As we mentioned, Nokia 515 features a classic front configuration - a screen at the top with physical keypad underneath.
The navigation deck is built around a four-way D-pad with a confirmation center key. There's a soft key and a call key on either side. The controls are adequately sized and have good tactile feedback.
The numpad has nicely comfortably keys of good size and the same nice feedback.
The physical keys work as expected
Above the navigation deck is the 2.4" QVGA display, which we'll inspect in greater detail in a few moments. At the very top is the Nokia logo as well as the speaker grille.
The Nokia logo is quite prominent
The left side of the Nokia 515 is bare, while the right holds only the volume rocker. The lack of additional buttons and ports on the sides adds lets the metallic profile of the handset remain smooth and cool looking.
The bottom of the 515 continues the clean design trend and holds only the back panel ejector pinhole. The microphone is actually located above the lowest row of the keypad, so there are no other apertures here.
At the top we see all the connectivity ports - the microUSB port next to the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The 5MP camera with LED flash is the most notable feature on the back. The speaker grille is near the bottom, next to the plastic patch.
We already discussed the good-looking aluminum back of the phone. It's removable, although the process is a bit odd. You need a pin, which Nokia has supplied in the package, to insert into the at the bottom.
Once you've opened the cover you see the 1200mAh battery. The SIM card and microSD card slot are placed above it, but unfortunately in such a way that neither of them is hotswappable.
Overall, the phone doesn't flex, neither does it bend nor twist. It's a very solid build that will last ages.
The display of the Nokia 515 is a 2.4-incher of QVGA resolution. This adds up to the very modest 167ppi density, which however isn't that bad for the entry level class.
Image quality is decent with contrast levels good for the price range.
Display test | 50% brightness | 100% brightness | ||||
Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | |||
Nokia 515 | - | - | - | 0.56 | 396 | 713 |
LG Nexus 5 | 0.31 | 298 | 948 | 0.54 | 526 | 967 |
LG G2 | 0.10 | 149 | 1522 | 0.45 | 667 | 1495 |
LG Optimus G | 0.14 | 197 | 1445 | 0.33 | 417 | 1438 |
Sony Xperia Z1 | - | - | - | 0.38 | 580 | 1513 |
Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 | 0 | 201 | ∞ | 0 | 404 | ∞ |
HTC One | 0.13 | 205 | 1580 | 0.42 | 647 | 1541 |
Oppo Find 5 | 0.17 | 176 | 1123 | 0.51 | 565 | 1107 |
As far as sunlight legibility is concerned, we are happy to report the Nokia 515 does very decently beating far more expensive handsets in our test. You won't have any problems reading messages or check out who's calling you even in direct sunlight.
The Nokia 515 is pleasantly joyful to hold. You will have absolutely no trouble operating it with one hand and its aluminum back provides a great feel in the hand.
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