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Review of Nokia 1280 GSM Phone
Content:
Positioning
Design, dimensions and controls
Keyboard
Screen
Battery
Menu
Impression
In the box:
Nokia 1280
Charger AC-3
Li-Ion 800 mAh (BL-5C)
User's manual
Positioning
Nokia 1280 is the cheapest Nokia solution, following in the footsteps of Nokia 1200/1202. The positioning of cheap models is pretty straightforward and you can describe your target audience in several ways. This is a phone for calls if you don't need anything else from the model. It can also be interesting for people who want to spend as little as possible on handsets. Nokia 1280 is the most affordable model in line.
General characteristics:
EGSM 900/1800 MHz
Series 30 interface
Black and white display
Li-Ion battery (BP-5CV)
Weight 81.92 g.
Dimensions 107.2 x 45.1 x 15.3 mm
Talk time - up to 8.5 hours
Standby time - up to 22 days
Vibrating alert
Polyphonic ringtones
Speakerphone
T9
SMS
FM radio
3.5mm audio jack
Calendar with reminders
Flashlight
Sevis Nokia Life Tools
Design, dimensions and controls
The 1000 line has always been very laconic in terms of the colors offered. The selection was often limited to black, and sometimes silver elements were added to the body. The 1280 originally sports four colors - black, blue, gray and red. All colors look interesting.
The phone is compact - 107.2 x 45.1 x 15.3 mm (4.22 ″ x1.77 ″ x0.60 ″) and weighs 82 g (2.89 oz). The model fits any hand well and does not cause discomfort. The body is made of average quality plastics, don't expect miracles from one of the most affordable models on the market. The build quality is satisfactory as all the components fit tightly without any weakness or squeak. The back cover and sides are smooth and can be easily scratched. But the scratches are still not very noticeable.
The left side is free, while the right side houses the charger socket (2mm). Upstairs is a flashlight and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The base has a hole for the strap.
Keyboard
Large rubber buttons are a real pleasure to work with. Each press is well felt and effective. The keyboards on the 1000-row models have always been of the highest quality and this model is no exception. The navigation joystick does not support pressing - only four directions. After a very comfortable keyboard, it is disappointing. To move to the manu, for example, to the right, you have to press with your fingernail and on the very edge of the joystick. The backlight is white and not particularly bright. But the subdued soft color and correct positioning of the bulbs make it visible in a variety of conditions. Developers must receive a separate premium for the keyboard. We can safely say that this is the best keyboard among budget models over the past few years. Considering the positioning of the model, this is a significant advantage.
Screen
Traditionally, the model uses a small 1.3 inch (29x23 mm) black and white display with a resolution of 96x68. All information about this looks clear and can always be read even in the sun. The backlight is gray and blue.
The screen supports up to 3 lines of text and 2 service lines.
Battery
The phone uses a 800 mAh Li-Ion battery (BL-5C). Nokia claims up to 8.5 hours of talk time and 528 hours of standby time. In fact, the phone lasted approximately 7 hours and 15 minutes of talk time. A full charge takes approximately 2 hours. The transaction time is excellent and even active users can use the model for about 4 days.
Menu
The menu is represented by a horizontal row of symbols. You can see one character on the screen at a time. Unlike other S30 models, the symbols have been slightly redesigned here.
The end call button is also responsible for turning the phone on and off, along with access to the standard Nokia menu, which allows you to select profiles and disconnect the handset.
There is no quick navigation with number combinations, but you still get a quick access menu in the right function key. You can add the required items as you like. The navigation joystick is responsible for the following actions in standby mode: call list, new message, demo mode.
The phone offers quick access to a currency converter. Enter numbers, for example 1234, and then press the left soft key and select the translate menu item from the list. The phone immediately enters the currency converter and converts the number you entered.
You can also use the demo method without a SIM card inside. In standby mode, the screen shows a large clock, which is visible even without the backlight.
Phone book. The phone memory is enough to store up to 500 contacts. Each can be assigned a name (up to 14 characters) and 3 phone numbers, where you can choose the type of number. In addition, a contact can be assigned one of the preset icons (31 in total). The assigned icon will be shown during incoming and outgoing calls and in the contact list as well.
You can search the phone book using the first characters of the name. Speed dialing up to 8 digits is also supported. In addition, you make the blacklist filter unwanted calls and messages. It's convenient - just enter the number and you're done.
The phone book also shows the so-called multi-book. Namely - five independent phone books and one general book. The user can enter contacts in the general book, which will be shown always or in one of the numbered books. In this case, you will see contacts from the general book and one book in which you are. This choice is useful when the phone is used by several family members (leisure phone). After the switch between users, the next one only has to select his / her phone book and access the necessary contacts, while the contacts of other users will still be available from the phone. It is difficult to imagine a situation where a feature is required, but some may find it useful. By the way, there is also a standard operating mode for the phone book monitor. Also, this function is highly demanded by corporate clients.
