The 5230 will ship with Nokia's Ovi Store client on board, out of the box, along with Ovi Maps 3 and Nokia Music Store (selected markets). A 'Comes with Music' Edition (all you can eat music service) of the 5230 will be available in selected markets for €259, a premium of €110. Connectivity is provided by dual band WCDMA with HSDPA and quad band GSM; there are three variants: for WCDMA 2100/900, 1900/850 and 2100/850. Bluetooth 2.0 (including AVRCP and A2DP profiles) and HiSpeed USB 2.0 are provided for local connectivity.
“Competitively priced at 149 Euros, we believe the Nokia 5230 is an unbeatable offer for many new customers who aspire to a device that stars in music, mingles with social networks from Facebook to MySpace, navigates you to where it happens, when it happens, and comes in array of dazzling colors, ” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia.
At €149, the 5230 sets a new low for both Nokia's touchscreen devices and its open OS platform (smartphone) devices. The device represents remarkable value for money, especially given the inclusion of AGPS. It is the best example so far of how Nokia intends to push S60 further down its portfolio and use Ovi services to generate revenue past the point of sale.
This should translate into a street price of around £135 SIM-free, which will put it within the upper end of the PAYG (Pay As You Go) market. To reach this price point, Nokia have missed out a number of features, such as WiFi connectivity. The camera is an entry level 2 megapixel module and there is no memory card supplied in the box. A note worthy price comparison can be made with the Apple iPod Nano, £107 for the 8 GB version or £146 for the 16 GB version (or iPod Touch at £165 or £214). Add a 8GB (£12) or 16 GB (£25) microSD card to the 5230 and you'll get a price matching device that offers extra functionality.
In terms of shape and styling, the 5230 (111 x 51.7 x 14.5mm, 78cc, 113g) is similar to the 5800 (111 x 51.7 x 15.5mm, 83cc, 109g), but it is available in six colours: red, pink, blue, yellow, silver, dark silver (with black or white front face).
From left to right (in proportional size): Nokia 5800, Nokia 5530 and Nokia 5230
With an operator subsidy similar to the 5530 (£130 on PAYG), the 5230 could go on sale for less than £100, a psychologically important barrier in the UK market. However, this phone is also aimed at emerging markets (it was jointly announced in Espoo and New Delhi), where it will help further push Nokia's Ovi services to a consumer audience.
The €149 price point can be compared to the launch price of the Nokia 5530 (€200) and the Nokia 5800 (€279).
Nokia 5230 Video
More commentary and information coming shortly as we update this news story.
