Nokia 5300 Xpress Music user reviews (red, Unlocked)

4.0 stars

"Nokia's Xpress Music - Initial Reactions" on May 16, 2007 by FargoUT

Pros: Music player features; User-friendly yet smart interface; Audio quality is superb; Well-designed and fun to use

Cons: LCD scratches easily; Slider; Battery life; Can be pricey

Summary: After a week with the Nokia 5300 Xpress Music (Black), I felt like giving my initial impressions upon using this phone. As a fan of the Nokia brand (primarily due to a comfort with the Nokia UI), I swapped my replacement Motorola Razr and upgraded. First things first...

Phone quality is above average--I have not had any problems with hearing or understanding, and having asked callers how I sound, the answer has been entirely positive. Litle distortion or digital noise is heard by either party. About the only problems I have had with this device from a phone perspective is when I try to remove it from my pocket. Because the phone slides, it will often slide open while I remove it from my pocket. This could be a big problem for those who like to screen their calls. I think you can change this so that the phone will only answer if you press a button.

As a multimedia device, the Xpress Music is again above average. In terms of music, it is superb. Accepting WMA, AAC, AAC+, and MP3s, you can easily transfer music files from your PC to your phone (and vice versa). Nokia provides three USB options--"Nokia Mode", "Music Sync" and "Data Storage". Nokia Mode is used in tandem with Nokia's PC Suite software; Music Sync can be used for music with DRM issues (3 songs downloaded from Yahoo! Music had to be transferred via this method); and the Data Storage mode is great for those who prefer a more hands-on approach--it will act as a USB flash drive (albeit with a rather slow transfer rate).

I have not yet attempted transferring via Bluetooth, although I'm assuming it will be similar to using the provided USB cable. Nokia's PC Suite must be downloaded from their website, and I highly recommend doing so. It is intuitive enough for most users.

My T-Mobile version came with a 1GB MicroSD card, which is a nice bonus. This can hold a decent library of music, photos and video. It can't approach the mammoth sizes of hard-drive based music devices, but I doubt anybody buying this phone really expects it to. This phone nicely doubles as a mobile music player for cyclists, joggers, walkers, etc. The caveat is that the phone is heavier and bulkier than music-dedicated flash-based drives such as the iPod Shuffle, which makes it less adequate for running with (as a cyclist, it has not caused me problems at all).

The audio from music files really depends on the sampling rate and format, but I have found it to be on par with many MP3 players. In a word, excellent! A coworker with an iPod even said it sounded just as good as her Shuffle (in her defense, she is not an audiophile). The equalizer comes in a 5-band variation with several preset equalizers and two user-definable settings. For a phone, this is a welcome feature (it doesn't seem that these equalizers affect voice calls). If hooked up with the provided stereo headset, the phone will pause music when you receive a call or msg, let you answer, then pick up playing where it left off. This is handled very well. The provided 2.5" converter allows standard headphones to be used--while I do not like the additional small part necessary to accomplish this, as I will probably lose it within a month, I appreciate the inclusion.

The play, rewind, fast-forward and pause buttons can all be found on the left side with rubber buttons. The volume and camera buttons are on the right side. I have quickly been able to learn how to switch songs on the fly without taking the phone from my pocket.

Additionally, the radio feature is amazing--while limited to FM stations, the audio quality from these even manages to blow away my Grundig radio I keep at work. It requires headphones to work as an antenna, but the sound is astonishingly clear and robust. If you listen to radio, this will be a nice surprise.

You can set almost any music file as a ring tone, unless it is DRM-protected. This is a rather irritating feature, and it isn't clear if Nokia is to blame for this. But any other music file you have ripped or downloaded can be used as any tone. A very nice feature missing on many phones (including my last Nokia).

The LCD screen is bright and colorful, very pleasing to the eye even in bright sunlight. One major problem is the easily-scratched screen surface. In a week of light use, my LCD screen is already covered with small scratches. I don't know that this will ultimately affect anything in a major way, but it is irritating. Likewise goes for the plastic lens cover of the camera, which could hinder the quality of photos.

The Nokia 5300 is highly customizable, much of which I probably won't even bother with. The design is easy to understand, the audio quality ranges from above-par to excellent, the feature set is surprisingly large, working well as both a phone and a media player.

I have not touched on many of the features of this phone, as they are too numerous for this little review. I will say that Nokia has done an excellent job in attempting to balance music and phone aspects with this unit. While battery life leaves much to be desired (I can run a fully charged battery low in a day of use), I find the Nokia 5300 Xpress Music to be a top-notch mid-tier phone for those seeking fun. Every phone has its quirks, and it is no different here. I recommend visiting a store and trying one out before buying it. With that said, I am very happy with my purchase and hope it lasts for quite some time.