Remember the good old days when phones were chunky, and batteries lasted for weeks? Nokia does, and it wants to bring your once super-nimble texting fingers out of retirement. The C5 channels the mobile phones of old, with a few modern niceties bolted on.
It's available for free on a £10-per-month, 24-month contract with T-Mobile, or you can pick it up for around £150 SIM-free.
Skinny and tall
At 12mm thick, the Symbian-based C5 (no relation to the promising car of the future) features an extremely slim build, which makes it easy to slip into a pocket. Look at this phone side on and it's liable to slip into the sub-atomic realm and become invisible to human eyes. At 112mm tall, it's also an extremely long handset, which is a very, very good thing. "Why?" we hear you ask.
When it comes to texting, the C5's large buttons make it easy to outpace teenage oiks
Well, the extra length has been used to accommodate a gigantic alphanumeric keypad. As sworn enemies of cramped keypads, we found this very pleasing. In addition to being really big, the keys themselves are arranged in a precise grid, and each button is slightly raised. That means you'll be able to tap out texts at a pace that would put even the speediest teen to shame.
The C5's build quality is especially impressive for a device at this price. The phone has a pleasing weight, doesn't feel cheap or plasticky, and has a smooth, rounded finish. It feels like a cohesive piece of technology, rather than a heap of components hurriedly glued together.
The C5's display has a 320x240-pixel resolution, and is clear and bright. Text is sharp and easy to read, and images render very well indeed.
Interface pace
As well as looking the business, the C5 also boasts a very natty user interface. It'll be familiar to anyone who's used a Nokia device over the last few years. You'll find a few key applications along the bottom of the home screen, with a more detailed menu accessible via a quick tap of the left button.
The 3.2-megapixel camera won't bring you victory in photo competitions, but it's speedy enough to capture the moment
We love the speed at which the interface moves. We didn't notice much delay at all when clicking our way around the various menus, and the C5 is an extremely snappy device overall. Our only complaint about the interface is that there are quite a few pop-ups and warnings that get in the way of navigation, particularly when you're using Web-connected apps -- you'll have to register your approval of splash screens even if they're just informing you that you're now communicating over a secure connection. Such pop-ups may prove useful to some people, but they do detract from the user experience slightly.
Map app happiness
The C5 supports Ovi Maps, Nokia's free GPS navigation system. We didn't have particularly high hopes for a maps application on a phone without a touchscreen, but controlling the maps software using the four-way central button feels surprisingly intuitive -- and speedy. We were surprised by how helpful the app was in actually helping us find our way around town.
The C5 includes a host of other extras too. Most notable are optimised versions of Twitter and Facebook (pared-down interfaces make using these services very easy), a built-in FM radio and access to YouTube videos, via either the browser or an app.
The phone's connectivity options are also pretty comprehensive, with HSPA and 3G support allowing for speedy Web browsing. We lament the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity though.
3.5mm of joy
Saints be praised and glory to Him on high, for the C5 is the first Nokia handset we've seen in a while to feature an industry-standard 3.5mm headphone socket. This means you'll be able to plug in your own set of headphones, rather than the uncomfortable and poor-sounding set that come in the box. The bundled set does, however, include a microphone and call-answer button, enabling you to take calls without fishing your phone out of your pocket.
The C5 also sports a 3.2-megapixel camera that takes photos of a thoroughly adequate nature. The quick shutter will help you capture the moment, but don't expect to craft any photographic masterpieces. Video captured using the camcorder mode proved impressively smooth -- even when we spun the camera around very quickly while filming.
We have no complaints in terms of call quality, and the C5's battery life is impressive. You can expect the battery to last for around 4 days with normal use, and less if you're consuming heaps of data or watching loads of video.
Conclusion
You can find a phone with more features than the Nokia C5 for a similar monthly price. What really makes the C5 stand out, though, is its clear user interface, wonderfully large keys and excellent build quality. The C5 is perfect for anybody who uses their phone primarily for texting and, y'know, actually calling people. Throw in a few extras like an email client and decent browser, and you have a lovely handset.
If basic isn't your bag, though, you might like to consider bagging yourself a Samsung Monte instead.
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