At first glance, the design of the C6 outwardly resembles the popular Nokia 5800 in shape and size (113.4 x 53 x 16.8 mm [80cc] versus 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm [83 cc] for the 5800). However, the horizontal slider form factor, which adds a full QWERTY keyboard and accompanying D-pad, and weight (150g versus 109g) puts the phone firmly into the hybrid category and demonstrates there has been a significant reworking of the internal design.
The software running on the phone is in line with the Nokia N97 and N97 mini. It features the same WRT-widget based homescreen, kinetic scrolling and full range of Ovi services. In common with the E5, also announced today, Nokia are emphasising the social messaging capabilities of the phone, with Nokia Messaging handling a comprehensive range of email accounts, with various on-board tools for interacting with social networks and with Ovi Store giving access to a range of IM applications.
At €220, the C6 offers excellent value for money. The price can be compared to the Nokia 5800's launch price of €279 and the N97 mini's launch price of €450. It should have a SIM-free UK street price of approximately £220, or subsidised on Pay As You Go from about £150 and free on £20/month contracts.
Nokia C6 with keyboard in open position
From the press release:
"The Nokia C6 is a Symbian-based smartphone combining the benefits of a 3.2 inch touch screen with a full slide out keyboard. The large screen provides a great Internet experience, as well as offering access to Facebook feeds directly on the homescreen. A full suite of email and social networking capabilities means the Nokia C6 is perfect for people who want to stay up to date while on the go."
Key hardware features
113.4 x 53 x 16.8 mm in dimensions (80 cc volume), 150g in weight; horizontal QWERTY slide form factor.
- 3.2 inch touchscreen; 640 x 360 pixels resolution
- 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash.
- Integrated A-GPS
- 3.5 mm AV connector and stereo FM radio (with RDS)
- BL-4J (1200mAh) Li-Ion battery - charging via 2 mm power port
- Quad band GSM, triband WCDMA (900/1900/2100 MHz) and WiFi connectivity.
- Up to 200MB of internal memory, 2GB microSD card included in the retail box (selected markets)
- ARM 11 processor running at 434MHz (same as 5800 and 5230).
- Initially available in two colours: Black and White
- Mono speaker (the 5800 had big stereo speakers), mounted on the back of the device
- Included in the box: Nokia C6-00, Nokia 2GB microSD Card (MU-37), Nokia Connectivity Cable (CA-101), Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-102), Nokia Compact Charger (AC-15), Nokia Battery (BL-4J), and User guide
Key software features
- Runs Symbian^1 (also known as S60 5th Edition)
- Customisable homescreen with WRT-based widgets (as first seen on the Nokia N97). Also includes kinetic scrolling and other UI enhancements as first seen in N97 PR2.0 software.
- Ships with Ovi Maps 3.4 (including free life time navigation and easy Facebook location sharing).
- Nokia Messaging for email (Yahoo Mail Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Ovi Mail) and IM clients for Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Ovi Chat available through the Ovi Store.
- Will likely ship with Nokia Messaging for Social Networks (also known as Communities 2.0), which is currently being tested in Nokia Beta Labs. This aggregates messages from multiple social networks into a single application.
The phone will also include the current standalone Facebook client with homescreen integration.
- Ovi Store for access to additional applications, games and content. Ovi Music Store for music downloads.
Nokia C6 in video
Watch this space for a full review of the C6 here on All About Symbian.
Cseries
Nokia also announced another Cseries device today; the C3 is a low end QWERTY slab device running Series 40 (Nokia's proprietary software platform). With the recently announced Nokia C5, there are now three phones in the new Cseries category.