Hands on with just announced Nokia phones - Nokia 6086, 6300, 6290 and 2626

The 6290 was touted by Nokia to be the first mid-level S60 Symbian phone with 3G support. It has comparable design to the 6086 and again will be available in all black or silver versions (both for EU/Asia only). The similarities end here. The 6290's main display is like the 6300's – 2.2 inch QVGA with very saturated colors, brightness and contrast. The external is with high 128x160 resolution, but lacked the necessary brightness. Just under it are three music dedicated keys, allowing for easy music player operation without the need to open the shell. The 2 mega pixel camera with a LED flash are also on the top shell.

Another positive trait we noticed was that manufacturers are no longer scared to use the available space and threat their customers with large, easy to use navigation keys. The 6290 is not an exception. Considerably larger are the side keys as well – allowing easier operation. We only did not like the keys in the central row, which required a lot more effort to be pressed.

Nokia 6086 US Version - Nokia 6300 - Nokia 6290

What Nokia reps didn't hype about was – the 6290 is not only the first mid-level S60 with 3G, but is also music oriented. We mentioned the external controls, but it also has 2.5mm jack on the top, microSD memory expansion and Bluetooth (presumably with A2DP), as well as our favorite mini-USB port. Coupled with the S60 smartphone capabilities, the new 6290 has undeniable appeal to people who want mid-level 3G device with more advanced music functionality. 

Nokia 6290 complete specifications 

Overall, we noticed several very positive improvements in the four new phones announced during the event. The first one is that more and more device manufactures start to embrace the idea of standardizing connectors and moving towards mini-USB and 2.5 or 3.5mm headset jacks. The time has passed when only the technology maniacs had to carry around several different cables to connect and charge their gadgets. Nowadays, a lot of people not only have MP3 players, but Bluetooth headsets as well, more than one phone, laptops, digital cameras which create a lot of cable cluttering.  

The second improvement is the use QVGA displays in not only the high-end but as well as in the mid-range class. Raising the resolution alone is great, but the newer displays show also better color contrast and sharper images.

The third improvement is having memory expansion options in more devices. All of the new handsets announced at the event, expect the 2626, had microSD slots. This should be the norm in all mid and up class phones as pretty much all of them feature ether a camera, music player or other memory-eating capability which makes the extension slot very useful.