Nokia C3 Touch and Type Review

Introduction:

Earlier this year, we witnessed a surprising budget-oriented triumph from the Nokia camp in the form of the Nokia X3 Touch and Type, marrying a resistive touch-screen with a numeric keypad. A distinctly mid-range feature phone running S40, it was nevertheless a well put together solution for those who want to dabble with touch screens and also wanted the reassurance of a keypad. If we had one criticism of it however, it was that it felt too plasticy and lightweight. Queue the Nokia C3 Touch and Type. Delivering higher level build quality as found on the Nokia C6-01 and C7 with a stainless steel finish, the Nokia C3 Touch and Type delivers a little something extra to the Touch and Type range.

Design:

The design of the Nokia C3 Touch and Type borrows heavily from the higher-end C-series devices as has already been mentioned, especially the Nokia C6-01. Unlike the C6-01 however, the C3 Touch and Type feels extremely well-weighted, solid and reassuringly sturdy in the hand. With a stainless steel finish across the whole unit, it also looks much higher-end than the X3 T&T alternative. The keys are large and visually complement the rest of the phone's aesthetic which is great.



You can compare the Nokia C3 Touch and Type with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The screen of the Nokia C3 Touch and Type is resistive, measuring in at 2.4 inches with a resolution of 240x320 pixels. It looks pretty vibrant and detail is good, especially considering the fact that the interface (S40) displays large, readable text by default. Viewing angles are okay and brightness levels good, making for one of the better S40 viewing experiences to date.


The Nokia C3 Touch and Type sports a standard candy bar form-factor combining a numeric pad and a touch screen, all wrapped in a solid stainless steel casing. On the front, in addition to the screen, there are the call and end buttons, as well as a standard numeric keypad. Keys are large and easily distinguishable, though could be a bit more raised. To the right side is a volume rocker, a lock button and a camera button while up top is a microUSB port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a proprietary Nokia charging port. Flip over the phone and on the back is a fixed focus 5MP camera with a single LED flash and a loud speaker. Under the battery cover you can find the SIM card slot, the battery and the microSD card slot.


The overall look and feel of the Nokia C3 Touch and Type is in turn slick and high-end, despite it being a mid-range feature phone. Thanks to the stainless steel casing and and refined build, if having a good looking phone that feels right is important, the Nokia C3 Touch and Type offers just that.

Interface and Functionality:

The Nokia C3 Touch and Type runs S40, which in itself suggests simplicity and functionality. Being a feature-phone UI, it won't suffice for demanding mobile users, but is pretty good for doing your basics such as phone, organizer, music playback and basic online activity.

Key phone functionality is controlled by the numeric pad. Buttons are big and easy to press and dialling is a piece of cake.


The resistive touch screen responds well for the most part, and while not as smooth when gliding and sliding through menus as a capacitive screen, is easy to get to grips with. There is no lag throughout the interface, though this may not be the case when using demanding applications.

Phonebook and organizer features are all standard for S40 and in turn offer no wows, but work reliably.


As with the Nokia X3 Touch and Type, the interface is finger friendly and easy to understand, which is great for a feature phone like this.

Camera and Multimedia:

While the Nokia C3 Touch and Type has a high resolution 5MP camera with a flash, but its performance is pretty average. For example, while it produces good outdoor shots at a distance of more than a meter. It won't shoot any close up shots, and snaps taken in low light aren’t great.


Colour reproduction is fair, though inconsistent. Pictures have a habit of looking dull and low contrast, especially when taken indoors, however, if you're outdoors and the lighting is good, you're giving yourself the best opportunity of getting it right. Detail is also inconsistent. With good lighting, photos taken on the Nokia C3 Touch and Type are decent, and can make for good 6x4 or 7x5 prints, however as soon as you dim the lights, photos become very processed and detail is washed out. While the onboard flash helps in remedying this for indoor situations, it leaves subjects looking washed out. Contrast is also pretty low. Noise handling is pretty average making the camera on the Nokia C3 Touch and Type one for casual snappers, not hardcore camera-phone buffs.



Nokia C3 Touch and Type Sample Video:



The music player does a good job of music playback. With the onboard loudspeaker performing well and the 3.5mm headphone jack outputting some decent sound, S40 offers a basic, intuitive MP3 player, which you should find a breeze to work through with the touch screen.



Internet and connectivity:

The Nokia C3 Touch and Type offers a host of connectivity options such as 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, not to mention the microUSB port for charging and data transfer.

The S40 web browser is decidedly average, lagging every time a page is loading and while the inclusion of a touch screen improves the experience, we still find Opera Mini to provide a better (free) alternative when it comes to zooming in and out of pages lag free. Neither browser however offers any kind of Flash support, if that's what you're looking for.


Email is simple to set-up for Ovi Mail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and support for other email providers requiring slightly more information. The interface of the mail client is very user-friendly, and smooth, working well with the touch-screen.

Software:

With all the software you'd expect to see on a modern feature-phone such as a basic, yet comprehensive enough MP3 player, calendar and organizer tools as well as a Facebook and email client, no software on the Nokia C3 Touch and Type will wow you, however, it shouldn’t disappoint either. This functionality, coupled with the great connectivity and usable hardware on board, makes the Nokia C3 Touch and Type one of S40's highest offerings.

Performance:

There isn't really anything major wrong with the Nokia C3 Touch and Type on any front and the phone's performance is no exception. When it comes to call quality when on the Nokia C3 Touch and Type, calls are clear, though max volume isn't as high as we would like it to be. On the other end, there were no issues with quality or volume. Coverage is also on the whole good.

As for speed, thanks to the relatively simple interface, there is no lag other than in the web browser. The touch screen is responsive and there is a degree of polish on the Nokia C3 Touch and Type that we only tend to see in Symbian^3 devices, which is refreshing.

Conclusion:

To wrap up, we were impressed on the whole with the Nokia X3 Touch and Type and are more so by the Nokia C3 Touch and Type. It offers people who may not want smart phone features (or price) an extremely well built alternative with some good connectivity options. The inclusion of a touch screen adds some great functionality, and while the camera may lack auto-focus it should suffice for casual snaps. It makes for a great bridging experience for users who want to be eased into touch screen phones and comes highly recommended from us. If you feel the price is a touch steep, the X3 variant comes in at a lower cost offering similar functionality with the omission of a flash and stainless steel trimmings. Another alternative would be the Nokia C5, which has no touchscreen.

Nokia C3 Touch and Type Video Review: