| Mini-Review of the Nokia 3220 |
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The Nokia 3220 is another in a dizzying array of similar-looking and similarly-endowed Nokia GSM phones. In fact, it seemed to belong to the same general family as the Nokia 3205 CDMA phone, which I tested at the same time. Comparisons to the recently-tested Nokia 6230b are unavoidable, as those two phones seemed to share a few similarities beyond the usual Nokia menu system. Last Updated: 24-Nov-2004 |
Before reading this review, please read Some Thoughts on Phone Reviewing.
General
Like the 3205, the 3220 uses Siamese-twin keys that do one thing when you press
them at the top and another thing when you press them at the bottom. However,
the 3220 avoids getting really bad marks for the keyboard design by at least
shaping keys so that you can discern one half from other, and by arranging the
keys in a more traditional layout. Just the same, it was hardly the sort of
keyboard I give accolades to, but it was light years better than the one on the
3205.
The phone also includes a miniature speaker that allowed it to be used in
speakerphone mode. When compared directly with the 3205 the 3220 sounds more
natural, but produces far less volume. In extremely quiet environments the lower
output wasn’t an issue, and it was a much better implementation than the 3205.
However, when the background din got louder, the 3205 was the hands-down winner
simply because you hear it. I can only compare the speakerphone to the one on
the 6230b from memory, but overall I’d say the 3220 has similar audio quality,
but with slightly less maximum volume.
RF
Performance and Audio Quality
Because this is a mini-review, my primary interest is the
RF performance and
audio quality of the phone. RF was excellent at 850 MHz, as it could
penetrate just as far into the lower level of Sears (at Square One) as could the
6230b, which has proven to be an excellent performer. 1900 MHz was another
matter.
At a spot near the back corner of the lower level of Sears I checked with my old
Nokia 7190 to make sure I had a Fido signal. It was
weak, but I could actually complete a call using the 7190. When I had the 3220
do a search for available networks it came back with just Rogers. I tried this
numerous times, and I was finally forced to move over to the escalators to pick
up a strong enough Fido signal. After locking the phone onto Fido I walked it
back to the same place where the 7190 had been able to complete a call, but I
lost service even before I got there.
When it comes to RF performance, a phone operating on Rogers doesn’t need
stellar 1900 MHz reception, as the Rogers network will hand you off to 850 MHz
once the signal drops below a certain threshold. However, people planning to use
the 3220 on a 1900-only network (such as Fido, or when roaming in some parts of
the United States) will find the performance of the phone a huge disappointment.
I’ve tested quite a few phones lately that exhibit good-to-excellent 850 MHz
performance (when compared to other phones that support this band), but that do
poorly at 1900 MHz against phones that do not support 850 MHz. I find this
rather odd since most of the 1900 phones tested (which exhibit stellar
performance) also support 900 MHz for European use. A bit of tweaking to a 900
MHz receiver to support 850 shouldn’t impact on 1900 MHz performance.
Incoming sound quality is very good, with excellent tonal balance and just a
hint of hiss. Maximum earpiece volume is a bit low, but not so much so that the
phone would be useless in most conditions. Outgoing audio was tested at a noisy
location in Square One, and the results were a bit disappointing. Overall the
outgoing audio was a bit muddy-sounding, and the microphone picked up way too
much background noise.
The no-contract price for the 3220 at Rogers is $270, which seems a bit steep.
If you don’t mind signing a 3-year contract however, you can you can get this
phone for just $50, which isn’t that bad. Until Rogers starts to sell the 6230b
(assuming they even do),
I can’t say for sure if this is relatively cheap or not. If the 6230b comes out
at a price that is close to the 3220, I’d go with the 6230b any day. The 3220
seems like a nice enough phone, but it didn’t leave me with the same WOW feeling
that I got from the 6230b.
I guess you could say that I’m a bit ambivalent about the 3220. While it’s
clearly one of the good-sounding Nokias (compared to such poor phones as the
7210 and 6200) I
can’t quite get excited about it the way I did with the 6230b. At $50 for the
3-year contract price however, it’s hard to go wrong with this model, and I
can’t imagine anyone who buys one being unhappy with their purchase. For me
personally, this model just doesn’t seem to show up on my radar.
