Nokia Astound - Review

The Nokia Astound is the U.S. version of the Nokia C7 and is available through T-Mobile USA. It features a 3.5 inch display and an 8MP camera capable of capturing video in720p HD and runs the Symbian mobile operating system. The C7 features NFC (Near Field Communication) which promises some interesting ways of interaction with the device. Specifications First Impressions Photo Samples Video Samples

Review

The Nokia Astound is the U.S variant on the Nokia C7 and its available exclusively through T-Mobile. The Astound features a 3.5 inch touchscreen display and an 8MP camera which is capable of capturing HD video at 720p. The device has 8GB of internal storage which can be expanded through microSD and has NFC capability.

For an entry level device into the Symbian platform, this has it all, so lets start off by taking a closer look at the hardware and filter out the key hardware features of the Nokia Astound.

• 3.5 inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen display
• 10.5 mm thin with great build quality
• 8 MP camera with 720p HD video
• 8GB on device storage
• dedicated key for voice commands
• NFC support
• Stereo FM radio
• FM Transmitter

Lets also take a look at the key software features that make the Astound a preferred choice

• Symbian^3
• USB On-the-go support
• Nokia Ovi Maps with offline Map support
• DivX and XVid support
• Adobe Flash and Java supported web browser.

My overall rating for the device is quite high, with only one negative being the fixed focus on the device camera. I do understand this is an entry level, but I hate the fixed focus which leaves many of my pictured blurry. On the plus side the video quality is excellent as you will see in my video sample.

Unboxing

Now it's time to take a close look at the device itself, so lets start off with the unboxing

The C7 comes in a modest package, which is to be expected for an entry level handset. It doesn't come with the bells and whistles you will find in the form of premium headsets or extra cables you will find in the N-Series or E-Series but has the essentials.

• Nokia Charger (mini)
• Nokia headset
• MicroUSB cable (mini)

The most annoying part of this was the cable which is way too short. Nokia you have got to understand that not everyone who buys an entry level handset owns a laptop that they can easily plug it into. I would hate to see my Astound hanging off a USB port on my PC. Well now that we have the box content out of the way, lets take a close look at the device.

Device Closeup - Hardware

The Nokia Astound has to be one of the best in terms to build quality to date from Nokia. The front has the 3.5 inch capacitive touch-screen display which is made up of Gorilla Glass and will ensure that your display is safe from scratches. On the top of the display is the front facing camera along with the proximity sensor and ambient light sensor next to the ear piece. On the bottom of the display you have the menu button in between the call send and end buttons. The menu key protrudes out while the other two our touch sensitive and colored to show which is which. the screen is surrounded by a silver metal bezel, which gives the device a rich classy look.

The display features ClearBlack technology which provides which helps the display stand out in under direct sunlight. While the display is quite impressive I didn't find it extremely great under direct sunlight, at least not as good as some of the older Nokia devices. The touchscreen is quite sensitive and easy to navigate and has good haptic feedback. I did however find the keyboard a little too small for my liking and did press the wrong keys when typing quickly.

The microphone is located just below the menu key.

On the top of the Astound is the power button, which you can use to change the sound profile or lock the screen. Next to it is the 3.5 mm audio jack which also can be used as TV-Out and the microUSB port which is protected by plastic flap. The microUSB port can also be used for charging, but we see users preferring the standard charger as the microUSB cable provided is tiny.

The left side sees the 2mm charger port seated alone. This is the second option to charge your device alongside the microUSB.

On the right we have the volume buttons with button for voice commands between them. Below that we have the screen lock and camera button. The voice command button did keep getting in the way between the volume buttons as it keeps getting pressed by accident. I hope Nokia find a better placing for this button if they choose to keep it in future designs. The camera button is a single press as it is a fixed focus camera. I hope that Nokia starts implementing touch to focus if they are planning to do away with the hardware camera button. Fixed focus left my pictures blurry. I guess people would prefer using the on screen button to take a picture as it gives the same output.

fixed-focus photo on Nokia C7 (click to expand)

On the back of the device is the 8MP camera with dual-LED flash between what seams like the two speaker grills. Testing the sound on the device quickly reveals that only one of the grills (next to lens) is the speaker while the other is just for symmetry I guess.

Below the camera is the metal back cover, which adds to the appeal of the device. The cover removes easily to reveal the 1200mAh battery. I got around a day and a half out of the device which seams quite fair as the specifications point to around 2 days of use.

Device Closeup - Software

The Nokia Astound runs Symbian^3 and can now be updated to Symbian Anna with Symbian Belle to follow in the near future. Since I have already reviewed the Symbian^3 UI in the past I wont get into that again, but I will point out some changes in the Astound's UI. The first thing you will notice is the T-Mobile customization added during startup. The default Symbian^3 theme has also been replaced on the Astound along with some ringtones.

The most notable addition to the software is the Symbian Anna browser on the Astound. The new browser brings many visual and performance improvements over the version available on the C7 and is a welcome treat to anyone still stuck on Symbian^3 instead of Anna.

Conclusion

I had the opportunity to keep the Nokia Astound during the summer of 2011 and took it on a trip to Sri Lanka from the U.S. during the time it acted as my sole mobile device and camera. The Astound did not disappoint one bit it was easy to carry around and use. It held it's ground as a digital camera, organizer and phone and helped me get through the trip quite well. The Nokia Astound is a great device for someone who is looking for a basic yet powereful smartphone. It has a camera which is superior to some of the Android devices out there and will be a great addition to someone who is looking for a (much) cheaper alternate to the iPhone.