Nokia 5630 XpressMusic review: A sharp note

The XpressMusic family has walked a long way – and shed a great deal of weight – since the 5700. The music-centric Finns have always felt at home on Symbian ground though, and the Nokia 5630 is the next step for them and they’re getting smarter and faster. A sharp mind in a fit body, the latest XpressMusic smartphone packs the quickest processor Nokia have offered to date.

Nokia 5630 XpressMusic official photos

XpressMusic is not the Nokia 5630’s only virtue. The subdued exterior reveals little of the talent that lays beneath. Along with the music perks go Wi-Fi, a 3-megapixel snapper, N-Gage support, and S60 FP2 to open the door to a whole world of extra apps.

Of course, it’s not without its flaws but think again before casting the first stone. The 5630 XpressMusic is slim enough – both in girth and price – to dodge its critics.

Key features:

• ARM 11 600 MHz processor
• Quad-band GSM support
• 3G with HSDPA
• 12 mm slim
• 2.2" 16M-color QVGA display of excellent sunlight legibility
• 3 megapixel camera, enhanced fixed focus and dual LED flash
• VGA video-call camera
• Symbian OS with S60 3.2 UI
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UPnP technology
• Bluetooth (with A2DP) and microUSB port
• microSD card slot (16 GB supported, 4GB included)
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Dedicated music keys
• N-Gage support
• Ovi Contacts integration
• Contacts bar on the homescreen
• N-Series-like gallery
• Carrying pouch supplied
• Text-to-speech Message reader system application

Main disadvantages:

• Cheap plastic build
• microSD card very hard to eject
• Screen is on the small side for comfortable web browsing or video watching and has inaccurate color reproduction
• Camera has no autofocus and tends to oversharpen images
• Video recording quality is poor and the framerate – low

We quite like the nice little twist the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic brings in terms of looks and substance. Behind its youthful and playful disguise, there is indeed a power smartphone (along the lines of Nokia E52) to meet all your media and connectivity needs.

Nokia 5630 XpressMusic live shots

The Nokia 5630 is quite reminiscent of the super slim 5310 XpressMusic. It doesn’t have the flashy aluminum accents but the added power and S60 make it a real workhorse. And having in mind it’s a smartphone – and a powerful one too – it makes the slim waistline even more impressive.

A couple of slim XpressMusic candybars

So, now that we’ve got you tuned in to the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic, we guess you might be eager to see it in action. Let’s roll.