And with a host of capabilities provided by modern operating systems, there is a category of devices that continue to enjoy success even with their keyboard design. One of these is the Nokia 515 phone, the body of which is made of a special aluminum alloy. Due to this, the device does not seem old-fashioned at all; on the contrary, it can become an excellent attribute of a business person’s style.
We will tell you more about the capabilities and characteristics of this model in today’s article.
General concept
The Nokia 515 phone, about which we collected reviews for writing this article, is not. Rather, it can be classified as middle class, taking into account the build quality, functionality and, of course, the cost of the model.
The device has a small 2.4-inch display, which is covered with a special protective glass Guerilla Glass, used on touch phones. Thanks to its compact size, it fits comfortably in your pocket and does not cause inconvenience during operation. At the same time, the model supports two SIM cards, due to which it will be easy to stay connected in different networks with the Nokia 515, the technical characteristics of which we will give a little further in the text. Again, this will allow you to more profitably use the advantages of different mobile operators.
Frame
When characterizing the Nokia Dual 515 phone, special mention should be made of the build quality and materials used on this model. The aluminum is processed in such a way that its matte surface lies very nicely in the hand and does not slip at all, as is the case with compact monoblock models. In addition, the phone screen has an anti-glare effect, thanks to which the image is clearly visible on the display even in direct sunlight. As the technical specifications and customer reviews show about the Nokia 515, the phone is assembled quite tightly, due to which it is resistant to shocks and falls even from great heights. Therefore, you should not worry about its integrity, as is the case with some new iPhone.
Technical equipment
And the “filling” of the device is such that any touchscreen smartphone will definitely envy. Given the level of RAM consumption that the model has, 64 megabytes is an excellent parameter. As user reviews about the Nokia 515 phone testify, there are simply no delays or “glitches” with this model. The device menu, as well as pre-installed applications, work like clockwork here. What else does a business person need?
Another interesting point is the configuration of the Nokia 515. Instructions, a cord for connecting to a PC and a charger - the buyer will find all this in his box.
Camera
In addition to the simplest functions of making calls, sending and receiving messages, as well as running some office applications, the device also supports camera operation. It has a resolution of 5 megapixels, which allows you to take quite decent pictures. For example, taking a photo of text that in the future will need to be downloaded to a computer and read is very simple with this device.
If you look at the technical specifications in the accompanying manual for the Nokia 515 phone (reviews are also suitable), you can also find information about the LED flash. It will allow you not only to use the device as a flashlight at the right time, but will also provide the opportunity to improve lighting when shooting at night, which will significantly improve the quality of pictures in the future.
Additional features
Don't think that this phone can only take pictures and make calls. The platform on which the device operates is also equipped with a powerful standard media player. Together with the ability to connect microSD memory cards up to 32 GB, this can make your phone an excellent audio and video player, which is facilitated by the inherent technical characteristics of the Nokia 515.
A simple push-button non-touch phone without complex modern smartphone capabilities will always be in demand among a certain circle of users. At the end of summer 2013, Nokia offered similar apparatus, which can be called a worthy representative of high-quality devices from the Finnish manufacturer, although it has certain drawbacks. The model definitely stands out among a number of almost identical Lumiyas and inexpensive Ashes released by the company in last years. A simple candy bar with a push-button keyboard in an aluminum case with a protected screen and the ability to work with two SIM cards will undoubtedly appeal to many users. The only thing that is somewhat surprising about the new phone from Nokia is its price. On Russian market The Nokia 515 phone costs between 6500-7000 rubles, which is at least surprising. Let's try to understand why such a simple phone is rated so highly by the manufacturer.
Contents of delivery
The usual blue color of the box is also present in the packaging of the Nokia 515 model. The package includes:
- Nokia 515 phone
- Li-ion battery BL-4U with a capacity of 1200 mAh
- charger AC-20E with microUSB connector
- stereo headset WH-102 for 3.5 mm jack
- metal key to open the rear panel
- instructions
The phone body is made from a single piece of anodized aluminum. Only the bottom end, where the antenna is located, is plastic. The phone is very miniature: dimensions are 114x48x11 mm, weight - 102.7 grams. The back cover is light, matte, pleasant to the touch, its coating is created by sandblasting. It is removed using a special key, like the one. Only there the SIM card and memory card are inserted into special removable frames, but here they are located under the case cover.
Nokia 515 presented on the market in two colors: black and white. In black the phone is very similar to a simple plastic one, but the white color emphasizes metal material housings. Thanks to its slightly elongated shape, the device fits comfortably in the hand, and the phone is stable on any surface and does not slip.
With all the advantages, the case also has a drawback - it is very easily soiled, at least the black version. It is also worth saying that frequent removal of the back cover can lead to very unpleasant scratches from the metal key mentioned above (not only around the hole, but also on the edge of the cover itself from attempts to grab onto it with something during removal).
The rear panel traditionally houses the camera lens, LED flash, speaker grille and NOKIA logo. The front panel is occupied by a classic 12-key keyboard with soft keys and a screen.
At the top end there are standard microUSB and 3.5 mm connectors for audio headphones. The right side received only volume buttons. The Nokia 515 does not have a dedicated camera or on/off button.
The screen in Nokia 515 has a diagonal of 2.4 inches, a resolution of 240x320 pixels and displays 262 thousand colors. The display, of course, is small, but it fits normally for a device with a similar form factor. The displayed picture is a little faded. At the same time, the display performs well in the sun thanks to the use of a polarizing filter.
The screen is protected from minor damage, be it scratches or scuffs, by durable Gorilla Glass 2.
Keyboard
Below the display is a keyboard consisting of navigation and alphanumeric blocks. The buttons are large, have a clear response, the inscriptions are not written on the surface, but are located inside the keys under a transparent layer of plastic, so they are not subject to erasing. The manufacturer notes that a new hardened polycarbonate polymer is used to create the keyboard.
The phone buttons are illuminated. Traditionally, for such keyboards, each button corresponds to several letters and numbers. When typing text, you must press the button until required letter. To type a special character or punctuation mark, press and hold the asterisk key, and then select the desired character. To switch to the number dialing mode, use the "Phone" key, and it is also used to switch between registers. Your phone has the ability to use predictive text input. To do this, select “Functions” - “Intelligent input” and enable this mode. The text input language is also selected in the Options menu.
Battery
It uses a BL-4U lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 1200 mAh. To charge the battery, the package includes a special charger with a microUSB connector. However, you can also charge your phone using a USB cable from a desktop computer or laptop. The phone can be used while charging. If the battery is completely discharged, when you connect the phone to AC power, it will not immediately become available for use. It may take some time to charge enough to get your phone up and running.
According to the manufacturer, the Nokia 515 will serve its owner for at least 10 hours in talk mode, and 912 hours in standby mode. The presence of two SIM cards does not affect the operating time of the device, since the phone has only one radio module. During testing, the device served us for about 4 days on a single charge, with frequent use of the phone for calls, messages, alarm clocks, calculator and similar purely telephone functions.
Network and hardware platform
In Nokia 515, the SIM card in slot sim1 supports GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 networks, and in slot sim2 - WCDMA/HSDPA 1900/2100. The phone runs on the Series 40 6th Edition platform and has 64 MB of RAM. Of the 256 MB of internal memory declared by the manufacturer, 190 MB is available; it can be expanded using a microSD memory card. Unfortunately, modern communications like Wi-Fi and NFC are missing in the Nokia 515. But there is Bluetooth version 3.0, with which you can not only transfer files, but also copy contacts, messages, notes and calendar entries from a compatible phone. Additionally, Nokia 515 has a special Slam feature to easily transfer files to a nearby Bluetooth device.
Working with SIM cards
Both SIM cards in the phone are mini-sim format. And, as we already wrote above, both are located under the housing cover. SIM cards are placed tightly in their slots, but not to such an extent that you can then pick them out using improvised means and break your nails. Each SIM card can be used as default for different functions. For example, one is only for calls and messages, the second is for mobile Internet. To make it easier to work with cards, you can assign names to them and quickly see which one is used for what. If the phone is used with only one SIM card, then it must be installed in the sim1 holder, otherwise the phone will only be able to make calls to emergency numbers. Both cards are available simultaneously in standby mode, but while one of the SIM cards is active (for example, during a call), the second will not be available.
