Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type review: The missing link

Introduction

Nokia seem to have the missing link in the evolution of mobile phones. The Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type is an attempt to bring the best of both worlds. A touch phone in a form factor that’s as classic as it gets.

Like it or not, touchscreen phones are the future and it would be a smart move to get ready for the switch. It’s up to you really. You can choose while there still is choice. Or you can simply wait for the inevitable.

But you know what, you can be as uncertain and old-fashioned and backward about touchscreen as you like. And still be prepared. The transition doesn’t have to be painful says Nokia with their C3-01 Touch and Type.

Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type official photos

And as we found out reviewing the Nokia X3-02, the touchscreen/numpad combo worked impressively well on a slim metallic body. Little wonder then, Nokia are going for the same thing with the C3-01 Touch and Type.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Quad-band 3G with 10Mbps HSDPA and 2Mbps HSUPA
• Neat and well built, slim, light and metal clad
• 2.4" 256K-color resistive TFT QVGA touchscreen
• S40 6th edition UI
• 5 megapixel fixed-focus camera
• VGA video recording at 15fps
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• Stereo FM radio with RDS, Visual radio
• Bluetooth v2.1 (with A2DP)
• Standard microUSB port (charging enabled)
• USB On-The-Go functionality
• microSD card slot (32 GB supported)
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Extra soft and precise haptic feedback

Main disadvantages

• Small screen (for a touch phone)
• No multitasking
• No GPS
• Fixed-focus camera
• No smart dialing
• No video-call camera
• No adequate storage out of the box
• No accelerometer sensor
• No document viewer

The Nokia C3-01 starts from roughly the same spot as its X3-02 sibling. And obviously, it isn’t going anywhere more exciting or advanced. This kind of phones have their limitations and they’re more than obvious. S40 handsets have been getting a lot of stick (at least from us) for the lack of even basic multitasking, smart dialing and a document viewer.

Nokia C3-01 pays us a visit

But still, we did like the touch and type concept – more for the look and feel and less for the features. The C3-01 will have to live up to a very high standard of build quality and design to boost its chances of survival. It certainly helps though to have a true classic and a massive bestseller as an inspiration. The Nokia 6300 belongs to different times but its timeless charm is all over the C3-01.