Nokia 1616
With each passing generation, basic phone are getting loaded with more and more features. If that basic phone comes with Nokia’s seal of reliability, good features and a cheap price tag, then it can be a good purchase. Here, we will talk about a basic GSM phone, Nokia 1616. It’s a basic mobile phone that aside from making calls and sending texts, does some other things as well. The phone comes with simple S30 user interface with usual Java apps like voice memo, games, organizer, converter, calendar and other PIM functions. In some of the markets, the phone is also available with Nokia life tools.
The phone screen offers a smooth reading experience. However, it does not promise high resolution and the screen also lacks wide viewing angles. Anyhow, this is the best you can get at this price. It also has a poor visibility under the sunlight.
The all in one key mat keeps dust away and is very comfortable to use. While the direction pad is awkward to press and lacks a central, enter button, which means you have to use the left hand soft key to confirm your choice. The phone lacks camera or any data connectivity, so sending pictures or any other things to your friends is not an option here, but it supports low-resolution monochrome picture messages.
The 3.5 mm headphone jack is only meant to play and listen to FM because the phone is incapable of playing any audio formats. The sound quality of the loudspeaker is poor and when you use it at high volumes, it is easily distorted. Nokia 1616 offers an impressive talk time and its battery lasts for several days before needing a top up from the charger.
Nokia 1616 has a color TFT LCD that displays 65K colors at 128×160 pixels resolution. It features 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio, flashlight, prepaid tracker, dust proof key mat and anti scratch cover. It also has MP3 grade ring tones and multiple phone books. It uses the legendry BL-5C battery that gives very long battery life, talk time of 8.5 hours and stand by time of 22 days. At its core, Nokia 1616 is a dual band GSM phone that works with either 850/1900 MHz or 900/1800 configurations.
The phone comes with simple S30 user interface with usual Java apps like voice memo, games, organizer, converter, calendar and other PIM functions. In some of the markets, the phone is also available with Nokia life tools. It gives information about agriculture, education and many other things using graphically rich texts as well as icons. Apart from all that, it has a very unique feature referred as talking clock that can be accessed by pressing the lower left hand button on the keypad.
Nokia has used highest standard telephony in this phone as it is mainly manufactured for remote areas. It means there is least possibility of line disturbance and call drops, even when the signals are low.
If you consider it as a basic phone, Nokia 1616 has an amazing design. It has rounded edges, features a silver nav-pad and has colored accents on the sides that makes it striking. On the back, you will find the loudspeaker grill and Nokia logo. There is a flashlight on the top, which throws a powerful beam and is very useful when you are trying to locate something in dark. The casing is not robust enough because applying a little pressure on back of the phone causes the battery cover to flex in an alarming manner.
This lightweight (79 gm) candy bar phone comes with interchangeable back covers. Nokia 1616 is available in various colors including black, dark grey, dark red and dark blue.
One of the cheapest phones we have seen thus far, Nokia 1616 is perfect for people who are looking for a phone to make call and send text messages. It bundles FM radio, headphone and flashlight that gives it an edge over other basic phones. Anything apart from that is off the chart, but this can be perfect gift for your young kid or any elder person. Overall, looking at its features, design and optimal price, it will be great purchase. Therefore, if you are a Nokia fan then you can pick 1616, but please do not expect a dazzling variety of options.