Nokia 6233 review

It may seem like Nokia has forgotten about its simpler handsets and focused on the feature-packed Nseries, but in actual fact it has been working hard to make sure the rest of the range doesn't go neglected. The Nokia 6233 is part of a very successful series of phones that started with the Nokia 6230, one of the company's most popular handsets, which was then followed by the equally favoured 6230i.

Design
In terms of design, the 6233 is a classic Nokia phone with a simple candybar form factor. There's a stylish combination of curved edges and smooth surfaces, reminiscent of a glazed bun. The handset is completely black aside from a few silver details around the navigation button, sides and back of the phone, adding an elegant look.

The front section is glossy and features a colour screen and keypad. The screen measures 30mm by 40mm and displays 262,000 colours. The keypad underneath it is well laid out featuring large keys that are easy to press. The navigation button at the top is also very easy to operate  -- it has a raised lip around the edges that guides your thumb around it and a separate 'OK' button in the middle.

On the top-right side of the phone there's a volume rocker that doubles up as a zoom button when you're using the 2-megapixel camera on the back. The camera doesn't feature a flash or LED photo light. Further down the right side of the phone there's a speaker, which, along with another identical one found on the other side of the phone, makes up part of an in-built stereo speaker system. At the bottom-right side of the phone is a dedicated shutter button, which automatically accesses the camera application when you press it.

On the top-left side of the handset there's a dedicated push-to-talk button, and at the bottom-left there's an expandable microSD slot with a small flap over it to protect it. The back of the phone is matte and minimalist, aside from the camera section, which is glossy like the front. At the bottom of the 6233 there's a charging port and a USB port that doubles up as the headphone port.

Features
The Nokia 6233 runs on the Series 40 Third Edition user interface, making it most similar to the old style Nokia menus that kept things simple. For example, when you press the OK key in the centre of the navigation button, you go straight into the menu without the need to press a dedicated menu button like on the Nseries.