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CNET editors' rating:
3.5 stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 8 reviews
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Product summary
The good: The Nokia 7380 is a stylish and fashionable phone, perfect as a second cell phone for a night on the town. It features an impressive 2-megapixel camera, along with a video recorder, a voice recorder, a music player, and a radio.
The bad: The Nokia 7380 is not for everyone. It has no keypad, so you have to use the phone's circular spinner to dial numbers and send text messages, which may be too much for some users. Those with larger fingers may also be uncomfortable with the narrow circle controls. The phone's small screen and meager 52MB of memory does not make full use of its impressive multimedia features.
The bottom line: The Nokia 7380 would not make for a very useful primary phone, but it's satisfactory as a fashion accessory or as a secondary mobile. Even though we appreciate the impressive multimedia upgrades over its predecessor, it's a shame that the phone's screen and memory size does not make full use of them.
Specifications: Band / mode: GSM 900/1800/1900 (Tri-Band); Talk time: Up to 180 min; Combined with: With digital camera / digital player / FM radio; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 02/27/2006
- Updated on: 03/08/2006
On the front is the aforementioned mirror finish complete with a flower motif etched in a corner near the speaker. When the phone is activated, part of the mirror finish disappears to reveal a tiny 1.25-inch landscape-oriented screen, most likely to accommodate the size and shape of the phone. Though we found the display big enough for making calls and sending messages, its usefulness for other functions is limited. For example, it was a bit small for sending messages, and Web browsing was mostly uncomfortable. The display's 104x208-pixel resolution and 65,536-color palette aren't great, but they're certainly acceptable. On the downside, the screen is very difficult to see under direct light because of the mirror finish. Also, the contrast, brightness, and backlighting time can't be changed. Font size can be changed only within text messages and not elsewhere. Users with vision impairments may have a hard time with this phone.
A little lower on the front are the stylized navigation controls. Set in concentric circles, the controls include four indicator lights and a middle OK button that glows orange when activated. The outer circle acts as buttons for two soft keys on one side, and the Talk and End/power buttons on the other. We didn't find it too difficult to press the assigned areas of the circle, but those with larger fingers might feel some discomfort. Also, the keys aren't labeled. The inner circle is known as the Nokia Navi spinner, and it spins like a wheel that you can use to scroll through the menu options as well as dial and send text messages. This may sound like a chore, but it isn't that difficult. When texting, the phone is smart enough to guess the next letter in a word, and you can select letters by simply scrolling through them. Dialing is a little harder, as you have to scroll back and forth more frequently; you can't dial by letters as there's no keypad. However, the phone was intended to be used with a pre-established contacts or a calls list stored in the phone and SIM card, so you can either dial by voice commands or simply navigate through your address book.
We were disappointed that there are no volume rocker and no dedicated camera button on the phone. Also, the Nokia 7380 uses an internal rechargeable battery that cannot be replaced by the consumer; instead, it must be sent to an authorized service facility. It's unclear if this will be worth the time and money if and when it occurs.
One of the more surprising aspects of the Nokia 7380 is the impressive feature set in such a small form factor. Nokia has managed to cram in a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, and a video recorder. More on that later but first, the basics: The phone comes with a 1,000-entry address book that stores five numbers, an e-mail address, a mailing address, a Web address, and notes for each contact. Voice tags are added automatically to your contacts for voice dialing, and you can assign an image per contact for photo caller ID, though with a screen this size, this is of questionable value. You can also sort them in up to 25 groups, but we didn't notice an option for personalized ring tones. The Nokia 7380 comes with five different profiles (General, Silent, Meeting, Outdoor, and Pager) that allow for different ring volumes and vibration settings, as well as 18 different polyphonic ring tones in AAC; it also supports MIDI and MP3 ring tones. Other features include text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calendar, a to-do list, notes, a voice recorder, and a speakerphone. You can also utilize Bluetooth and the Nokia PC Suite software to transfer content to and fro the phone and the PC. There isn't any infrared connectivity, though the Bluetooth more than makes up for it. A WAP 2.0 Web browser is also available, but the screen makes surfing the Internet a pain.
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- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 8 reviews
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