User interface
The main screen (desktop) displays the operator's name and network indicator for each SIM card, battery level indicator, time and date. In the display parameters ("Menu" - "Options" - "Display" - "Home screen") you can activate the main screen mode, then applications will be displayed on the screen in blocks from top to bottom: calendar, timer, notifications, music player, radio and others, as well as a shortcut bar for quick access to various applications. There is also a short way to selecting the main screen directly from the desktop through the “Go” button (the penultimate item in the list).
Also, through “Go” we can quickly access such important items as alarm clock, modes, bluetooth, twitter, camera, music, radio and more. In normal desktop mode, pressing the down key brings up the “Phone Book”, up – the camera, left – creating a new message, right – the calendar. If we added functionality to the desktop, so to speak, by activating the main screen mode, then the purpose of the mentioned keys changes slightly. So, now by pressing up and down we switch between blocks, and the left and right buttons still bring up contacts and writing a message.
A set of pre-installed screen themes in Nokia 515 presented in only two: black and blue. Other themes can be found in the Nokia application store or on the Internet, for example, on our website in the section. In addition, you can place any photo from the gallery, background image, graphic clip or frame on the screen. The main menu can be presented in one of three display options: list, icons and captions, single icons.
To ensure that the most necessary menu items are visible, we can resort to organizing it and arranging the icons in a way that is convenient for us.
Telephone options and messages
The user's telephone directory has 1000 cells for storing contacts. Contacts can be stored both in the SIM card memory and in the phone memory. By the way, when you assign an image to a contact, the phone offers to save it only in the phone’s memory. You cannot assign a picture to a contact on a SIM card.
Options for viewing your contact list: list of names, name and number, or name and picture. For each contact, in addition to the phone number, name and image, you can specify the address, birthday, website address, place of work and position, create a note, etc. You can also assign different ring tones to your contacts. When you make a call, the screen displays the call number, contact name and image, as well as information from which SIM card the call is being made. If your phone uses two SIM cards, then before making a call, you will be prompted to select the card from which you want to make the call. During a conversation, you can use the volume buttons to decrease or increase the sound volume in the speaker, while the sound quality is excellent: you can hear your interlocutor perfectly. Here it is worth saying “thank you” to HD Voice technology, which eliminates noise during conversations.
Notable is the ability to make Internet calls, available directly in contacts.
Exchanging text and mms messages will also not cause problems for users. If the size of an object attached to a multimedia message is too large to send, Nokia 515 will automatically reduce it. A text message that is too large is split into several SMS, so the operator will charge the appropriate fee for each message. In a word, with phone calls and messages in Nokia 515 everything is simple, long known and familiar.
Camera in Nokia 515 5-megapixel without autofocus, but with LED flash. You can use several photo size options: 5 MP (1944x2592), 3 MP (1536x2048), 2 MP (1200x1600), 1.3 MP (960x1280), 0.3 MP (480x640) and 0.1 MP (240x320). There is also a mode for shooting a series of pictures: from 3 to 5, followed by selecting the best frame.
In the photo settings, you can adjust white balance, select color effects and self-timer time, set portrait and landscape shooting modes, mute the sound when shooting and when the timer is triggered, etc. The lack of a front camera is partially compensated by the phone's voice prompts when taking a self-portrait with the main camera. Nokia 515 has 4x digital zoom, it is activated by the volume buttons. You can use the Nokia 515 camera to take a photo in Panorama mode.
Video recording is carried out in .mp4 and .3gp formats, codecs - H.263 and MPEG-4, and streaming video .3gp and .rm is also supported. Videos can be shot in different resolutions: high (320x240) and low (176x144), in the parameters you can adjust white balance, set various shooting effects (sepia, grayscale, negative), as well as set the auto-timer time. You can switch between photo and video shooting modes either through the “Functions” menu or directly in the viewfinder window by moving the joystick left and right. You can also go straight to the list of created photos and videos.
In the photo gallery in Nokia 515 the created pictures can be viewed, sorted, and also exchanged on social networks, by mail, through the Slam application, etc. Right in the gallery, you can apply various effects to photos or change the photo (crop, rotate, etc.).
