Nokia 6131 review

The Nokia 6131 is a mid-range clamshell mobile phone with a simple design. Fortunately, it's not too simple: the 6131 has an expandable microSD slot, EDGE connectivity and FM radio among other features. There's also a button on the right side of the hinge that lets you flip the phone open, in case you find opening clamshells difficult with only one hand.

Design
The Nokia 6131 is a smart-looking mid-range clamshell phone that measures 48mm wide by 92mm tall by 20mm deep. At 112g it's not the lightest phone we've ever held, but it feels comfortable to hold and has a rubber-like casing that's smooth and grips well. It's more attractive than certain other Nokia clamshells, but it still doesn't have the same appeal as the Motorola Razr V3.

The front of the 6131 houses a 21 by 27mm screen that displays 262,000 colours and flashes when an SMS, MMS or call is received. Further up, near the top of the front, there's a 1.3-megapixel camera. The camera and external screen are surrounded by a silver strip and there's a visible silver lip-like section on the bottom part of the phone that's visible from the top. On the left of the phone there's a dedicated volume button and next to it is a hidden infrared port.

The left side of the phone features a power switch and a dedicated shutter button, wherejas the back of the phone is minimalist, aside from a silver Nokia logo. The top section of the phone houses the charging port and a USB port that doubles up as a headphone port. The USB port is protected by a cover that doesn't feel flimsy and should stay in place once it's pressed in.

On the right side of the hinge there's a small button that pops the phone open when you press it. The hinge is spring-mounted and as you shut the phone it tenses the spring. Then when you press the button it releases the spring and the phone flips open. This does make using the phone easier, since you don't need to use two hands to open the flip, but there have been reports of the spring mechanism breaking. The hinge is very slightly wobbly when the phone is open, but we didn't experience any problems with it.

The inside of the phone is a contrast from the dark outside casing and has a large, eye-catching silver frame that surrounds the keypad. The navigation key and soft keys at the top of the keypad fit well under a large thumb and aren't fiddly to press. The keys on the keypad are also large and well spaced, letting you move from one key to the other without having to pay too much attention or squint your eyes.

Above the keypad is the main screen, but unlike the screen on the outside, the internal screen is QVGA and displays up to 16.7 million colours. It's bright and easy to read, but the font size on the main page and menu could be a little larger. Fortunately, you can adjust the size of the font in messages, contacts and the Web browser. You can use the both the internal and external screens as a viewfinder for the camera.