A certain Finnish manufacturer snags four of the five top spots as we pick the very best smartphones money can buy. Can you guess which one? Hint: Windows Mobile isn't involved.
Nokia N70 (Score: 83%, Very good)
Beauty and brains together at last: the N70 offers a winning combination of first-rate connectivity including 3G and Bluetooth, a high-quality screen and a 2 Megapixel camera for shooting stills and video. A broad software suite falls short on groupware and synchronization support but excels on most everything else, including messaging, personal information management and imaging; there's even a comprehensive Office suite. From €475 EUR, you also get RS-MMC memory card expansion and - at long last - speaker independent voice dialing. More...
Nokia N90 (Score: 77%, Very good)
Strike a pose! Equipped with Carl Zeiss optics and a 2 Megapixel camera, the N90 harbours the best imaging capabilities of any smartphone to date, bar none. Unfortunately, this - in combination with its stunning, super high-resolution swivel display - also makes for considerable bulk. Still, for those who don't mind lugging it around, the N90 shares the excellent connectivity, software and RS-MMC card expansion of the N70 with the exception of the speaker independent voice dialing, all from €575 EUR. More...
Nokia 6680 (Score: 71%, Good)
So, you like the N70 but find the price tag a bit steep? Then take a look at its predecessor, the 6680, which boasts most of the same features - albeit with less attractive looks. Granted, it also bumps the camera resolution down to 1.3 Megapixels, but at €375 EUR remains a steal with the same excellent connectivity setup as the N70 and a nearly identical software configuration - again, sans the speaker independent voice dialing. More...
Nokia 6630 (Score: 63%, Good)
Even less expensive than the 6680 at €275 EUR, the Nokia 6630 still offers plenty of bang for buck. At little over a year old, Nokia's first 3G-enabled smartphone is still going strong and thumbing its nose at Windows Mobile competitors that have yet to add 3G to their repertoir. A 1.3 Megapixel camera and the 10 MB of onboard memory both reveal its age, but these niggles apart, the 6630 remains a high quality product with regard to both soft- and hardware. More...
Orange SPV C600 (Score: 63%, Good)
As Europe's current Windows Mobile 5.0 flagship, the brand-new SPV C600 from Orange has one slight problem: it scores on par with Nokia's year-old 6630. Whipping its competitor on the counts of excellent battery life, a high-resolution display, excellent synchronization support and system performance, it loses out on the all-important factor of connectivity as well as camera quality. Still, from €250 EUR, anyone whose lifeline is tied to Exchange or Outlook will find consider it the best thing ever. More...
| Scoreboard |
Battery life |
Connectivity |
Keypad |
Standout feature |
| Nokia N70 |
Very good |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Compact size |
| Nokia N90 |
Very good |
Very good |
Very good |
Carl Zeiss optics |
| Nokia 6680 |
Very good |
Very good |
Very good |
Dual cameras |
| Nokia 6630 |
Good |
Very good |
Very good |
Pear-shaped design |
| Orange SPV C600 |
Very good |
Poor |
Very good |
Battery life |
| Scoreboard |
Display |
Groupware |
Performance |
Camera |
| Nokia N70 |
Excellent |
Average |
Very good |
Very good |
| Nokia N90 |
Excellent |
Average |
Good |
Excellent |
| Nokia 6680 |
Excellent |
Average |
Good |
Good |
| Nokia 6630 |
Good |
Average |
Good |
Good |
| Orange SPV C600 |
Good |
Very good |
Very good |
Average |
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