DAY SHOOTING 
INDOOR SHOOTING 
PANORAMA 
Internet
The Internet in Nokia 515 is mobile only; as we noted above, Wi-Fi is not supported in this model. Setting up network parameters turned out to be quite confusing. You should connect and configure a mobile access point in two places at once: in the “Settings” - “Connecting devices” - “Mobile data” and “Settings” - “Configuration” menu. So, go to the menu "Settings" - "Connecting devices" - "Mobile data" - "Access point". Here we configure the parameters of the selected access point to mobile data services. We assign any name to the selected access point, you can leave the standard one, in the parameters we write internet.mts.ru (for MTS Russia subscribers, or internet.mts.by for Belarus, etc. for other regions), internet.beeline.ru (for Beeline operator), internet.mc (for Megafon Center), internet.nw (for Megafon North-West) and so on, depending on the operator used.
The second step is to go to the menu “Settings” - “Configuration” - “Personal configurations”, then click “Functions” - “Add new” - “Internet”. Then fill in the fields: “Account name” - any, “User name” - any, “Password” - can be left blank, “Use preferred access point” - set to “Yes”. For each SIM card in your phone, you can set its own access point and simply switch between them if necessary.
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 48 mm (millimeters) 4.8 cm (centimeters) 0.16 ft (feet) 1.89 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 114 mm (millimeters) 11.4 cm (centimeters) 0.37 ft (feet) 4.49 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 11 mm (millimeters) 1.1 cm (centimeters) 0.04 ft (feet) 0.43 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 101 g (grams) 0.22 lbs 3.57 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 60.19 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 3.66 in³ (cubic inches) |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | TFT |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 2.4 in (inches) 60.96 mm (millimeters) 6.1 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 1.44 in (inches) 36.58 mm (millimeters) 3.66 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 1.92 in (inches) 48.77 mm (millimeters) 4.88 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.333:1 4:3 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 240 x 320 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on screen with clearer detail. | 167 ppi (pixels per inch) 65 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display. | 18 bit 262144 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 32.7% (percent) |
Main camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.
| Diaphragm Aperture (f-number) is the size of the aperture opening that controls the amount of light reaching the photosensor. A lower f-number means the aperture opening is larger. | f/2.4 |
| Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting. | LED |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image. | 2592 x 1944 pixels 5.04 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device. | 320 x 240 pixels 0.08 MP (megapixels) |
| Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video shooting and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p. | 30fps (frames per second) |
| Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality. | Digital zoom Panoramic photography Face recognition White Balance Adjustment Self-timer |
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
| Version There are several versions of Bluetooth, with each subsequent one improving communication speed, coverage, and making devices easier to discover and connect. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device. | 3.0 |
| Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols that provide faster data transfer, energy savings, improved device discovery, etc. Some of these profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here. | A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) GAVDP (Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profile) HFP (Hands-Free Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) OPP (Object Push Profile) PBAP/PAB (Phone Book Access Profile) SDAP (Service Discovery Application Profile) SAP/SIM/rSAP (SIM Access Profile) |
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 1200 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. Exist different types batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries most often used in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| 2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 10 hours 40 minutes 10.7 h (hours) 640.2 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 912 h (hours) 54720 min (minutes) 38 days |
| 3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 5 hours 30 minutes 5.5 h (hours) 330 min (minutes) 0.2 days |
| 3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 912 h (hours) 54720 min (minutes) 38 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Removable |
| Battery model: BL-4U |
Smartphones are in great demand these days, but no one has canceled the usual standard mobile phones. Demand for them continues to remain stable. However, there are no truly high-quality devices with an expensive appearance. Models have moved to the cheapest price segment. And so Nokia decided to shake up the old days and released a push-button model in an aluminum housing, the Nokia 515.
Despite the great popularity of smartphones, fans of push-button classics still remain. Our project is often contacted by users who ask us to recommend a reliable phone, always with buttons and a solid appearance. Moreover, they are willing to pay for it as much as an inexpensive smartphone costs.
Until recently, it was extremely difficult to help such people. We had to recommend devices that were almost two or three years old, such as , or , or touchscreen smartphones in a metal case.
