Product Review: Nokia 6086 Cell Phone

My husband recently traded in his RAZR cell phone for a Nokia 6086. Overall, it is a better phone, just not as cool-looking. It does have a few weak points, but it is loaded with features including an mp3 player. He misses the sleekness of his old Motorola RAZR, but he is enjoying the more functional Nokia 6086. I like my Nokia 6133 better, but this is still a good phone.

Exterior Design

While my husband likes the simple metallic look of his new cell phone, I think it is one of the ugliest cell phones I have ever seen. It has a rounded look, and it is gray with silver highlights. It is very plain and boring to my eyes, but my husband thinks it looks contemporary. The front has a small blue LCD screen that displays date and time and caller. The SD card slot is in a very convenient location, on the bottom right side of the cell phone. The phone is heavier than most cell phones out there and quite "fat."

Keypad

I love the keypad of this phone. The buttons are rounded and raised, so our fingers don't slip all over them as with flat keypads. They light up a boring ivory sort of color, so they are easily seen in the dark. The "arrow area" is square, rather than round like with most phones, which I find unique.

Durability

This phone is very durable. It has been dropped, thrown, and maybe even stepped on. After many months of many falls, the LCD screen finally cracked. However, the phone is very sturdy and strong. Nokia or T-mobile would probably replace the cracked screen, but we haven't felt like sending it off to be repaired.

Screen

The screen is small compared to other models, like the Motorola RAZR and my Nokia 6133. It is bright, but blurry. Quite frankly, it hurts my eyes. This is definitely one of the downsides of the Nokia 6086. It is highly pixilated, and overall, it just doesn't do it for either of us. I would rate the screen a zero out of 5. It is that bad.

Ease of Use

Nokia is known for well-designed menus that are easy to navigate. The 6086 is no exception. It is easy to customize. Unlike other models, you are able to use whole mp3s as a ringtone, which my husband enjoys. Dialing, messaging, and surfing the net are all a piece of cake with this phone.

Reception

This phone seems to get very good reception. There has never been any static or interference during calls. It does not drop calls as often as other phones we have tried.

Features

This cell phone comes with five games, but only three programs. The world clock is nice, but not very useful. I do like the conversion program that allows you to convert temperature, currency, and measurements. There is also a budget program. Of course, calendar, alarm clock, and to-do list are givens. The radio and mp3 player function well, and sound quality is good. Unfortunately, the camera picture clarity is horrible. We thought perhaps it was the fault of the horrid screen, but pictures taken by the 6086's camera look awful even on other cell phones with better screens.

The 6086 is durable, reliable, and offers many features. Depending on your tastes you may find the gray and silver design boring and ugly or stylish and contemporary. The screen and camera are adequate, but nowhere near exceptional. I would not recommend this phone to those who like taking lots of pictures, but I would recommend it for someone looking for a highly functional phone at a low price.