Nokia N86 vs SE W995 vs Nokia 5530 vs Sony Satio

Access to the SIM has however been strangely altered. It is behind the same hinged cover as the memory card. This cover is not inside the phone but on the outside, down the side. A nice idea for temporary card changes, but the cover doesn’t look very solid and you do still have to move the battery and use the stylus to slide the card out. Too much of risk of losing your SIM, then, if you drop the phone or bang it around.

To return to the stylus, although it is useful for working your way round the menus, most common functions are accessible with your finger.

The 5530 and its stylus

The OS is an adaptation of the Symbian version used for the 5800. No surprise then that the phone is responsive and quick to start up. The interface is standard, perhaps too much so, and seems a little old school. You won’t however lose yourself in tens of menus and unclear thumbnails, as you do on certain Windows phones. Using the java engine, you can install your favourite games without too much trouble, as long as they aren’t too heavy – the 5530 doesn’t have the highest performance hardware in the world.

The 5530s aging interface

As you can see on the photos, the screen isn’t matte. Nevertheless the 5530’s interface is pared down and legible even in full daylight. The built-in navigator is an Opera derivative. Let’s be up front about this however: the 5530 wasn’t made for surfing. With such a small touch screen, you’ll find yourself squinting a fair deal, and in any case, when you ain’t got 3G you certainly need to be patient.

But is this really a handicap? After all, this Nokia is part of the XpressMusic range – a music phone. The priority must therefore be on music and, on a such a lowly priced model, not on ultra-fast surfing.

Opera