Cell Phone Review - the Nokia 6126

As a long-time Nokia user, I was not surprised that I loved the 6126 as much as I do. What is surprising to me is how many Motorola/Sony/LG users have commented positively on this phone.

The 6126 is a small, sleek flip phone. Nokia has only recently gotten back into the flip phone game after many years of selling lots of "candy-bar" style phones, especially cheap and easy to use entry level phones. Traditionally, it has been my experience has been that Nokia phones have unequalled reception and the 6126 bears that out. I find I have great reception virtually everywhere I go- inside or out. I was a little nervous to give up my previous Nokia, the 6170, which was a fantastic phone in terms of reception and durability, but the 6126 has not disappointed me in the least.

At first glance, the 6126 strongly resembles a Motorola in many respects, especially in the closed position. Where the difference becomes apparent is when you open it up. First of all it features a push-to-open button, which I initially thought was just a gimmick. After using this phone for a while I can't imagine not having it. It's nice to have the option of using one hand to answer by just pushing a button and having it pop open on it's own. It's functional and you can pretend it's a switchblade if you're an idiot like me who still thinks he's 12.

Another great feature for me is the huge main display. This thing is very bright and large and really has some great contrast when scrolling through numbers and especially when playing games. It also has a very nice camera, although I have been reading lots of reviews that claim that it's a weak one. Maybe my standards are too low? Anyway, I find that it takes very nice pictures for my purposes, which is all I really ask. I generally just snap pictures for fun here and there so high-resolution isn't really that critical to me.

As for operation, this is a very user-friendly phone, as is typical with Nokia. There are plenty of bells and whistels on this little fella, such as Bluetooth,camera,downloadable ringtones,a calender/planner,translator,a measurement/currency convertor, a virtual "wallet", calculator, and some cool games, but it is also very easy for anyone to pick this phone up and immediately navigate everything with ease.

As for negatives, there aren't many. The biggest complaint I have is that I sometimes feel like the volume from the earpiece isn't as loud as it should be. Also, when the hinge seems to allow the phone to shift back and forth more than it ought to, but I never get the feeling it is going to break, and maybe the movement is intentional- sort of for shock absorbtion. Either way, those are fairly minor concerns when weighed against the positives this phone has. Hopefully at some point, there will be more games available for download as well. The ones available are impressive, but there just aren't many, at least through my carrier, which is a small regional one.

If you are in the market for a mid-price flip phone with Bluetooth, a camera and great reception, I would strongly recommend giving the Nokia 6126 a shot, especially if you haven't tried Nokia's phones in the past. This one is much more streamlined and feature-laden than past Nokias, while retaining the ease of use and quality of reception Nokia is known for.