Surprisingly, the phone cannot compare numbers starting with 8 and +7 properly, and they are considered to be different, which is not very convenient. The model does not support USSD requests, so you cannot check what is happening with your balance.
Messages. The phone memory is good enough - for 250 messages (the Nokia 1200 had only 60). When creating a message, you can choose the font size (large or normal), and the screen will fit one or two lines, respectively. Mass posting is also supported, but you must create custom lists beforehand. Emoticons (up to 8) and text templates (8 again) can be added to the body of the message. There is a conversation mode when all messages from a contact are shown on one screen.
The model supports Nokia Smart Messaging and can send picture messages, you have to go to the corresponding section, which contains about 30 pictures.
Call list. Here you have 30 received, missed and dialed numbers. You can also use call duration counters and SMS from here.
Settings. All settings related to ringtone are in this location: You can choose ringtone for incoming calls, messages and multiple activities. In addition, there are 6 profiles that are fully customizable.
Separately worth mentioning is the Mobile Phone feature that allows you to set the duration for each incoming call. This feature is quite useful when roaming.Other phone and network related settings can also be accessed here.
Clock. There is only one alarm to be set both for single or repeated use on selected days. You can use the "talk clock" function when the phone tells you the time.
Alarm clock. The phone offers a simple alarm clock: enter text (up to 35 characters), add sound, time and date. You can view the monthly calendar from there as well.
Games. The 1280 has three pre-installed games: Beach Rally, Bounce, and Snake Xenzia (also known as the time-honored Trusted Snake).
Extra. In this section you will find a simple calculator, measurement converter, countdown timer and stopwatch. Calendar viewing is also available here.
A demo method describing the functions of the phone is also located here.
The radio works with earbuds or headset with bundled earbuds or earbuds (not in the box). The radio is implemented well, but you have to save each radio station by hand. There is no automated search and save selection. Each station can be assigned a name. From the radio menu you can set an alarm and the selected radio station will be used as a signal. The memory can store up to 10 stations.
Impression
The speech communication quality is above criticism, and the model is quite typical in this request. The mobile phone ringtone is loud enough. The phone does not have any support for mp3 melodies. The developers forgot to add a ringtone editor (version 4.20 of the phone was launched with it, as no other version was available at the time of writing). Accordingly, there is room for new ringtones, but they cannot be created by users. Hopefully, this sheer negligence will be eliminated in the next programmable releases, but those who have already bought this model will not be able to benefit from it. On the other hand, a ringtone editor is hardly a vital need for a phone.
The model has no major flaws because the S30 platform has been tried on numerous models before, and you can't find anything new here other than the price. That is why I was surprised, checking the handsfree operation during a call - that my caller and I could barely hear each other. Words disappeared, and speech became unrecognizable. I checked a dozen Nokia 1280s and the problem persisted everywhere. This could be a design defect or a software bug. Either way, if you need this feature, look elsewhere.
The model is a classic cheap and fun handset. Its cost at the time of publication of the review was $ 32 (256 UAH). Everything seems to be good, but there are competitors. And their proposals for the price / package ratio seem to leave Nokia 1280 far behind. Let's consider the main ones:
Samsung E1080 ($ 30 or 240 UAH) - 40-voice polyphony, color STN screen (over 65 thousand colors), 1.43-inch diagonal, 128x128 pixels resolution
Samsung E1081T ($ 31 or 248 UAH) - color STN screen with a diagonal of 1.4 inches, a resolution of 128x128 pixels
Alcatel OneTouch OT-106 ($ 31 or 248 UAH) - 1.3-inch STN display, b / w with color background (!!!), 96x64 pixels resolution, 64-voice polyphony
LG KP105 ($ 33 or 264 UAH) - color STN display, more than 65 thousand colors, resolution 128x128 pixels, 900 mAh battery, radio
Alcatel OneTouch OT-203 ($ 33 or 264 UAH) - 64-voice polyphony, color STN screen, more than 65 thousand colors, FM
Alcatel OneTouch OT-222 ($ 36 or 288 UAH) - clamshell form factor, 64-voice polyphony, color TFT screen, more than 65 thousand colors, 1.45-inch diagonal and 128x128 pixels resolution, FM radio receiver.
The last option is really very interesting. Others offer a color display for the same price, but lack some options like a radio or a powerful battery. Often, when characterizing Nokia 1280, they say that competitors offer more for the same money, but upon closer examination, this turns out to be untrue.Of course, not all buyers consider the specs in detail and react primarily to the color display as a sign of a higher level model. Nonetheless, the Nokia 1280 is a strong offering, fair and 100 percent cost-effective. Result - recommended for purchase.
