Nokia Oro Hardware review - NokNok.tv

The Nokia Oro may be initially based on the Nokia C7 but it has a look and feel all its own. It also comes pre-loaded with Symbian Anna and a host of new features. What does it have to offer, find out with our Nokia Oro review?

The Nokia Oro takes the basics of the Nokia C7 but the addition of 18-carat gold plating, a leather coating on the backplate and the addition of sapphires means it’s slightly thicker and a tad heavier than the original. Weighing in at 132g, it’s still a highly slim and light smartphone for a 3.5-inch device.

Check out our Nokia Oro Unboxing review

Now, we’re not saying the look of the Nokia Oro is to every bodies taste, it’s very much a love-or-loath approach but there is no denying the quality on show here.

Don’t let that gold and leather finish fool you into thinking this is a delicate device, either, as the Nokia Oro feels reassuring firm in the hand. The gold trim around the edge of the device is mirrored by the function buttons on the right-hand side, as well as the housing for the camera on the back.

The capacitive touchscreen of the Nokia Oro is responsive and a pleasure to use. Nokia as added a specific Homescreen theme to this device, which is in keeping with the gold trim. Sadly, when you install new apps they have the standard coloured icons, which can look a little jarring. This is a minor niggle as we’ve found the Symbian Anna update keeps things moving fast and fluid.

There is a single Menu button, which is a good size, sitting in the middle of the device below the screen. This is flanked on either side by Call function buttons. You can press the Menu button and tap the Unlock icon on the screen to gain access to your apps, or you can use the Screenlock button on the side to do the same thing.

The 3.5-inch touchscreen uses using AMOLED technology and colours look vibrant and bright. As with the Nokia C7 you’ll find a 360 x 640-pixel resolution screen that comes with multi-touch allowing you to pinch to zoom when browsing the web or viewing your photographs, for example.

The Nokia Oro comes with the new Web browser and we’ve found it to be quick and a great improvement over the older version. Symbian Anna adds a great deal of flexibility to the Nokia Oro

If you thought the Nokia Oro was all about looks then you're in for a surprise. With NFC (Near Field Communication) built-in you'll find a level of future-proofing other manufacturers haven't even cottoned on to yet. Then there is 3G and Wi-Fi for staying in touch, as well as Bluetooth – the free handsfree Bluetooth headset that also comes as part of the package is another nice touch.

The 8-Megapixel camera packs in dual-LED Flash and while the camera is the same as on the Nokia C7, the Symbian Anna update means you'll find video recording at 720p is now at a 30fps rate, so images look even smoother.

The Nokia Oro may well split opinions on looks but there is no denying this is a nice smartphone to use. The screen is big and bright, the feature-set is great and the addition of Symbian Anna proves there is plenty of life to be had from Symbian devices yet.

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