And now such a solution has appeared - Nokia 515. The device is positioned as a “classic”, and its potential audience, in general, is quite understandable. First of all, these are people who, for one reason or another, do not like the touch screen or are not accustomed to it. In addition, they do not need additional features such as cloud services, online video, etc. They need a simple, but at the same time stylish and reliable device.
The first impression of Nokia 515 is an excellent mobile phone! But the price is 7,000 rubles! Let's figure out what he is.
Dimensions. Contents of delivery
id="sub0">Nokia 515 takes us back to the era of feature phones. The lack of a touch screen, compact hardware - all this makes the phone miniature compared to smartphones. As a result, the dimensions of the gadget are 114x48x11 mm, and the weight is 103 grams.
The handset fits perfectly in the hands. And thanks to the back cover, made entirely of aluminum, the user feels the solidity of the case, reliability and even shock resistance (within reason, of course).
The gadget can be worn anywhere and anytime. There are no restrictions here.
The scope of delivery includes:
- Nokia 515 phone
- Battery BL-4U
- Charger AC-20E [microUSB connector]
- Stereo headset WH-102 [3.5mm miniJack]
- Metal master key for opening the back cover
- Instructions
Appearance, controls
id="sub1">The design of Nokia 515 is typical for devices with a classic form factor. This is a parallelepiped with slightly rounded corners. The gadget boasts a solid and austere appearance - a metal unibody case, a shock-resistant display with Gorilla Glass 2 coating, as well as a consistent color palette in white or black.
The front part of the device is divided into two parts. The top one is occupied by a display that covers protective glass, and the bottom one - a navigation block and an alphanumeric keyboard. The buttons are placed close to each other and are quite large in size. The keys are made of transparent plastic polymer, the markings are printed directly underneath, eliminating the risk of abrasion. For ease of touch typing, the “5” button has bumps on both sides. The keys are backlit white, making it convenient to use the device in the dark.
The back cover is made of a single sheet of aluminum. Brushed aluminum does not attract fingerprints and is not easily scratched. Here you can see the camera lens, just above which there is a flash. At the bottom of the rear panel there is a plastic insert necessary for normal operation of the antenna. Among themselves, Nokia designers call this solution a “pocket”. The “pockets” look organic and almost invisible. Being embedded into a monolithic panel, they do not form unnecessary gaps, which looks both attractive and reliable. Above the plastic insert are the external speaker holes. The sound it produces is powerful enough and is enough not to miss an important call.
Among the controls, it is worth noting the volume control keys on the right side, connectors for connecting standard 3.5 mm headphones and a charger at the top, as well as a hole for a master key, which allows you to remove the back cover.
Under the cover there are slots for two microSIM cards and a microSD memory card. There is also a lithium-ion battery.
As for call quality, the Nokia 515 performs excellently. Communication works wherever possible. The earpiece, traditionally for Nokia, is of very high quality, loud, and the interlocutor can be heard perfectly. There is proprietary HD Voice technology to eliminate noise during conversations.
Nokia 515 is assembled at a factory in China. The assembly, I must admit, is excellent.
Screen
id="sub2">The Nokai 515 uses a regular 2.4-inch QVGA matrix. The resolution is 240x320 pixels. The pixel density is average, but the picture is quite adequate. Viewing angles are generally good and the image does not fade.
The screen is quite acceptable for its functions, plus it is protected by tempered Gorilla Glass 2, so it is not afraid of scratches.
Hardware platform, battery
id="sub3">In terms of hardware, the phone has 64 MB of RAM and 256 MB of internal memory, of which about 190 MB is available. This memory can be expanded using microSD memory cards.
Among the communication capabilities, it is worth noting Bluetooth version 3.0. Wi-Fi, NFC and other things are missing. The manufacturer considered that they were not needed in a regular phone.
As for working in mobile networks, the first SIM card works in GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, and the second in WCDMA/HSDPA 1900/2100.
The phone is powered by a 1200 mAh battery. According to the manufacturer, the device can last for 10 hours in talk mode (in 2G mode), and in standby mode - about a month (912 hours). The performance compared to smartphones is excellent, and the presence of a second SIM card does not affect the operating time, since the phone has only one radio module.
For phone calls and long calls, the Nokia 515 looks great. He allows you to talk for a long time. There is practically nothing to drain the battery power, unlike smartphones. This is a definite plus.
