And I can honestly say photo's taken in broad day light appear almost crystal clear - nice for the odd memoire.

Music wise, again it's hard to comment, but if you're into this sort of thing then then sound quality is very impressive - better than my previous 5300, without a doubt.

My favourite feature on this phone, which has become invaluable in lectures and work, is the status light on the sides of the phone. They blink blue every couple of seconds if you've either recieved a Message of any sort, or a call. This means I can turn my phone face down so it doesn't light up bright in a dark room, and still have it on silent.

Finally, it comes with a 512mb micro SD card which, in hindsight, is more than enough for just photo's and video. It's a shame the video quality hasn't been upgraded for a phone of this price, which means you would still struggle for quality even on a YouTube sized video. The only other negative I can think off hand is that their appears to be a slight gap in between the fascia/battery cover panels that allows dust and dirt to enter quite easy. Best kept in a jacket pocket!

In terms of it's robustness, I've dropped this about 5 times on concrete surfaces. 2 were under the influence of many vodka and coke's, whilst the other's were during the winter when my hands were icicles. The phone only has minor scratches from each drop.

Niggles aside, this is the best 'practical' phone I've ever owned, and I'd have no hesitation in recommending it. I recieved the All Black Edition, but on 02 network which worked out at just fifty quid in the end! Absolute bargain.

Both 6300 and 6233 are aimed at the same market. They are in the same class. They are both business class phones. If you compare business features between both models you will see that they are both the same...To Do List, Notepad application etc. The multimedia features are secondary.

But with Nokia you give and take. You can't have your cake and eat it too. They have a budget for their phones.

The 6300 have a very high quality and expense screen supporting up to 16.7 million colours while the 6233 only have 262,000 colours.

The 6233 only supports up to 500 contacts while 6300 supports up to 1,000 contacts. This is the biggest turn off for me because I'm coming from a 6230 which supports 1,000 contacts so why should I downgrade my phonebook by buying the 6233 ? Furthermore I had more than 500 contacts in my 6230 so I needed a phone with a similar capacity. Telephony functions are the MOST important and the PRIMARY reason for buying a phone!

The 6300 have more internal memory and memory isn't cheap.

The 6300 have a miniUSB port which basically makes it a universal port because even a digital camera USB cable will work with it. The 6233 has a Pop-Port so it needs a special nokia cable which can be hard to get. I have been there so I know.

The 6300 weighs 19 grams less than 6233 making it easier on your pocket. I like to forget I have a phone in my pocket until it rings. I don't like to feel constant weight in my pocket.

The materials used for the 6300 are of high quality and much more expensive than the materials used for 6233.

The 6300 is slimmer making it more comfortable in the hands.

The 6300 supports H.264 high definition codec which gives you higher video quality at lower file sizes.

I'm NOT saying the 6233 doesn't have an edge at all over the 6300 I'm just pointing out why both phones stand out in there own way.

I would have liked if the 6300 had certain features which the 6233 have like VGA recording / playback. Dual speakers with 3D sound.
The only other 2 features the 6233 have over 6300 is 3G and Video Sharing which isn't a factor because many providers still doesn't
support these 2 features.

If it wasn't for the small phonebook then the 6233 would be an excellent buy.

Another person I know called NokiaMia was also disgusted with the 6233 small phonebook as they had 600 very important business contacts in their 6230 so they would have had to shave off 100 contacts if they had switched to the 6233.

All in all I like my 6300. A better screen, more stylish, slimmer, weighs less and very comfortable to use. The 6300 is a winner in many ways.