Nokia X7 - Review

“If you want a smartphone for watching and listening but little more, then the X7 could be your baby”

Nokia X7 - the slick smartphone

Packing a touchscreen, social networking apps, internet, a camera and more for around £80 sim-free, Samsung’s Tocco Icon aims to bridge the gap between the smartphone and a regular handset.

However, while there is no doubt that it packs in a lot of features for the price, there is also ample evidence that it tries to do too much for too little, with the insensitive, unadjustable touchscreen making the Tocco Icon infuriating to use.

If you are able to get used to that and don’t encounter the connectivity issues that blighted our review model, then the Tocco Icon does give you something of the smartphone experience at a fraction of the price, but it’s fair to say that there are other handsets that do it better.

X7(grey) £379.99

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Symbian Anna

OK, so that may be a little overdramatic - Nokia is committed to developing and supporting Symbian until 2016 at least and, with the rapid rate at which most people upgrade their phone, the X7 is far from obsolete.

Symbian Anna was only released in April this year, with the aim of enhancing the user experience of Nokia’s touchscreen phones through the likes of a new QWERTY keypad and better web browsing.

The X7 aces it on both these scores - web browsing is very quick, even when streaming videos online, while the keypad is easy to use and feels more natural than most touchscreen efforts.

However, Symbian Anna also introduces a new user interface, and it’s on this front that the X7 falls down compared to Android powered-devices with a similar price tag.

It has some nice touches, such as the favourite contacts widget which is similar to a speed dial, and the ability to personalise the three interchangeable home screens with the widgets you want.

However, compared to the slicker takes on Android it’s not particularly fluid or intuitive and looks a bit, well, dated.

Chassis

Back to that bodywork - while the X7’s back is the brushed metal that seems to come as standard with many smartphones these days, it’s the front that marks it out from the pack.

With its semi-octagonal shape, corner vents (the bottom ones housing the loudspeaker) and single plastic button, it looks like a cross between a Lamborghini Countach and a Sega Master System. Awesome.

Sadly, it doesn’t reach the same highs practically as it does aesthetically - for starters the brushed metal back is so smooth that gripping it can be difficult, while at almost 63mm wide (4mm wider than the iPhone 4) it could prove unwieldy for those with little mitts.

The two side buttons - the volume rocker and camera switch - are difficult to push because they are so sheer, while the detachable, delicate trays that hold the sim and memory card (the back cover isn’t removable) feel like they are waiting to break or get lost.

Features

Camera images were slightly grainy

So that’s the basics - what else does the X7 pack to make it worth parting with your hard-earned pounds? Well an 8Mp (3Mp up on the iPhone 4) camera with dual LED flash and face recognition software for a start.

Sadly, despite the Mp count it’s not all it’s cracked up to be - close-up shots are detailed, but the flash has a tendency to bleach them and photos taken from a distance are vibrant yet lack definition.

The face recognition software works a treat though, and the flash works better with the video camera, although the results can be grainy.

Entertainment

Entertainment is undoubtedly the tour de force of the X7, with the aforementioned 4in screen and excellent loudspeaker a great combination when it comes to watching content.

The range of TV and video-related apps included with the X7 - from BBC iPlayer and YouTube to Virgin Media Player and National Geographic - means you’re unlikely to run short of things to watch too quickly.

Its entertainment capabilities don’t seem to extend to gaming though, with the slow loading times proof that the handset could have been improved with a beefier processor.

The X7’s processing power appears poor for the asking price, especially when there are six-month -old handsets on the market with a lesser spec that are almost twice as fast.

Thanks to Three.co.uk for the review model

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