Nokia 3720 classic Review

Introduction and Design:

This is an important announcement, all laborers, brick layers, shuttering workers, mountain climbers, sports buffs or just people who aren´t much into fragile things – there is a brand new rugged cell phone available on the market, called the Nokia 3720 classic that according to the manufacturer is water, dust and shock resistant (we´ll see about that!). Cell phones like this are scarcer that chicken teeth these days, so the Nokia 3720 classic market launch makes for a decent occasion for celebration in itself. The phone has one major advantage over most rugged devices…



It looks nice. The first thing we thought on opening the box was “what a cute, little celly”. We aren´t talking about real beauty of any sorts or all the rage design, not at all, yet the Nokia 3720 classic has a really pleasing overall look and its size makes the handset comfy to hold in your hand. By the way, the phone comes with wall charger, headphones with 2.5mm jack, 1GB microSD card and user guide.



You can compare the Nokia 3720 classic with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

It sports a 2.2 inch display with QVGA resolution and 16mln color support that remains relatively usable in direct sunlight. This is good news, since the handset is aimed for people who spend a lot of time being out in the open. We do like the way it´s protected against getting scratched – even if you place the device face down, the protruding edge that frames its front side will prevent the screen from touching the surface, if the latter is flat, of course. The buttons on the front are large enough and handy to use, but the volume rocker on the right side is simply awful. On the bright side, you can give your fingers a workout that would make even a Shaolin monk green with envy. This is how hard to press it is.



The difference between the 3720 classic and standard phones becomes obvious when you take a look at the battery and the way it´s locked in place by a special screw. It clings to the phone body really tightly so as to prevent water and dust from seeping through. The microUSB port and 2.5mm jack are also protected, but the charger port is exposed all the time, which makes us believe that you might want to pass up on testing the water resistance feature of the device.

Software and Camera:

What else does a self-respecting rugged phone need? Other than a sturdy body, of course? Well, solid interface! The Nokia 3720 classic is Series 40 based, meaning most people will find its functionality completely adequate. It´s extremely easy to operate, not to mention the device comes preloaded with Opera Mini, perhaps the most popular cell phone browser that happens to be more capable than the standard app coming with the operating system. As a whole, even if the 3720 classic happens to be the first Nokia handset you´ve got, the interface won´t give you a headache, that´s for sure.



The multimedia player unifies your audio and video files and filters content by artist, album and genre. Audio playback quality is decent and we must say the headset is one of the most comfortable that we have seen. This is good news indeed, since the lack of 3.5mm jack means you will probably have to make do with the boxed pair. The Nokia 3720 classic sports a FM Radio with RDS and simplified interface that we do find appealing. Unfortunately, the handset is as far from being the best device when it comes to watching videos as it gets - it supports low quality videos only (MPEG4/H.263).



We better warn you right off the bat; don’t even think about taking videos with this phone. They are captured at QCIF resolution and 11 frames per second, which basically means the only thing they are good for is… MMS messages. The 2-megapixel camera with fixed focus length sports a flash and we can say it does a great job… as a flashlight. Image details are decent, but the surreal and rather washed colors make snapshots virtually unusable, so you will need all the ingenuity, resourcefulness and imagination you can muster if you are to capture something useful.

Nokia 3720 classic sample video at 176x144 resolution

Resistance and Performance:

“Dude, could you pass me the hammer, please?... Oh, we did that test already? Cool, while I´m at it, hand over the drill, will you?” That´s how our tests of the handset´s ruggedness features looked like. With a fair approach to accuracy, of course. The phone came through with flying colors, but we can´t say it sets a new standard in anything. It meets all requirements of IP54 (please, read our article on rugged handsets and applicable standards for more information), meaning it doesn’t care about dust or splashes, no matter the angle they come at. In other words, you can safely assume it will survive a day on the beach or even a slight wash; just remember not to put it in the laundry. Its comes with a tough body that will endure most tricks of fortune that would bring normal devices to their knees, so we do consider the Nokia 3720 classic fairly useable for athletes and people that work in adverse conditions (extreme dust, humidity etc.). It´s not invulnerable though and you better keep that in mind.

Frankly, we thought the Nokia 3720 classic would be laughable in terms of in-call quality, since that´s exactly the case with most rugged phones we have tested to date. We were proved completely wrong, because the handset produced loud and clear sound that won´t be far-fetched to say is pretty close to being the best in-call quality we have ever experienced. People on the other end were quite happy about the quality as well, with a single gripe about slightly monotonous sound.

The battery, much like the phone itself, is quite tough. According to the manufacturer, it should be able to provide up to 7hrs of continuous talk time and keep your phone operational for almost 19 days in standby or, alternatively, give no less but 14.5hrs of non-stop audio playback.

Nokia 3720 classic toughness test:



Conclusion:

We willingly admit that we do like the Nokia 3720 classic. It´s a likeable handset that heroically endured all tests we threw at it. It delivers all functions ordinary users may need, sports an FM Radio with RDS and the in-call quality is most impressive. Well, we would have liked a better camera and at least QVGA video capture capability, but if you need a tough, rugged handset capable of surviving in adverse conditions, well, the 3720 classic is far better an option than the Samsung OMNIA HD I8910. Seriously!