For a first attempt at a touchscreen device, the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music was a fairly good effort from Nokia, instantly leaping to the top of the handset sales chart. Packed with features that would not have looked out of place on a top of the range N Series device, the 5800 captured the imagination of the Nokia faithful who were looking for something that in their eyes would rival the much hyped iPhone. The next touchscreen driven device from Nokia is also a member of the Xpress Music range, and at first glance it is difficult to see what differences the 5530 has. But, differences there are, as we will see.
Some of the noticeable changes are inside the device. With the Nokia 5530 there is no HSDPA connectivity, no high speed downloads. More surprisingly, perhaps, is the complete lack of any 3G connectivity at all. I really think Nokia have made a mistake here, it really is inconceivable that a modern day mobile phone is produced without at least 3G as a minimum. There is some light, with regards to connectivity, in the form of WiFi included on the handset, but that isn’t an ideal alternative. I would much rather see 3G as minimum than have to rely on finding an open WiFi network for my music downloads on the device.
Another option that the Nokia 5530 lacks in comparison to the 5800 is no GPS. Nokia maps will still work on the device, but your position will be calculated by network triangulation, which isn’t as accurate. So, the 5530 is not another 5800, clearly. But it isn’t all bad with this new Xpress Music device; despite these shortcomings the handset offers a solid, if unspectacular package. Carrying the Xpress Music name the handset has a clear focus on media entertainment. Multiple digital music formats are supported, as well as the general MP3 the 5530 takes WAV, WMA, AAC and eAAC+ whilst video formats include MPEG4, 3gp and WMV. Available in five colour options, Red on black, Blue on white, Grey on black, Pink on white and Yellow on white, the 5530 is going to stand out. If your preference is conservative black, the 5530 may not be your thing.
A 3.2 megapixel camera is included on the phone, offering solid imaging capabilities, with autofocus and a Carl Zeiss lens, and an LED flash. Video capture is enabled, but the quality isn’t that great. TV OUT is enabled on this handset, but I wouldn’t use it for playing back any videos captured on the phone, the quality just isn’t there.
As the handset runs on S60, there are a few legacy features available from Nokia smartphones, that almost seem a little out of place. The excellent web browser is included, but running on GPRS it’s hardly worth anything. There is a document viewer included, for reading email attachments and other items, but it is hard to imagine the target market for this phone even considering messaging on the move over the standard SMS.
Sporting a nice, large screen, the Nokia 5530 Xpress Music is easy to interact with. Multiple entry methods are supported, from standard finger touch, to handwriting recognition and stylus operability. The handset weighs in at a very acceptable 107g, and is around 2mm thinner than the 5800, measuring in at 13mm. As on the 5800, you can have access to your favourite contacts on the main screen, and see a detailed history of your communication with them on screen, here the 5530 excels with a carousel option allowing you to smoothly scroll through up to 20 contacts, compared to the four available on the 5800.
Overall, the Nokia 5530 is a bit of a mixed bag. If music on a capable mobile device is your thing, and you like a ‘funky’ colour scheme, then the 5530 is your phone. I would imagine where this phone is going to do well is with first time mobile users who just want something which looks good, or those users whose preference is Prepay over contract. It’s hard to get excited about this phone; with a mismatch of features it just feels unbalanced. It will probably remain an anonymous device in the middle of an already crowded mid range of music phones from Nokia. Reports suggest a September 2009 release date.