For anybody who is looking for a mobilephone which is high on features, looks and still comes light on the pocket, the Nokia 5200 should be a handsdown winner! This little gem has everyrhing that you can expect from a new generation phone. The features are summarized below:
Music Player - AAA/mp3/Video Playback
VGA Camera - Not as good as the 6600 VGA but still pass musters
Computer Connectivity - USB
Infrared - It’s There
5. Bluetooth - It’s There
GPRS - Class 10
Speakers - Good ones but don’t expect Sony Ericsson quality. Good at low volumes, although it can scream real loud but the audio quality goes down big time.
Now, all this from Nokia at a price tag of 7000/- is really unbelievable. One can expect Motorola or Sony to come up with something like this but Nokia has really beaten them at their own game with the 5200. Agreed, neither the camera is great, nor the sound quality touches Boss, but at the stated price it is a good value for money product. The slider feature is very contemporary and is likely to remain in style for a few years to come. So, you won’t feel outdated in a jiffy. The screen size is also good and so is the resolution. The 262, 144 CSTN display looks looks fine under comparison from any other mobile in this segment.
In built memory is 10MB which is inadequate considering that the model has been marketed with the "Music Edition" tagline. Audio quality is good till you keep the volume at 6/10. Anything on the higher side gives Bass and Treble failure. So, Linkin Park and Metallica are not the kind of music you would like to have in this mobile. Stick to the Corrs, Atif Aslam and Richard Marx. Memory can be extended upto 2 GB though!
The camera works fine in daylight condition. There seems to be an automatic night mode switcher, you don’t have to do it manually. But the picture quality under artificial lights is not up to the mark.
Connectivity wise, it is a winner. With USB, Infrared, Bluetooth and GPRS, the 5200 is a full package. Although there appears to be a compatibility issue with the Motorola phones in Bluetooth. Similarly, the older versions of PC Suite don’t recognize this model. The new one however connects seamlessly.
Battery life is slightly on the negative side for this model, don’t know why! Similar and better featured models from Nokia(like 3230) are giving far better battery life than the 5200. Once the indicator drops from full, it comes down to palpitating levels real fast. I have used a Samsung before and had taken it through similar conditions i.e. 36 hrs train journeys and it had given me full support throughout the journey and 10 more hours after that. But the 5200 came to death much before I reached my destination(no camera or music options used). May be a problem with my battery or maybe a case of varying signal strength! Hope it’s not a design defect.
Overall, it’s a decent phone with good value for money. Not something that will turn the crowd your way but definitely will serve you in a satisfactory manner. If you are looking for a better camera and music features, then go for the 5300! It comes with a 1.3 MP camera and more music keys. it also includes the USB data cable(1000 bucks if you buy an original!) in the standard pack and costs 10K approx.