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| Nokia 2366i |
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 If all you care about is making calls, tapping out the occasional text message -- all without signing a contract -- the pre-paid Nokia 2366i makes for a solid choice. Arriving with a comfortable keypad, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, conference calling and voice tagging, the 2366i boasts impressive call quality and stellar talk time. However, the phone's low-resolution internal display looks surprisingly primitive, and the lack of a mobile Web browser will be a turnoff for on-the-go surfing fans. Release: November 2006. Price: $10.
Pros: Lots of calling features such as Bluetooth, a speakerphone and conference calling; messaging interface fits a surprising amount of characters; solid talk time.
Cons: Shifty reception; call and message options require a lot of menu drilling; no dedicated back key; poor displays; no WAP browser.
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50%
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| Nokia N86 |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The Nokia N86 offers some subtle but meaningful improvements over the Nokia N85, and it's quickly become our favorite of Nokia's Nseries devices and the one we'd recommend first, even over the mighty Nokia N97. The Nokia N86 packs all our favorite features, including one of the best cell phone cameras on the market, even better than the Sony Ericsson C905 on AT&T that we recently crowned our favorite. The N86 8MP also has solid music and multimedia playback features and even app downloads in Nokia's upstart Ovi Store. Still, for all its impressive stats, and they are impressive, in the end the improvements over the Nokia N85 weren't features we were clamoring for, and the most egregious problems with Nokia's Symbian interface and half-hearted U.S. market support haven't improved, while the competition is lapping Nokia in terms of interface design and social networking integration. We're still impressed with the dazzling OLED screen, though it isn't quite as unique as it once was, and we like the design improvements that make this a more sleek, yet usable phone. Plus, it has the smartest kickstand we've ever seen. But the aging menus and the lagging OS performance means we're less impressed with the same old stuff we've already seen. Release: September 2009. Price: $500.
Pros: Great OLED display. Takes great pictures. Packed with features, including surprises like FM transmitter and intelligent kickstand. Design, especially keypad, improved over Nokia N85.
Cons: Symbian OS isn't getting any younger. Camera interface was unimpressive. Lacks some features out of the box that U.S. buyers expect, like IM support.
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82%
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Excellent |
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| Nokia 5130 |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 We're fans of Nokia's XpressMusic phones because they're so single-minded. Just push the Play button on the phone and the music starts. No muss, no fuss. But our fanaticism can only go so far, and though we like the updated look of the Nokia 5130, we have to admit that the music player and the multimedia experience felt dated and unappealing, especially compared with competition like Sony Ericsson's excellent Walkman music player on their Walkman phones. Even so, the unique look, with its luscious colored plastics, sleek design and bouncing light display, is sure to win fans, and at this low price point, the phone makes a great replacement if you're still carrying around a simple cell phone and iPod. Release: September 2009. Price: $30.
Pros: Jump quickly into your music. Stylish, sleek look in cool colors. Powerful speaker and music playback controls.
Cons: Mediocre screen quality. Lousy voice dialing.
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58%
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| Nokia Surge |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The Nokia Surge is something of an ugly duckling among the inexpensive, full-QWERTY messaging phone set. Actually, it's not even that ugly, and with its Symbian S60 smartphone OS, it's definitely more swan than duck. If you skip the junk that AT&T has piled onto this phone, you're left with a powerful device with business-class e-mail, contacts and calendar sync, a respectable, full-HTML Web browser and suite of multimedia options that were capable of handling our basic music and video needs. We loved the keyboard. It's our new favorite among compact messaging phones, and even though the aging Symbian interface doesn't compare to new-fangled, top-of-the-line smartphones, it still outclasses other, simpler messaging devices by a mile. We wish the phone had more built-in options for our favorite messaging addictions, like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, but that Symbian S60 OS means an intrepid user will find third-party options available. In the end, some messaging fans might prefer a friendlier QWERTY feature phone like the LG enV3 on Verizon Wireless or the LG Lotus on Sprint, but the Nokia Surge is the best compact messaging phone on AT&T's lineup, and a solid choice all around. Release: July 2009. Price: $80.
Pros: Great keyboard. Full smartphone OS in a small package. Nice Web browser, especially for a compact device.
Cons: Aging Symbian OS not as friendly as other smartphones, or simpler feature phones. Lacks advanced IM and SMS options.
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71%
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Excellent |
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| Nokia E75 |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Features » Gallery » |
 The Nokia E75 is more than a slider version of the Nokia E71 (or Nokia E71x on AT&T). Many of the problems we had with the latter phone have been worked out, leaving us with a more polished and pleasant device. In fact, the Nokia E75 is our new favorite among Nokia's Eseries business phones, and it's one of the best business-focused phones on the market. For features and productivity software, the E75 can't be beat, with advanced Office editing tools that beat similar Windows Mobile devices, and a better Web browser, camera and multimedia kit than most BlackBerry phones. The design is slim and solid, and we think it will appeal to buyers who don't want an obtrusive QWERTY slab up front, but would rather have a stylish phone with a hidden, sliding keyboard. Plus, the keyboard itself is wide and comfortable to use. The aging Symbian S60 interface drags the phone down a bit, and some of the signature features, like the Business / Personal switch, didn't live up to our expectations. Still, we think this phone should have appeal beyond the unlocked market, and serious business users tired of the same old touchscreen tablet or QWERTY slab would do well to give this phone a look. Release: May 2009. Price: $380.
Pros: Sleek, slim design with a full QWERTY keyboard and solid materials. Loaded with great features for business and personal use.
Cons: Symbian OS is ugly and not intuitive. Interface in every app could use polish and modern look. Camera lags behind better Nokia phones.
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76%
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Excellent |
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