Nokia X7

Nokia is billing its distinctive futuristic-looking mobile, the X7, as a multimedia powerhouse in the same tradition as the earlier N8.  The new handset's clean lines hold a 4'' screen (instead of the predecessor's 3.5'') and a less impressive camera, which shifts from 12 Megapixels to 8.  The X7 relies on Anna, the latest version of Nokia's Symbian OS.  Here's what we thought of it after taking it for a week-long spin ...

Design and build

The X7's brushed metal unibody frame weighs 146 g, and its sharp angles help distinguish it from some of Nokia's Asian competitors even more than the N8 did.  We don't think there's such a thing as 'masculine' or 'feminine' mobiles, but if you forced us, we'd say the X7 definitely belonged to the former camp.  It has an impeccable finish, and we were very impressed to find the SIM card and microSD card slots on the outside of the phone rather than hidden under the battery.


There's no longer a HDMI output, which is a shame for a phone that claims to have multimedia at heart, and there's no front-facing camera for video calls either.  We liked the different-sized earplugs available on the handsfree kit, but when is Nokia going to get round to producing a smaller charger?


The gentle curve at the back of the X7 makes it easy to hold in the palm of your hand.

A generous four-inch AMOLED screen has good contrast with nice deep blacks and decent brightness.  The touch-sensitive interface turned out to be pretty accurate most of the time.

Improvements in the interface, but still not very responsive

The Symbian^3 OS has been updated with a new version, Anna, which will be included on a few last handsets before Nokia moves all of its smartphones over to Windows Phone 7.  We took a good look at the changes in the software when we reviewed the Nokia N8 Pink.

Most of the changes are formal rather than functional, but that's still welcome news given how much Symbian^3 was beginning to show its age.  The homescreen still only has room for three pages of icons despite the fact that Nokia's competitors routinely offer at least five.


The lockscreen might not provide as much information as the one offered by the latest version of the HTC Sense interface, but you can still check the time and see your missed calls and incoming messages without having to unlock the display.


The latest version of Symbian finally includes a full-size keyboard in portrait mode, but it isn't the easiest or the most accurate we've ever used.  You'll have fewer typos if you it in landscape mode instead.

The X7 generally does what you want, but it can't claim a place amonst the ranks of smartphones with super-fast, ultra-responsive touchscreen interfaces.  We noticed a certain lack of fluidity and a few annoying pauses, both in ordinary apps and games like Asphalt 5.  It's not enough to hold you back, but if you're used to a faster smartphone the extra waiting can soon become annoying.

Multimedia

Overall, the X7's camera takes sharp photos with accurate colours and plenty of detail.  It bucks the current trend and doesn't blur details to improve accuracy and it can make a real distinction between black and dark grey.  Focusing on nearby objects is, however, difficult if not impossible, and any photos you take in poor lighting will end up with a lot of electronic noise.  Nokia has included several fun tools for retouching your photos as well. 

The X7 is more than capable of recording 720p HD video, and we didn't notice any jerkiness in the clips we filmed.
 
The X7 has native support for a wide range of video formats, including DivX and Xvid.


We're glad to see that Nokia has upgraded its web browser, including the address bar at the top of the screen which now doubles up both as a search engine and a shortcut to the contextual menu for the page you're looking at, as you can see in the photo above.  The bad news is that it's not very fast: the browser just can't keep up with its rivals, and the pinch-to-zoom system adds an extra delay as you have to tweak it until the page is displayed just how you like it.


Nokia has done a pretty good job on the audio provided on the X7, with a decent output but not much power.  For once, this is a mobile phone with a decent pair of headphones that are comfortable to wear, even if the bass is a little over-exaggerated.  They also allow you to use the built-in FM radio.

The X7 managed to last a good two without needing to be recharged, and that's with plenty of WiFi.