Nokia N70 Review

Nokia are really churning out 3G handsets right now - and they are getting better and better each time. The N70 is no exception to this rule and offers the user the very latest in design & technology.

The N70 has taken all of the attributes of it's forbear, the 6680 & made them better.

Visually it's quite similar to the previous model, although Nokia have gone out of their way to make the new 'N' series range as unique and identifiable as possible. The N70 we think is certainly the best looking and conventional of the 'N' series. The N90 being incredibly large and cumbersome - a bit like a Nokia 6260 inflated beyond proportion with a lead weight for a battery. The N91 being a remarkably ugly (although capable) music device.

From the outside the N70 has a brushed metal effect finish, which although it's actually plastic, you can't really tell as the quality standard as you'd expect from Nokia is so high.

The keys are slightly smaller than we'd like and appear similar in layout to the aging Nokia 6670 from a year or so ago. Taking into account though that the dimensions of the N70 are less than the 6680 / 6681 and that the weight is down 7grams to 126g too - you can't really complain too much - Can you ? On the rear of the handset, the situation is as before with previous models i.e you slide the cover to reveal the camera lens. We like this idea as it stops the lens becoming scratched or covered in fluff & dust.

Our review for the Nokia N70 was based on the O2 network. As far as just picking it up and inserting the simcard & using the features straight away, it couldn't have been simpler. E-mails, 3G video calls & data transfer all worked first time without any undue hassles.

The beauty of the Nokia phones with the Symbian operating systems, is that they are incredibly easy to use & you can pretty much just make it do what it's supposed too, without referring endlessly to the users manual - Another plus point !

So who exactly is the Nokia N70 being aimed at market wise ?

Well everybody really, so let's elaborate. The N90 was pitched towards the camera enthusiasts with it's Carl Zeiss designed camera lens & optics. The forthcoming N91 is more for the music enthusiast with it's massive memory and odd-ball styling - The Nokia N70 however is pretty much the all-rounder.

For example the N70 has a 2 megapixel camera, MP3 player, expandable memory, EDGE, Bluetooth etc etc. but more importantly it's both fun to use for the average Joe public & good enough to pass as a competent business phone too. Not an easy task.