Nokia 3250 Comprehensive Review of Specs Price & ProsCons

Overview of Nokia 3250

The Nokia 3250, released in 2005, was a unique and innovative design from Nokia, notable for its twisting keypad that divided it from many of its peers at the time. The design allowed users to switch between phone mode, music mode, and camera mode simply by twisting its bottom half. This feature made it particularly popular among multimedia enthusiasts during its era, even though the device has been discontinued now.

Design and Build

The Nokia 3250 features a robust build, typical of Nokia's mobile devices during this period. Its dimensions are 103.8 x 50 x 19.8 mm, and it weighs about 130 g, making it relatively compact and portable. The phone uses a Mini-SIM and is available in four colors: Black, Green, Pink, and Silver, offering users a bit of personalization. Its TFT display provides up to 256K colors, with a screen size of 2.1 inches and a resolution of 176 x 208 pixels, delivering a pixel density of approximately 130 ppi.

Display

The 2.1-inch display of the Nokia 3250 may seem small by today's standards, but it was adequate for its time, providing clear visibility with its vibrant 256K color TFT screen. The display's resolution of 176 x 208 pixels was standard for devices of its class, although it didn't provide a high screen-to-body ratio at around 27%. This was common due to the additional hardware features included in the phone.

Camera

The Nokia 3250 is equipped with a 2 MP main camera, which was considered reasonable at the time, allowing users to capture images with satisfactory quality. It also supports QCIF video recording. However, the device does not have a front-facing selfie camera, which aligns with the mobile technology trends of the mid-2000s.

Performance and Operating System

Under the hood, the Nokia 3250 runs on a 235 MHz ARM 9 processor, coupled with 64MB RAM. It operates on the Symbian 9.1 OS, Series 60 rel. 3.0 platform, which was a popular choice for smartphones of that era. While not powerful compared to modern standards, it was adequate for running basic applications and providing a smooth enough user experience for the time.

Memory and Storage

The device comes with 10MB of internal storage, accompanied by 64MB of RAM. For additional storage needs, users can utilize the dedicated microSD card slot to expand the phone's capacity, a valuable feature for storing music, photos, and applications given the limited internal storage.

Battery Life

The Nokia 3250 is powered by a removable Li-Ion 1100 mAh battery (BP-6M), offering decent battery life for typical usage during its time. Users could expect up to 245 hours of standby time and approximately 3 hours of talk time, making it a reliable device for daily use.

Network and Connectivity

The phone supports GSM networks, working on 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz bands, offering GPRS and EDGE Class 10 data connectivity. While lacking modern connectivity features like WLAN, it comes with Bluetooth support for wireless connections and a Pop-Port for USB connectivity. It also includes a stereo FM radio and a 3.5mm headphone jack, emphasizing its multimedia capabilities.

Audio and Multimedia

One of the most celebrated features of the Nokia 3250 was its focus on music and multimedia. The twisting mechanism of the phone allowed quick access to music controls, making it very user-friendly for listening to music. The device supported downloadable polyphonic and MP3 ringtones, and it featured a loudspeaker, enhancing its function as a portable music player.

Additional Features

Beyond its core functionality, Nokia 3250 included several standard applications and utilities typical of its time. The WAP 2.0/xHTML and HTML browser allowed basic internet browsing. Although it lacked advanced sensors and positioning features like GPS, it made up for it with its innovative design and multimedia capabilities.

Market and Legacy

Upon its release, the Nokia 3250 was priced at approximately 160 EUR and targeted at the mid-range market segment. It was well-received for its creative design and music-centric features. Even though technology has significantly advanced since then, and the device has been officially discontinued, it remains a nostalgic favorite for many who experienced mobile phones during its time. With a SAR value of 0.88 W/kg (head) and 0.44 W/kg (body), it also met safety standards for mobile device radiation emissions.

Conclusion

The Nokia 3250 stands out in mobile phone history for its distinctive rotating design and emphasis on music playback. It reflects the innovation and creativity of Nokia during a time when mobile phones were rapidly evolving. Though it would seem rudimentary today, it encapsulates a time when phones were transitioning from simple communication tools to multifaceted multimedia devices.