Nokia X6

Introduction
The Nokia X series phones were developed to take over the XpressMusic series and the Nokia X6 is one of the X series’ latest additions. The X6 was meant to replace the previously existing Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Compared to the 5800, the X6 has a much sleeker design and is nicer to look at.

The X6 comes with 32Gb built-in memory, 3.2” capacitive display, 5MP camera and a one year free subscription of “Comes with Music” service. The service allows downloads of music from an online server which is completely free of charge. You are able to do so without violating artist’ copyrights, plus you are allowed to keep all the downloaded media even when your subscription expires.

Design
The front part of the X6 consists of a video call button, a touch-sensitive Media button, and the main menu button in between the Call and End buttons. The touch-sensitive Media button is comparably more sensitive than other Nokia touch phones. The front side also hosts the 640×360 TFT LCD display which is able to support 16M colors and is now integrated with capacitive touch technology.

The SIM slot is positioned on the left side of the phone. Unfortunately, it lacks the spring ejection mechanism and it is hard to properly remove the SIM card without having to remove the back panel and battery.

You will find the 3.5mm audio jack located conveniently on top, along with the power button, microUSB and charger ports. The back part of the X6 consists of the camera shutter and screen lock switch.

The X6’s design is symmetrical and the space above and below the display is equal. In our opinion, the design of the phone looks plain. While it might look slightly better compared to the 5800, we wish it had a metallic body fitting for a more durable look.

Features
As we mentioned before, the X6 is equipped with capacitive technology. The 3.2” screen of the X6 is the first to do so to provide substantially better sensitivity than its resistive counterparts. Because of this, the X6 allows fast and (almost) error free texting on the virtual QWERTY keyboard. Finger scrolling has also improved greatly and you can scroll with the same ease as with using Apple’s iPhone. It comes with a resolution of 360×640 pixels and the image quality is pretty good. The screen remains usable even under direct sunlight which is a huge plus that a lot of people will appreciate.

The camera included with the X6 is a 5MP sensor. It is equipped with Carl Zeiss Tessar optics and a double LED flash. The interface is awkward to use as switching between the many options provided is slightly inconvenient. Direct snapshots can be shared over Ovi and Vox but we are disappointed that additional services like Facebook and Picasa are disallowed.

The image quality is pretty good as we have mentioned, but we are not totally impressed. The pictures contain enough details but the colours look excessively saturated. The LED flash helps when taking in poor lighting conditions but the colours seem surreal.

The X6 does not sport multi-touch support and the browser can’t be controlled using one finger (sliding up and down). Double taps can be used to zoom but the page won’t get reformatted to become easier to read. Furthermore, zooming in or out requires the use of the screen slider which proves to be very troublesome and annoying. Flash videos can be watched but it is only limited to YouTube.

The best aspect of the X6 is the audio quality it delivers. Music through the loudspeakers may not sound impressive but they offer sound with utmost clarity. The audio quality through the provided headset is as good as what a standalone music player offers. However, the sound tends to get unpleasantly sharp at the highest volume range.

The X6’s video playback only supports MPEG4 files with resolution of 640×480 pixels or lower. On the other hand, the overall quality is pleasing and the videos played smoothly. Xvid and DivX support would be much appreciated but you can get such support by installing third party software.

Pros and Cons
The Nokia X6 has one truly brilliant aspect, impressive sound quality during both audio playback and talks. The X6 performs very well during talks. The in-call quality sounded loud and clear. There were no problems relating to unintelligible voices or sound. The battery provides up to 6 hours of continuous talk and keeps the handset operational for up to 420 hours in standby and audio playback of no less than 35 hours with a fully charged battery.

The downside is that the phone comes with a hefty price, which we think is due to the “Comes with Music” service provided with the phone. The web browser is not quite polished and the phone does not charge off the microUSB port.

Conclusion
If you disregard the music playing capabilities, the X6 hardly has the competitive edge up against other smart phones in the market which are able to provide more features and full DivX/XviD support for the same amount of money. The X6 is mediocre at best and does not distinguish itself much from its predecessor, the 5800.