Nokia 7100 adds to the Supernova series as an entry-level handset but promises excellent value for money. Targeting emerging markets, the cheap device is intended to attract buyers that are not interested in high-end features or simply don’t have the budget to get themselves a much better mobile phone. Even though it is considered an entry-level handset, you will still have to pay a price that cannot be considered ‘entry-level’, especially on those emerging markets. Nokia 7100 Supernova offers you a way to communicate, limited Internet browsing and poor multimedia features.
Announced in November 2008, Nokia 7100 Supernova was made available on the market in January 2009. The handset can be acquired for about US$100, without any plan, but prices may vary by location and carrier, so chances are that you’ll even get it for up to US$150. The phone is available in three different colors: Jelly red, Fresh blue and Black.
Design
Nokia 7100 Supernova features a basic slide form, pretty slim and small. Even though it’s a low-end phone, the slider doesn’t seem so cheap at first glance. The plastic used for manufacturing is very well polished and shiny, while the back cover is ridgy, and it’s also the only drawback I have found in the construction of the phone, as it seems flimsy and it gives the impression that it’s on the verge of falling down. The back cover is held by a weird switch on top of the phone, which is the only thing that prevents it from falling. On the right side of the slider there’s a dedicated camera button, a charge port, a 2.5mm jack port and a weird USB port.
On the bottom side there’s a small mic gap, while on the back of the phone one can notice a large loudspeaker and a 1.3 Megapixel camera. The 2-inch display is protected against scratches by a thin plastic glass. Below the small screen there’s a large D-pad controller and 4 contextual keys: Accept and Reject calls, and 2 soft keys. Sliding up the phone reveals a common keypad, very comfortable for texting and pretty responsive. Backlighting is strong and even on the whole keypad, so you can text in dark environments with no worries.
For its size (98 x 48.4 x 15mm), Nokia 7100 Supernova appears to be a little bit heavier than expected (103.5g including battery), which seems strange as the whole phone is actually made of plastic, which shouldn’t be that heavy. One thing that surprised me was the fact that the shiny plastic is not a fingerprint magnet. The sliding mechanism seems to have been solidly built and works flawlessly.
The phone is well balanced and pocket-sized, which are some of the most important traits a low-budget handset needs to possess. Another one should be the sturdiness of the build, but Nokia 7100 Supernova fails to meet this requirement. Basically, if you drop it there’s a high chance to break its casing. Overall, Nokia 7100 will definitely stand out from the crowd, as long as you compare it with other entry- and mid-level phones.
Display and Camera
Nokia 7100 Supernova features a small 2-inch TFT display, supporting 65k colors and a 240×320 pixel resolution. Besides its small size, I had trouble trying to distinguish something on the screen when outdoors in strong light. Sadly, the quality of the image displayed is well under the standards that Nokia usually offers to its customers. Browsing on such a small screen, almost unreadable in the sunlight, is another big issue with the handset.
The 1.3 Megapixel camera lacks auto-focus and flash capabilities, but at least it can record videos. The maximum resolution available is 1280×1024 pixels for pictures and 128×96 pixels for movies (7 fps). Unfortunately, you won’t be able to record too much as the phone features limited storage space and no slot card for memory expansion.
The camera interface is basic with none of the usual settings such as Effects or White Balance. Instead you get Self-timer and Sounds. The camera lens is protected by the metallic plate that surrounds it, as well as the thin plastic that covers it.
The quality of the picture is below average, but at least the time for saving a picture has been lowered compared to its 7210 Supernova predecessor. Taking pictures with this phone doesn’t seem to be a good idea, unless you’re satisfied with such a low quality. The 1.3 Megapixel camera is definitely not among the best of its kind, on the contrary. Check out the samples below to see what I mean.
(to be continued)