Nokia 6700 Slide Review

Nokia’s 6700 Classic has flown off the PAYG shelves since it launched in June 2009, and it’s easy to see why. Well built, affordable and fronted by the cosy familiarity of Symbian Series 40, it’s the set text for how to make a mobile for smartphone refuseniks.

The 6700 Slide takes this philosophy and revamps it for slide-phone fans. With a SIM-free price of around £150, there are still no premium features like GPS or even Wi-Fi. But you do get HSDPA for speedy web browsing and the Slide is, unlike the Classic, a Series 60 smartphone, which means access to apps from the Ovi Store.

Solid snapping
The 6700 Slide’s camera is a budget-busting 5MP model with dual LED flash. As ever, this is fine for casual snapping and replacing your low-end compact, but noise is an issue in dimly lit bars and picture quality is decent rather than exceptional.

Sadly, the glorious chrome finish of the 6700 is gone, replaced with a matte-silver plastic. And although the large direction button on the front is highly usable, it’s not quite as classy as its sibling’s styling.

Ovi here   
The 2.2in display is bright and sharp, with contacts, calendar reminders and more in the middle. Below that is a carousel of icons to launch programs like Facebook, the camera and Nokia’s app market, the Ovi Store.

Review continues after the break...

This relatively fledgling store is still well behind its Apple counterpart in terms of volume and variety of apps, but it’s growing fast with handy freebies like Snaptu and Gravity.

The 6700 Slide also comes pre-loaded with Ovi Maps – a slightly strange inclusion considering it lacks GPS, but it at least gives you the option of scrolling around maps and planning routes.
 
Juiced up
Battery life is strong: the combination of smaller screen, no touch-sensitivity and Nokia’s clever power management, means you can keep going for well over a day without recharging.

The 6700 Slide lacks the build quality and charm of its Classic sibling, but if you prefer your smartphones to have buttons and keep things simple, it’s an affordable entry for your shortlist.