Under test conditions, with 3 hours of calls a day and listening to a music player, the phone worked for 3.5 days. If you use fewer calls, you can get up to 5 days of battery life. No smartphone is simply capable of this. The battery is charged from the contact network in two hours.
Photo capabilities
id="sub4">Nokia 515 has a 5-megapixel camera, but without autofocus. Nokia previously used such a module in simple devices. The advantage of such solutions is that the long-range shot is worked out better, but macro photography (closer than 50 cm) with good quality and clarity is impossible. The camera is completely identical to its predecessors from previous years, such as the Nokia C3-01. There is an LED flash for shooting in the dark.
The phone supports several shooting options: 5 megapixels, 3 megapixels, 2 megapixels, 1.3 megapixels, 0.3 megapixels, 240x320. The volume buttons are responsible for zooming in/out of the image. Pictures take up from 500 KB to 1.5 MB depending on the settings. For many phone users this will be sufficient, although in difficult conditions there will be some noise.
You can adjust white balance, color effects, a timer, continuous shooting, change the photo resolution, compression quality, and the ability to turn off the sound of actions during shooting. The latter is especially true for “spy” photography, which is so loved by bloggers all over the planet.
The device allows you to record video. Video resolution 640x480 pixels 15 frames per second or 320x240 pixels 30 frames per second. 4x digital zoom is provided. Video recording is carried out in the following formats: .mp4, .3gp; codecs: H.263, MPEG-4. Streaming video supported: .3gp, .rm.
Interface. Functionality
id="sub5">Nokia 515 runs on the S40 7th Edition platform.
In standby mode, the user sees a desktop displaying the operator's name, date, time, network and battery indicators. You can activate the Active Standby option: a vertical list displays widgets and applications, and also shows the status of the music player, radio and a list of notes for the day.
There is no multitasking in Java applications; this is the company's fundamental policy regarding simple phones, it is not yet available even in Asha touch smartphones.
When working with two SIM cards, you can select the main one, assign calls and data transfer by default, or the device will ask each time which card to make a call or send an SMS from. The capacity of the phone book has not changed compared to last year's Nokia phones and is 1000 contacts (5 phones each and a full address field). Moreover, the memory is not dynamic; if you add only one number to a name, then maximum amount There will still be 1000 contacts, which is enough for most users.
There is a music player, FM radio, and songs can be shared with each other via Bluetooth. The sound quality of the Nokia 515 is quite average. It's fine for the casual user, but don't expect much. There are no equalizers, the options are split playback and repeat.
In addition, Youtube, Twitter and Facebook clients are installed for the Nokia Series 40. You can use them on a non-touch screen, but there is no question of convenience.
The Nokia 515 uses a special browser from Nokia. In the settings you can select the font size, encoding, and image loading. Developer Special attention pays special attention to special functions, such as adjusting pages to fit the screen, saving traffic: it spends 90% less traffic, compared with third-party JAVA applications for viewing WEB pages, etc.
Results
id="sub6">Nokia 515 has proven itself to be a good phone. First of all, it is well built and looks decent. Availability regular keyboard has the right to life. This is a separate segment, where until recently there were exclusively cheap models with mediocre build quality.
Those times when reviews of top-end push-button phones could be written long and interesting have almost faded into memory. Yes, and it was said about Nokia 515 by the editors gg there was a lot: extensive news in which Technoslav Bergamot spoke about the device itself, its place on the market, and impressions “with my own eyes” from the presentation of the phone. There are literally a couple of points left behind the scenes - the camera, the practicality of the body, the packaging, and some other personal impressions of mine for starters.
