Nokia 3200 or Sony Ericsson T630?

honru · 24-04-2005 11:29PM #1

Let me just start by saying I just want a phone for what it does, ring ring, texting and a bit of Snake etc. here and there. And an alarm. Basic stuff.

So here are the two budget phones I've narrowed it down to, the Nokia 3200 (€70) and the Sony Ericsson T630 (€90).

I am well used to Nokia phones and like their interface, and the customizable cover thing is pretty cool. I'm not lovin' the button layout on this one, but it seems to get the job done grand.

However, should I really consider the T360? It has more/advanced features and the button layout is much nicer, but I've heard it's a little slow. Plus, I'd imagine I'd much prefer to stick to the Nokia interface of things.

Also, which camera is better? I'd imagine the T360's camera is so, more importantly, is there a big difference in quality between the two phones?

And finally, what exactly is Bluetooth? Does that matter?

RobertFoster · 24-04-2005 11:44PM

I agree with you about the buttons on the 3200. My friend has a T630 and he likes it, though he's looking to get a high end Nokia now.

Google a few reviews and see if there are any recurring issues.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology used to connect your phone (or any other bluetooth enabled device) to your computer. It allows you to transfer files (pictures, texts, contacts etc). You'd need a bluetooth dongle for your computer.

wolfman · 24-04-2005 11:56PM

T630,
3200 is the crappest phone Nokia have ever made

eclectichoney · 25-04-2005 08:56AM

i have to say i currently have the 3200 never that impressed with it tbh and have now order a t630 to replace it!!. the slowness thing i have heard worries me too, but sure the phone is only 90 quid and i get all that back with free credit so its worth taking a chance on - for free!

by the way - the cutomizable cover thing is pretty crap.

lomb · 25-04-2005 09:03AM

wolfman wrote:

3200 is the crappest phone Nokia have ever made

why? i have one and think its great-as a phone, torch, and radio.
what more does anyone want? sure txting is a pain at first but u get used to it.
its cheap, small, and as above has a torch and radio built in. it also has a handsfree built in so u can drive and talk even at a distance. it can record phone conversations also. a very underrated phone and by no means a 'budget phone' even if they are 'free'

ps: i also have the t630, and it is a good phone also, the menus are more modern. not great in weak signal areas so if u are using it in the bog forget it. a great gadget phone as there is good aftermarket software and can interface via pc with bluetooth but 99% of people out there dont need bluetooth. battery not great, very light though. dont keep it in ur pocket with keys as the lcd cover scratches very easily. but this applies to the 3200 also except the t630s cover is difficult to change and will invalidate the warranty.

eclectichoney · 25-04-2005 09:48AM

i found having the clear plastic cover on the 3200 it got scratched to hell, unlike say the normal solid colour plastic/metallic nokia covers.

wolfman · 25-04-2005 10:05AM

lomb wrote:

why? i have one and think its great-as a phone, torch, and radio.

Basically, the simple answer is , tehy give lots and lots of trouble. Ask any Nokia repair centre. They are probably the most troublesome phone that they have had. Also, the camera quality on it is just laughable when you see the quality of other camera phones around the same price, and as stated above, the covers scratch and look terrible after a minimum amount of use.

Pythia · 25-04-2005 11:03AM

wolfman wrote:

Basically, the simple answer is , tehy give lots and lots of trouble. Ask any Nokia repair centre. They are probably the most troublesome phone that they have had. Also, the camera quality on it is just laughable when you see the quality of other camera phones around the same price, and as stated above, the covers scratch and look terrible after a minimum amount of use.

Yep, you're definately right about that. No other phone comes back for repair as the 3200 does. Normally it's the on/off button.
Camera on it is useless, really grainy. Buttons are hard to use. Only decent thing it's got is a radio.
Definately go for the SET630. Much better phone all round.

lomb · 25-04-2005 12:49PM

well ive left the plastic manufactures cover on mine so that rules out scratching.

i have heard of the on/off problem, my solution is to not turn the phone off

nah just to go easy on it, i think they improved the design on latter models

eclectichoney · 25-04-2005 12:57PM

i meant the cover gets scratched not just the screen, and beacuse the whole cover is see-through its very noticeable and looks scuzzy.

kasintahan · 25-04-2005 12:58PM

The T630 is a little slow (minor).

BUT - it is one of the BEST phones on the market BARR NONE.

