| Review of the Nokia 6061 |
 |
The Nokia 6061 is a no-nonsense entry-level phone offered by both Fido and
7-11. While it doesn’t have the great audio quality of higher-end Nokias,
or glitzy features like a camera, or an MP3 player, it still offers solid
performance and plenty of power for a reasonable price. Last Updated: 07-Oct-2006 |
Before reading this review, please read
Some Thoughts on Phone Reviewing.
RF Performance
RF Sensitivity: This aspect of the phone was tested
at Square One shopping mall against a Nokia 6340i and a new Motorola PEBL. Tests
were carried out in the traditional Hall of Shame (near the center court), in
the new Hall of Shame that connects between the main hall and the underground
section running between Zellers and Sears, and at the very back of PJ’s near the
lower entrance to Wal-Mart. In all three locations the 6061 proved to have good
RF sensitivity, but not quite as good as the excellent 6340i. It performed about
the same as the PEBL.
Over-the-road Performance: After listening to the
phone while driving around in areas where Rogers suffers from heavy doses of
handoffs (due to a proliferation of sites) I came away very impressed with the
6061. Handoffs were far less common on this phone than on other GSM models and
when they did occur they were tamer-sounding than is typical of Nokia. In fact,
the 6061 provided over-the-road performance that was the equal of the PEBL,
which is high praise because Motorola’s GSM phones generally rule the roost when
it comes to this aspect of performance.
Click on this link for a full description of
RF Performance, and how to interpret it.
Audio Performance
Tonal Balance: Sadly the 6061 doesn’t have that
rich sound that is common to most other Nokia models (and is a far cry from the
gorgeous-sounding PEBL). The earpiece is decidedly tinny-sounding, but at the
same time it doesn’t seem to exhibit any annoying harshness or peakiness. In
other words, it sounds pretty darned good except for being a bit shallow. In
real conversations I found that the earpiece sounded quite good UNLESS it was
compared directly to a richer-sounding model.
Sound Reproduction: Despite the tinny tonal
balance, the overall sound quality (the ability to accurately reproduce the
various nuances of speech) was actually very good. There was quite a bit of hiss
at higher volume settings however, but it was more pink noise than white noise,
and thus was surprisingly easy to ignore, even in a quiet environment. Just the
same, it would be nice if Nokia could manage to get rid of some of this hiss.
Earpiece Volume: In a quiet environment the phone
seems a bit faint, but it possesses Nokia’s Volume Boost feature that jacks the
volume up when there background noise is present. When I tested the phone
outdoors on a noisy street it produced earpiece volume that was virtually equal
to that of my Motorola i580 on Telus Mike
(which has quite good earpiece volume). Still, I wish that Nokia would just give
us more earpiece volume to begin with and forego the volume booth feature.
Outgoing Audio: The outgoing audio was superb. Not
only did it sound well-balanced and clean, but the phone also coped
exceptionally well with background noise. This seems to be a common attribute of
clamshell models and the Nokia is no exception (though oddly the 6126, which I
reviewed last month, wasn’t anywhere near this good). Even test recordings made
on a very noisy street overlooking the traffic on Highway 403 sounded clear and
distinct without much of an issue from the traffic noise.
Speakerphone: Like the earpiece, the speakerphone
is tinny, only more so. Despite its tinniness however, the small speaker at the
top of the phone can produce incredibly loud audio (though it does distort a
little at higher volumes). Perhaps because of its tinny quality it can be heard
over surprisingly loud background noise. To complement the loud speaker, the
microphone manages to blot out the background noise well, while at the same time
boosting its sensitivity. I made a test recording on a noisy street holding the
phone down at my waist and I could still hear my voice and understand most of
the words.
Click on this link for a full description of
Audio Performance, and how to interpret it.
Support Features
Ringer Volume: That tinny-sounding speakerphone
makes an incredibly good sounder for the ringtones. Subsequently the ringers are
louder than on just about any other Nokia phone I’ve tested.
Keypad Design: For the most part I this keypad. For
once we have a 4-way cursor key that’s easy to use, even for those with large
thumbs. The keys surrounding the 4-way cursor pad are also huge and
easy-to-press. The numeric keys are a little small and it’s difficult to tell
one key from the one next to it, though it is easy to tell one row from the next
by feel. So, while I would personally make the numeric keys a bit bigger (and a
bit more distinct) if I was designing the phone, the overall keypad execution is
very good.
Display: The display is 128 x 160 pixels with a
color depth of 16 bits (32,000 colors). While that is rather low-res by today’s
standards, it’s more than adequate for an entry-level phone. It’s also easy to
see in bright sunlight and produces fairly nice color. One could hardly ask for
more in a phone in this class. The 6061 does not have an external display
however, which is very odd on a clamshell models these days. It means you’ll
have to open the phone to see whose calling you, but at the same time its one
less thing to scratch up.
Conclusions
As an entry-level model the Nokia 6061 is almost the perfect phone. The audio is
a bit tinny, but aside from that it provides it users with core functionality
that’s almost as good as a high-end phone. There are lots of other surprising
features, such as a useable speakerphone, alarm clock, calendar & to-do lists,
and MMS messaging. I wouldn’t have any problem recommending this phone to those
looking for a no-nonsense model.
Yes the 6061 comes off wanting in the audio department compared to the Motorola
PEBL, but the 6061 is also a much less expensive phone, especially when
purchased on contract. However, its $115 price tag when purchased outright is a
tad high for the features offered by this phone, but it’s a solid performer
that’s hard to beat with anything selling for less.
