Nokia C301 Touch & Type The Complete Guide

Design and Build Quality

The Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type has a classic candy bar design that merges traditional keypad functionality with modern touch screen capabilities. With dimensions of 111 x 47.5 x 11 mm and weighing just 100 grams, the device is compact and lightweight, ensuring ease of use and portability. The phone is available in a few elegant colors, including Silver, Warm Grey, and Golden Khaki, which add a touch of sophistication to its appearance. The build quality is solid with a robust construction, typical of Nokia's reputation for durability.

Display

The 2.4-inch TFT resistive touchscreen offers 256,000 colors and a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, providing a pixel density of approximately 167 ppi. Although not as vibrant and high-resolution as current smartphones, this display was quite standard for feature phones of its era, offering sufficient clarity for basic operations and media consumption.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the Nokia C3-01 houses a 680 MHz (RM-640) / 1.0 GHz (RM-776) processor. This allows the device to handle basic tasks such as calling, messaging, and light internet browsing. However, the 64MB RAM and 128MB ROM provided limited multitasking capabilities and storage space. Thankfully, users could expand storage via the microSDHC card slot, accommodating more applications, photos, and media.

Camera

The main camera is a 5 MP shooter accompanied by an LED flash, capable of capturing decent photos for its time. It also supports video recording at 480p resolution and 15 frames per second. While it lacks a front-facing camera, the inclusion of a 5 MP primary camera was more than adequate for a feature phone.

Battery Life

The removable Li-Ion 1050 mAh battery (BL-5CT) offers reliable performance. In standby mode, it can last up to 405 hours on 2G and up to 440 hours on 3G, with talk time pegged at up to 5 hours 30 minutes on 2G, dropping slightly to 4 hours on 3G. For music enthusiasts, the device can play audio for up to 20 hours continuously, making it a suitable portable music player.

Connectivity

The Nokia C3-01 supports a range of connectivity options, including GSM and HSPA for network access. It operates over 2G and 3G bands, and offers internet speeds up to 10.2/2 Mbps. Additional connectivity features include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0, and a stereo FM radio with RDS for entertainment purposes.

Software and Features

As a feature phone, the Nokia C3-01 runs on a proprietary operating system. It supports basic applications and functions such as SMS, MMS, Email, and IM for communication, as well as WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, and Adobe Flash Lite for web browsing. The phone also features Java MIDP 2.1 for running Java applications, and comes preloaded with games, with the option to download additional ones if needed.

Audio and Sound Quality

The device is equipped with a loudspeaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack, ensuring versatility in audio listening. Test results indicate voice quality at 73dB, noise at 66dB, and ring loudness at 77dB. In terms of audio quality, it registers noise at -88.4dB and crosstalk at -88.1dB, ensuring clear and pleasant sound output for both calls and media playback.

Conclusion

A decade after its release, the Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type remains a fascinating piece of technology, blending traditional and modern elements. While it no longer competes with today's smartphones in terms of performance and features, it still holds a special place for those who appreciate a simple, reliable device. Its combination of a tactile keypad and a touchscreen is particularly noteworthy, offering users an intuitive user interface. The device originally launched with a price tag of about 70 EUR, making it an affordable choice for many consumers. Although discontinued, its legacy continues among Nokia enthusiasts and feature phone collectors.