Specifications
In its premium dialer, Nokia uses the old and well-known to users (including former) S40 phones of this manufacturer. Essentially, we have before us the same Nokia Asha 206 in a metal case, with an improved camera (5 MP and QVGA video recording) and a better screen. By “better” I mean a larger number of displayed colors and a Gorilla 2 protective coating. Among the less obvious improvements for the user, it is worth noting Bluetooth 3.0 (in the Asha 206 the blue tooth version is 2.1) and plus 100 mAh to the battery capacity (total 1200 mAh). As a result, all this gives an increase in price by two and a half times, but exactly to the level that may seem decent to a solvent audience that does not want to join the world of smartphones. Moreover, it is the immodest price that largely determines the prestige of the model. Well, it’s not right for a person in a decent suit, with a good car and excellent manners to walk around with a 500-hryvnia “dialer” to meetings. What about the status? Therefore, wisely seasoned with a balanced price, good materials and by force of habit (whatever you say, it is the Nokia brand that is associated with a good push-button telephone) Nokia 515 turns from an ordinary, daringly expensive “dialer” into a model that is well sold and appreciated by its target audience.
In progress
I won’t dwell on the features of the case; Masha Chip already did that well at the presentation. Who missed it - read. Or see the photos below.
The phone is comfortable, with the right weight. The ergonomics of the case did not disappoint. Fingers remember navigation on a Nokia phone and move intuitively through the menu. During the week of carrying it in the bag, the screen was not scratched, the case or buttons were not damaged. Backside also scratch resistant.
At first, I frankly didn’t like the fact that the buttons were covered with glass (purely visually, I wanted metal). But they are more pleasant to touch than metal, so I simply stopped paying attention to the external component literally during the first minutes of work. The movement of the buttons is a little tight, but you can feel the breed in this. The number pad is convenient to use. Another thing is the navigation block. Its edges are a little sharper than we would like. Therefore, when actively using this block, the pad of the thumb begins to experience discomfort. But something tells me that the potential audience for the most part will not abuse it.
Only the Nokia 515 version with support for two SIM cards will be supplied to Ukraine. To switch the priority, a specially trained button is provided - long press on “*”. Switching SIM card priority using a button is good, I love it.
The main drawback of the keyboard in terms of aesthetics is its passion for collecting fingerprints. It’s easier with a screen - it’s not touch-sensitive, no one will poke at it again.
Nokia does not announce the display technology, but to the eye it is a regular TN matrix. Viewing angles are small vertically and horizontally, colors do not differ in depth. Although the contrast is not bad for an inexpensive screen. I believe that it is at the level of the “hospital average” in the segment of inexpensive Android smartphones, that is, not much more than 500:1. The appearance of the menu, as well as the fact that you hardly want to use the phone to view photos and videos (the screen sizes are not the same, and the files will have to be transferred via cable or downloaded via the mobile Internet), do not indicate that the color gamut here is less than for an ordinary smartphone (256 thousand colors). However, everything here is still quite decent. The screens of the budget brothers Nokia 515 look more miserable.
The manufacturer promises about a month of battery life in standby mode and 10 hours of talk time. My phone lay in a box, waiting for its turn to be reviewed, for about a week, turned on, but without a SIM card. Then I installed the card, there were two bars left on the charge indicator. Within a few hours, only one remained. And the phone lasted for about 12 more hours. During this time, I spoke for a total of about half an hour, sent about a dozen messages, but did not take pictures, did not listen to music and did not go on the Internet. After an incomplete charge (to half the battery capacity, judging by the indicator) and with one SIM card, it lasted a couple more days. During this time, I made calls in my usual way (that is, several short conversations a day), sent several messages, listened to music for a couple of hours and took about three dozen pictures with my camera. In total, the user can count on 3-4 days of battery life, as is usually the case with Nokia phones. At large quantities Calls, listening to music and using the camera, battery life can be reduced to a day and a half.
Those who are not familiar with the interface of phones based on the S40 platform can look at the pictures below. He is friendly, likeable and comfortable for the most part, although there are some nuances. In appearance, the S40 has a lot in common with Nokia S60 smartphones. The phone even has its own application store and a number of pre-installed social services: Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and mail. In the absence of Wi-Fi and a large, convenient screen, they are unlikely to be actively used by the phone owner. But even in this form their presence is much better than nothing or the need to go to the store and load something else.
One of the nice features of the interface is the ability to change the font sizes for the main menu, contacts and messages. The largest of them is far from “granny phones”, but it is larger than the telephone standard. Considering the target audience of the model, which should consist of wealthy adults, this is a reasonable and necessary option.