- It has bluetooth (send pix/messages/ringtones to PC/other phones for free - if they are with 100m or so).
- It has a FANTASTIC screen.
- You can download (via pc) MIDI files for ringtones (or record/compose your own) and games.
- Voice recorder / alarm / calendar etc
- Really well built.

PS get a bluetooth adaptor for your PC and a free application called FLOAT off the net (you can also get a free MP3 -> .amr converter).

lomb · 25-04-2005 01:01PM

eclectichoney wrote:

i meant the cover gets scratched not just the screen, and beacuse the whole cover is see-through its very noticeable and looks scuzzy.

yep the manufacturers plastic cover(thin see thru plastic like .01 mm thick that peels off like a screen protector) covers both sides of the phone, and is unnoticeable, i have left both on.

Chalk · 25-04-2005 01:06PM

3200 buttons drive me insane,
i think my fingers are too big or something.

i have to press them in with my thumbnail.
other than that its decent,

pics look ok on a computer screen but crappy on the phone as the screen res is very low.
that doesnt bother me.

slowness on phones does,
had a sagem and that took so long to open anyhting it drove me mad.

jor el · 26-04-2005 12:12PM

I have a 3200, it's alright I guess but there is one major problem I find with it, I keep missing calls because it sends the caller directly to voice mail. Now this happens quite regularly, and when the phone is on and has good reception. Apparently, I'm not the only one to suffer this problem either, I've heard of many others missing calls in a similar way.

I've had it almost a year now and it's generally in my pocket and I haven't noticed any scratching or scuff marks on it. No more than any other year old phone I've had anyway. The buttons are a bit weird at first but it's easy when you get used to it, and I'm not a mad txtr either, maybe 1 a month.

I don't know about the power button problem either as I've never used it (OK, I did switch it off on the plane a few times, but not much).

flodis79 · 26-04-2005 02:58PM

Are you guys talking about Nokia 3200 or Nokia 3220?? The 3200 is around 5 yrs old has b/w display and costs like €20 if you search.. 3220 is the recent one, with flashing light, colour display and funky ringtones!

Chalk · 26-04-2005 03:06PM

flodis79 wrote:

Are you guys talking about Nokia 3200 or Nokia 3220?? The 3200 is around 5 yrs old has b/w display and costs like €20 if you search.. 3220 is the recent one, with flashing light, colour display and funky ringtones!

yeh wha?

http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,42298,00.html

eclectichoney · 26-04-2005 03:34PM

just got my t630 delivered today and loving it, the screen is so much better there is no comparison and it looks better than my 3200.

Guy:Incognito · 26-04-2005 03:56PM

flodis79 wrote:

Are you guys talking about Nokia 3200 or Nokia 3220?? The 3200 is around 5 yrs old has b/w display and costs like €20 if you search.. 3220 is the recent one, with flashing light, colour display and funky ringtones!

Your thinking of the 3210, I got one of those as a bill phone in 99 i think so its around 7 or 8 years old at this stage, this is it http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,118,00.html

The 3200 is a camera phone brought out about a year and a half ago, maybe a bit longer, this is it. http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,42298,00.html

I had a 3200 about a year ago, changed to a T630 about 3 months later and have been using SE phones since, I've gone T630 ---> K700i

> V800. I'm not going to switch back anytime soon, gonna get myself an S700 on RTG soon aswell. Viva La SE.

D_Money5042000 · 29-04-2005 12:18AM

Forget both phones and get the nokia 6230. that's what i did. It's like the greatest phone ever. i had the nokia 3200 and i never sent it in for repair. it was durable. I dropped it many times and the faceplate and battery came out, i put it back together and still worked fine. the pictures are decent. The radio is great. The flashlight thing is cool and was very useful at times. I have no idea what the other phone does but since you're used to nokia stick with nokia

flodis79 · 29-04-2005 01:48PM

Stekelly wrote:

Your thinking of the 3210, I got one of those as a bill phone in 99 i think so its around 7 or 8 years old at this stage, this is it http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,118,00.html

Sorry, my fault. Yes indeed, I was thinking of that phone.

kasintahan · 29-04-2005 10:23PM

eclectichoney wrote:

just got my t630 delivered today and loving it, the screen is so much better there is no comparison and it looks better than my 3200.

Really great phone. Tough too, I managed to get wasted and stand on mine so the screen is scratched - but I found some screen polish I bought in Manic in Wan Chai.

Nokia 3200 or Sony Ericsson T630?

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