Nokia 5300 review: Hop on the music express

Key features:

• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Dedicated music keys
• microSD memory card slot (hot-swap)
• Enhanced MP3 player and stereo FM radio
• QVGA display resolution
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP profile
• Standard mini-USB port
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack adapter in the package

Main disadvantages:

• Somewhat cheap looks
• Below average camera quality
• No camera LED flash
• Records video in the low resolution

The Nokia 5300 doesn't exactly rely on its slimness to attract attention. It measures 92.4 x 48.2 x 20.7 mm, which in fact makes it rather thick. But it's rather its body design than actually the thickness itself that's to blame, since it's even a few millimeters shorter and slimmer than Sony Ericsson W850. The weight of 106 g is also acceptable and it is by no means a heavy phone or anything.

In terms of construction, well… construction has not always been the brightest side of a slider. In this case the mobile body is perfectly stable and rock solid when opened, but when closed it did seem to play a little - but not that much to turn you down.

The front panel of the phone is the one that might attract the most attention. In the upper part, above the display, there are two small holes, which in fact are the in-call speaker apertures. In the lower part there are four control keys and the navigation D-pad. The upper set of keys act as context keys for interacting with the phone's interface while the lower set are the call keys for accepting and ending calls. Just beside the red one there is a small hole which is in fact the microphone aperture. Opening the handset reveals the alphanumeric keypad, which is made out of the same material as the body.

At first glance Nokia 5300 failed to impress us with its design and the materials used for its body. In fact we think that the white color and matt plastic with rubber elements make it look cheap. It's not among the slimmest devices either.

But armed with the highly user-configurable S40 user interface it scores even with the corresponding Sony Ericsson user interface and even makes a stride ahead. The menu is organized logically; functions are detailed, offering high control comfort and brilliant work efficiency.

Nokia advertisement campaign on the XpressMusic handsets clearly shows that they are made for young people having fun. The available microSD memory card slot, the miniUSB port and the standard 3.5 mm audio jack adapter make it great for enjoying music on the go. You can even fancy a stereo Bluetooth headset to go with it. The slider form factor would most definitely attract attention too, since the Walkman line lacks a slider in this price category. Summing it up, if you like the sporty design, Nokia 5300 is a highly attractive music proposal from the Finnish manufacturer and it definitely deserves your attention when picking up a new mobile this holiday season.its available