Nokia 5610 Xpress Music user reviews (red, T-Mobile)

Pros Loved the feel of this phone. Nice solid slider phone...didn't open too easily. Easy to lock & unlock. Beautiful music player. Small size. Could answer call w/o opening. Better than average camera. Buttons were easy to find and use.

Cons Call quality was poor. Tinny, low & had echo. My Razr V3 sounded better. Kept losing my speed dials. Battery cover was flimsy and difficult. Voice dial was horrid. Can't change T-Zones shortcut. Menus somewhat confusing, but it was my 1st Nokia

Summary I really wanted to like this phone. And could have lived with a few short comings, but...I use voice and speed dial a lot, and just couldn't get past the sound quality on calls. Not only is it tinny, but I found myself pressing it to my ear just to hear the other person. Also a bit of echo.
We ordered 2 of these phones. One of them got sent back strait away, as the battery cover didn't even close completely.
Tried out my Dad's BB Curve, which had perfect call quality, wi-fi, and nice voice dial. Music player not so great, but I need a phone, not an mp3 player. I sent my Nokia back & paid the extra $50 for a BB.

Maybe I just got a couple bad phones. If you're looking for a little bit of style, good mp3 player, decent camera, give it shot. But make sure you have the option to return it. Ya know...in case you want an actual phone instead. ;-)

Pros Excellent basic multimedia phone, very well built phone, beautiful screen, camera takes good pictures, music player is almost on par with some MP3 players, 3G.

Cons 2.5 mm jack, T-mobile version removes secondary camera and Opera Mini, music toggle switch doesn't actually take you to the player, shutter speed on camera is slow.

Summary First and foremost, the Nokia 5610 is only the second Nokia that I've had the pleasure of dealing with, but they both have been good experiences. My old phone was the 6263 and I enjoyed using it for the time that I did. I considered purchasing this phone for myself, but ended up giving it to my girlfriend. Still, after playing with it quite a bit, I found it on par with the 6263, and in some ways better.
Nokia phones of late have enjoyed one thing that I don't see in other phones and that's an amazing display. 16 million colors gives the screen a very warm and inviting appearance that other phones just can't quite match yet. When you combine this with the Nokia Active Shortcut bar that allows you to add virtually any function to the front screen into it for a quicker navigation, you get an amazing phone. The S40 operating system responds beautifully and doesn't have the sluggishness that my 6263 had. If you've owned a Nokia then you know what I'm talking about.
Aside from all of the elements that you can read in the official review, I'll get down to the gritty elements. As a music player the Nokia 5610 is excellent, using features found in a lot of music players like equalizers with custom settings, stereo widening, playlists, shuffle, etc. The only minor knocks are the fact that the music toggle slider on the front screen that the phone is based around doesn't actually take you to the player. It takes you to the menu for the player which from there you choose to activate the player. Not a huge inconvenience, but with my 6263 all I had to do was push the external play button and I resumed my earlier playback. Still, it doesn't make much sense to me. The other issue is the 2.5mm headphone jack. Why the 5310 model has a 3.5 mm standard headphone jack, but the 5610 and 6263 didn't is beyond me. You get an adapter in the box, but this is no excuse for going with a type of headphone jack that isn't universally accepted. If this is going to be a music phone then give it a 3.5 mm jack.
The phone itself is very well-built with a sturdy sliding mechanism. The back cover didn't much of a problem to me as it did others, but it merits mentioning for those with limited patience. The included accessories like the headphone adapter and 2 GB micro SD card make the deal even sweeter.
However, sliding back to the negative, T-Mobile (in all their infinite wisdom) removed the secondary camera and Opera Mini browser. I assume because their 3G network (which this phone supports) is very limited right now, but still, there's no excuse for removing features that might otherwise sell the phone. Also, I found the shutter speed on the camera to be slow. For a subject standing still, there's no problem, but anytime they move it either blurs the picture or makes the subject look like they are stoned. The flash also tends to over brighten pictures. The camera, at 3.2 megapixels with auto focus, is actually quite nice, however.
In closing, I think that the 5610 is an excellent music phone for people who aren't particularly demanding of their phone. A few issues aside, I think that the 5610 is an excellent phone for those who either want a back-up MP3 player or want to eliminate the need to carry two different devices.

Pros Awesome camera, Memory card included, simple

Cons Phone freezes, shuts off for no reason, slow

Summary I am currently on a crusade against T-Mobile because they are out of the 5610 and are trying to send me the downgraded versions (5310 and 6301). I am so pissed off because I love this phone but I have had continuous issues.

Pros I like the design, all the functions, the camera, radio, mp3 player, organizer, it also has a timer, calendar, alarm, a good mortgage calculator - all great stuff.

Cons Reception and call quality can be improved, it's not like it's horrible but, in the end it is a cell phone.

Summary I like the design, all the functions, the camera, radio, mp3 player, organizer, etc.
the nice thing is you can now have one device instead of a radio, mp3 player, usb drive, it also has a nice stopwatch so you can exercise, listen to music keep you lap times, not miss calls, it also has a timer, calendar, alarm, a good mortgage calculator, calendar, to do list etc. - all great stuff.