Nokia outs new phones with QWERTY pads and short names: the C6, C3 and E5

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Mobile Phones - Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Nokia has just announced three new phones that (apparently) fall under their new simplified model line. The C6, C3 and E5 each come with a different feature set, but all share one common factor: a QWERTY keypad for quick messaging.

The C6 is a smartphone based on Sybian S60 5th edition (or Symbian^1), with a full feature set that’s expected from a modern smartie: 3G, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, and GPS connectivity, a 5MP camera, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard behind a 3.2-inch touchscreen. The screen is pretty sharp too, with a wide, HD-ready 360 x 640 resolution for mobile multimedia playback.

The C6’s best feature could be its price: according to Nokia’s release, the unlocked C6 is set to sell for 220 Euros (around $299), and that’s before carrier-based subsidies. It’s due out sometime before the first half of 2010 is over.

The C3 looks like a more basic, teen-ified version of the E71/E72/E63, with the same mono body that features a 2.4-inch landscape orientation screen over a full QWERTY keyboard. Running on an S40 platform, the C3 is not really a smartphone, and the features point to an affordable entry-level messenger without 3G. It does have a Wi-fi connection though, which is rare for an S40 device.

The C3 is set to sell for cheap, listed to ship around Q2 of this year for 90 euros (around $120)— a good deal for a QWERTY messenger with Wi-fi.

The E5 falls under Nokia’s business-themed Eseries, sharing the E72’s QWERTY-packing form factor, but with a UI that shows a lighter, not-so-business-y side with an interface that leans towards social networking. The spec isn’t as “light” though, since it can still do the job: the E5 packs tri-band 3G/HSDPA support, Wi-fi, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity, a 5MP fixed focus cam with LED flash, and runs on a non-touch version of the Symbian 3rd edition operating system.