The standby settings still offer a variety of options by phone standards. All frequently used applications can be placed here, you just have to move between them using the navigation block. The keys below the screen are also customizable. It is worth adding to this that the three lower keys, when pressed for a long time, also perform their functions (calling up the browser, changing the priority of the SIM card and switching to silent mode), and quick access to contacts can traditionally be assigned to the number buttons. And you will get a dialer that can be personalized no worse than a smartphone.
The phone has a radio and music player. The sound in the player is loud and more decent than in budget Android smartphones. Compared to the same happy owners of Mediatek “hearts”, it is clear and even with a hint of surround sound. In my opinion, a person who does not buy a high-quality player separately to listen to music will be completely satisfied with the sound quality in the Nokia 515. But the included headset let us down - it didn’t even fit in my ears. An expensive phone could have had better plugs. The old familiar problem still remains in the phone - when you remove the headphones, the music continues to play and is not paused. I haven't found a setting that could fix the situation.
I haven’t used regular dialers for a long time. And I was puzzled by the fact that in the Nokia 515 contacts menu it is not so easy to find how to edit them. This option is not available in the contact list functions, and it appears only when you go into the contact itself, and even then, to add new information you need to go through two more circles of hell. Mobile operating systems (in particular, Android and iOS) have completely revolutionized the idea of how convenient an interface can be mobile device that it becomes difficult to understand the old platform right away (or remember how it was done before). Or, for example, I was perplexed by the fact that when typing a message there is no quick access to switching to entering only numbers. How quickly you get used to beauty!
Camera
The phone is equipped with a five-megapixel camera with flash. Capable of taking panoramas and self-portraits, as well as serial shots (from three to five pieces). Panoramas consist of four photographs, but they are sensibly stitched together. Always get it right the first time. Self-portraits are taken with the main camera (there is simply no front camera), and the phone itself tells you how to turn to get into the frame. He speaks Russian and without an accent. But Ukrainian-speaking users will have to listen to instructions in English in a slightly hysterical tone. Continuous shooting here is purely nominal, because the speed at which photographs are taken does not stand up to criticism and competition with any “smart” devices. Still, the phone's resources are not designed for this. Examples of photographs can be seen below or in a separate gallery on Torba. Surprisingly, the photographs of the city at night turned out even better than indoors in artificial light or in daylight.
Competitors and line neighbors
If everything is clear with the neighbors in the Nokia 515 line, these are budget models in colored cases, designed for a youth audience (Asha 206 for the budget-conscious, Asha 205 for those who need a QWERTY keyboard and Asha 210 - if they also need Wi-Fi), I had no idea about the existence of competitors until I started writing this section. But this year the editors gg visited several Philips phones. The Philips Xenium X623 model (and here is its review) has a metal body, twice the battery capacity and the same characteristics (the platform, of course, has its own). Clients for social networks it also comes pre-installed, so the phone user will not feel lonely. If autonomy is critical, I recommend looking towards Philips. If sentimental attachment to the brand and habits overpowers, then you can safely choose Nokia. Because for some reason, the 515 has more premium by as much as 500 UAH. Kidding. The appearance and brand strength of the Nokia phone is also cooler. You can also still find the old Nokia 6700 Classic in the bins of domestic stores. Of course, “classics”, and the “gray” one will cost more. And it does not support two SIM cards. But this is a classic, with GPS, Nokia Maps and all that metal stuff. In general, it's a matter of taste.
Bottom line
If among the readers of this review there are those who can’t wait to throw a stone at Nokia for releasing a “premium” phone with an indecent price and modest characteristics, then really, don’t, cool down. The company knows a lot about dialers. And also what they should be able to do and how much it should cost. The capabilities of the device and its price fully correspond to the needs of the target audience (except that the presence of Wi-Fi could make it even more interesting), which Nokia captured very well. I doubt that among our readers there will be many potential buyers of the model. But if you have older relatives who desperately need a status dialer, don't pass them by. This is a great chance to replace the “classics” (Nokia 6700 Classic) with something fresh and relevant this season.
4 reasons to buy Nokia 515 Dual Sim:
3 reasons not to buy Nokia 515 Dual Sim:
- Are you still ready to master a smartphone;
- you expect to use the Internet on your phone and need a Wi-Fi module;
- The price factor is more important to you than premium.