Nokia has earned itself a reputation for bringing advanced functionality to the masses, and the manufacturer's latest addition to its handset line-up - the 3200 - is no exception.
Nokia's - for now - most recent youth phone bears the 3200 model number and is to be available in two editions: one supporting GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz for Europe and Asia, and one supporting GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1800/1900 MHz for the Americas.
 | Nokia's 3200 is currently the most advanced youth phone available
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Some years ago, Nokia's massive support for downloadable logos and ringtones via SMS was said to be the primary reason as to why the manufacturer virtually hijacked Europe's youth market. As time has passed, however, the competition has hardened - and particularly so recently - and the youth market already appears on the lookout for the next great thing. This thing would be the opportunity to send instant pictures via MMS, without having to purchase a high-end handset or perhaps even a smartphone. Sporting an integrated CIF 0.1 megapixel camera, the Nokia 3200 thusly seems primed to cover this demand initially.
Exterior
Measuring 10.8 x 4.5 x 2.1 cm and weighing 90 g, the Nokia 3200 is a slim and compact phone with a translucent plastic cover. Three exchangeable paper inserts for both front and back covers are included, as are 10 sheets for carving ones own - or downloaded - artwork to personalize the handset. According to Nokia, a change of style can be carried out as often as one's mood dictates, however replacing the sheets too frequently is not recommended as this could lead to the cover attachments wearing down and the handset to start rattling.
The integrated camera of the phone, which supports a maximum CIF resolution of 352 x 288 pixels, is placed far up on the left side of the back of the phone, whilst the on/off power button and infrared port are placed on top. Located on the bottom is the charger jack, Pop-Port connector and a flashlight, while the front features a 12-bit screen capable of displaying up to 4,096 colours at a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. Also on the front we find the somewhat unusal keypad, which consists of only 6 buttons as opposed to the usual 12, accompanied by a four-way navigational pad and two soft buttons - of which the right one can be user defined.
Ergonomics
The Nokia 3200 sits well in one's hand, although as is the case with most phones with plastic covers it has a tendency to start rattling after some use. Keypad buttons are also made from plastic, and while the numerical buttons are virtually silent in use, the navigational and soft buttons do give off some noise. As mentioned previously, the keypad only offers 6 buttons, but each button offers dual functionality through its ability to be pressed either up or down, and as such the keypad is as fullworthy as that of any other. It does however take some time getting used to the rather unusual design as there is no spacing between the numerical buttons in regard, and it is by no means a keypad suited for big-fingered people.
Features
With regard to features, not much has been ommitted in the Nokia 3200. Briefly put, it has everything except for Bluetooth - which for the time being isn't a hot item amongst youths. GSM, HSCSD, GPRS, EDGE, an infrared port and a Pop-Port ensure excellent connectivity.
Furthermore, the 3200 is equipped with an FM radio and comes with a bundled set of earphones of adequate quality, a voice recorder offering up to 1 minute of storage, and various applications such as a Calendar, Alarm, Calculator and an XHTML capable microbrowser with support for JPEG and PNG images. Polyphonic ringtones are of course also supported, as is the case with SMS, MMS and J2ME. Bundled J2ME applications are not much to brag about, however, as only two games - 'Virtual Me' and 'Bounce' - are included.
Regardless, the most sought after feature of the Nokia 3200 is bound to be its integrated 0.1 megapixel digital camera. Combined with soundbites and text, instant pictures via MMS have grown increasingly popular over the course of the latter half of 2003. With a maximum resolution of 352 x 288 pixels, don't think for a second such images are photo album material - but they are nevertheless fully on par with cameras in high-end handsets such as the Sony Ericsson T610 and Nokia 7250i, and perhaps even slightly better under less than optimal lighting conditions. A test picture is available here.The total memory of the 3200 is 1 MB, and even though the memory is dynamically shared, there is plenty of room for pictures.
Performance
Running Nokia's own Series 40 platform which is what powers most recent colour screen handsets from Nokia, the 3200 proved to perform very well throughout our testing period with regard to keypad-screen interaction. Delays were not present at all, and J2ME performance was also good while the viewfinder of the camera application offered more than adequate FPS.
Nokia lists the maximum standby time and talk time of the 3200 as respectively 12 days and 4 hours: during testing, we found talk time to match this claim well, while standby time proved to be approximately 8 days. Standby time depends to a large degree on how frequently the camera is in use, however, and as such a more accurate means for users to estimate remaining battery life would be preferable.
Availability
The Nokia 3200 is now available throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas and sells in the 250 EUR price range without subscription.
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