Nokia 603

[achyutaghosh]

Hi,

I am on the lookout for a cellphone for my wife- budget range is 10-13K.
While she is not too much of an apps person, what we do require between the two of us, is one phone with Voice Guided Navigation. I have a Xperia Neo which doesnt have this feature, but that means we need a Nokia for her.

How is the Nokia 603? It falls squarely within budget but have not got any user feedback. We can also consider the Nokia 500. We could have considered the Lumia 710 too, but it is slightly out of budget, plus it has battery issues.

Please suggest.

 

[desiJATT]

Nokia 603 will be a good choice for you keeping in mind it has 3G connectivity and free voice navigation through Nokia Maps. But its software is a bit of downside IMO. You can go for it anyway but if you want something to be more future proof and good interface (with the brand nokia ofcourse and with free navigation) that is, the Nokia 710. Slightly outbudgeted but a good good buy.

Nokia 500 is totally a downer in front of Nokia 603.
Source - *geekaphone.com/compare/Nokia-603-vs-Nokia-500

 

[coderunknown]

603 is the best non-Android option.

Else wait for Lumia 610. as your wife don't need any much apps, Lumia 610 will be a better buy but can be confusing initially as it has new UI.

 

[desiJATT]

+1 for Sam's suggestion too. Nokia Lumia 610 is on the verge of being launched and is a better option against Lumia 710 in terms of looks. But as Sam already stated, WP7 UI can be a bit confusing initially.

 

[achyutaghosh]

Thanks DesiJat and Sam. Highly appreciate your quick responses.

I thought of waiting for Lumia 610, my only issue was that its specs seemed weak- 800 mhz processor, and only 256 mb RAM. I have had a lot of problems with my wife's old E72 which also had 256 mb RAM, and it would continuously get full, requiring a s/w flash which used to remove all data. Am a bit skeptical about modern day smartphones with low RAM.

I have not faced any problem on my Android phone and tab which have 512 mb RAM, hence would not like to consider the 610.

Is there an Android equivalent at 12k?

 

[coderunknown]

WP7 is designed such that it doesn't slow down but i agree with your concern. 256Mb ram is less than what most Android mobiles have. Though Lumia 610 will have an array of limitation like no live tiles update in real time, some apps won't be supported, so chances of slowdown is less.

12k? you can check Wildfire S else try Xperia Mini. Check if any site is offering some discount or coupon. I have played with Mini since last month and is really usable and offers nice backup. And the biggest +ve point is the bright and vivid screen.

 

[desiJATT]

Thanks DesiJat and Sam. Highly appreciate your quick responses.

I thought of waiting for Lumia 610, my only issue was that its specs seemed weak- 800 mhz processor, and only 256 mb RAM. I have had a lot of problems with my wife's old E72 which also had 256 mb RAM, and it would continuously get full, requiring a s/w flash which used to remove all data. Am a bit skeptical about modern day smartphones with low RAM.

I have not faced any problem on my Android phone and tab which have 512 mb RAM, hence would not like to consider the 610.

Is there an Android equivalent at 12k?

Seeing your main requirement is Voice Navigation Support, you might want to stick with Nokia only. But unfortunately there is no other android equivalent by Nokia in any range. Nokia doesn't have any android phones in it's lineup. Other options are Nokia Asha series but that are very underpowered phones. I would suggest you go for Nokia 710, it's over your budget by just 2K but will give you a good performance boost over Nokia 610, with the reliability and free maps by Nokia.

Another option is to go for the Nokia 603 you already stated. It has all the features you suggested but is cheaper as it runs the Symbian Belle OS, upgradeable to Belle FP1. Now it's your choice.

 

[sainath]

Thanks DesiJat and Sam. Highly appreciate your quick responses.

I thought of waiting for Lumia 610, my only issue was that its specs seemed weak- 800 mhz processor, and only 256 mb RAM. I have had a lot of problems with my wife's old E72 which also had 256 mb RAM, and it would continuously get full, .........

Is there an Android equivalent at 12k?

Nokia E72 have 128 MB of RAM not 256 MB of RAM.

 

[desiJATT]

^^ haha good observation, everyone posting here overlooked this fact! This might help OP decide his phone

 

[achyutaghosh]

My bad, Sainath- you are right, it has 128 mb RAM, and i always had a problem with it running too many apps.

Ordered the 603 in white today, on paper it looked great- will post an user experience on the same as i dont see any on the forum till date.

Thank you all!