Nokia 6500 Classic Review
In a nutshell: The 6500 Classic is Nokia's thinnest phone so
far, and is a stunningly beautiful phone too, with its polished metal
casing. It's an easy to use phone that does just what most people want
from a phone - make calls, take pictures and play music. Supplied with
1 Gbyte of memory and a stereo headset, it's already equipped to go.
The one thing missing from this 3G phone is video calling. We have deducted
marks because of poor battery life, reliability problems and the small
keypad. Available in Black, Bronze, Pink or Silver.
Review: October 2007. Updated September 2008.
Now here's a tasty-looking phone. Nokia have finally joined the ultra-thin
revolution with the 6500 Classic phone. This is the slimmest Nokia phone
released in the UK and, incredibly it's a 3G phone too! And doesn't
it look nice, with its sleek aluminium casing ("individually polished",
according to the Nokia blurb) and available in Black and Bronze. Let's
pause a moment to enjoy the looks.
OK, having drooled enough, let's look at the exterior of the phone
in more detail. There's absolutely nothing to complain about here. Whereas
Sony Ericsson seem intent on destroying nice phones with unergonomic
keypads, Nokia have learned their lesson from making "cool"
keypads and have provided the 6500 Classic with a small but functional
keypad and navigation key. The combination of an ergonomic design, a
plain Series 40 interface (no Smartphone junk here!) make this an easy
phone to use. Power it up, and the next thing to enjoy is the large
and ultra high-resolution LCD display boasting the latest 16 million
colour display technology. It's a display that you can easily customise
with a choice of themes (wallpapers, sounds, screensavers, and backgrounds).
The featurelist of the 6500 Classic matches what you'd expect from
a mid-range 3G phone in 2007: a 2 megapixel camera (no autofocus - so
don't throw away your digital camera!), a competent music player (although
support for Bluetooth stereo headsets is missing), a video camera and
good connectivity via USB and Bluetooth. There's nothing to get very
excited about here, but it ticks all the boxes that most people will
care about. One obvious thing that's missing, considering that this
is a 3G phone, is video calling. There's no front-facing camera, so
video calling is out, I'm afraid. However, the sales package does include
a Nokia Stereo Headset HS-82 and a microUSB Connectivity Cable CA-101,
so we can't fault Nokia for their generosity there.
One of the unusual features of the 6500 Classic is that it has a fixed
memory of 1 Gbyte, of which around 920 Mbytes is available to the user.
Now this has its good points and bad points. The bad point is that there's
no slot for increasing the memory beyond 1 Gbyte. But on the other hand,
920 Mbytes is enough to store 200-300 songs, which is certainly enough
for most users, and it means that the memory is all easily accessible
in one place, without any hassle of copying data from internal memory
to memory card. Given the kind of phone that the 6500 Classic is (i.e.
mid-range) we think that this is a perfectly good solution.
Other thing to point out is that battery life is poor, which isn't
surprising for an ultraslim 3G handset. It'll probably need charging
every other day.
We do like the 6500 Classic. It's a very beautiful phone and lovely
to use, apart from the small keypad. It isn't all-singing and all-dancing,
but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Nokia
6500 Slide is a slide design phone with enhanced features but is
not ultraslim. Check out the new Samsung
U800, which is very similar to the 6500 Classic, but a better phone.
Features of the Nokia 6500 Classic include:
- 2 megapixel digital camera
- Video camera (176 x 144 pixel resolution, MPEG4 format)
- Display: 16 million colours, 240 x 320 pixels (2 inches)
- Music player (AAC, eAAC+, and MP3 formats)
- Integrated handsfree speaker
- Ringtones: MP3, MP4, eAAC+, AAC, WMA & Video ringtones / 64-voice
polyphonic (MIDI) ringtones
- Voice recorder
- Voice controls
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email with attachments (POP3, IMAP4 & SMTP
- AMS (audio messaging service) for sending voice clips over-the-air
- Java games
- Themes: wallpapers, sounds, screensavers, and backgrounds
- Calendar, To-do list, Notes, Alarm clock, Stopwatch, Countdown timer,
- xHTML web browser
- Memory: 1 Gbyte (not expandable)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, micro USB 2.0
- WAP 2.0, GPRS, EPGRS,
3G (max download 128 kbits; upload 356 kbits)
- Quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) plus dual band 3G (WCDMA 850/2100)
- Size: 110 x 45 x 9.5 mm
- Weight: 94g
- Talktime: 3.5 hours
- Battery standby: 9 days
Nokia 6500 Classic User Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
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Average rating from 104 reviews:
Reviewed by Tarin from Bangladesh on 6th Aug 2012
6500 classic is very nice,sweet,slim.and it's the best for me.i use
Reviewed by Nasir from Pakistan on 27th Jun 2012
i am using this mobile since 2008 .. its very easy to use phone, stylish.
i repair it two times since 2008, never thought to replace it with any
other,, simply loves it..
Reviewed by latifah from Malaysia on 30th Apr
Nokia please sell this 6500 classic again cos nokia in my country do
not sell this model anymore. I missed my simple and sleek nokia 6500
which already damaged recently. Do not like bulky and touchscreen of
nokia new design.
Reviewed by caroline from UK on 25th Nov 2011
I have had my Nokia 6500 a couple of years now, it's brilliant but the
back is now being held on with tape and lately I have found if I make/take
a call, it beeps and cuts me off after about 5mins... so after struggling
for a few months I have upgraded to a Nokia C3-01 and almost straight
away I realised my mistake !! I just want my 6500 back only mended.
Reviewed by greg napier from uk on 29th Mar 2008
terrible phone, looks nice but has broken twice so have a new, different
one now! avoid it
Reviewed by Lauren H from England on 28th Mar
This is if a teenager like myself was to buy this phone .... It looks
amazing and its really thin unnoticable in your pocket so you can sneek
it into your pocket during school.Its Something to be proud of when
your woth your friends! It has 1GB memory so it holds lots of photo's
and music! its camera is good! i dont ring people so not sure what thats
like but there is lots you can write in a text message so thats good!
Only downside battery doesnt last that long but your boun to loose out
on something for it to be that thin .. and it isnt going to kill you
to pu it on charge at night! i reccomend this phone i love it !
Reviewed by abe from uk on 28th Mar 2008
sik phone it is the best it ha everything i would want! just too good
and it also has 1gb internel memory and hav u seen the size its almost
like an ipod! th best
Reviewed by Paul H from UK on 27th Mar 2008
This phone is a pleasure to use and the review above fits it perfectly.
The battery life is lacking, but the phone is more than happy to make
up for it. Interestingly, Nokia have fixed the text message solution
by storing them on the 1GB internal memory. My phone is months old and
I haven't had to delete a single one of my 2000 plus messages so far,
which has only eaten up ~10MB. I did (alike some others) experience
the nightmare of the phone switching itself off, though now it is a
lot more well behaved and has seemed to resolved itself. No idea what
the problem was THERE then... There is a confusing problem that I have
never seen before with a mobile, and that is regarding the contact list.
One of my contacts is called Jon, and whether I want to text him, I
would happily press send (after writing the SMS), scroll down in the
contacts and there John's number was. Only recently my 6500 has started
to hide certain contacts, bizarre as it may seem, it's only the ones
beginning Jo. No i haven't typed the name in wrong, and even if i repeatedly
press down, his name is still gone. Yet appears in my normal phone book
as if nothing was wrong. So aside this weird little hitch, which will
no doubt fix itself sooner or later, I'd recommend this phone to anyone.
Oh yeah, Nokia PC suite was as temperamental as ever, so ditch the PC
and synchronise it with iSync on a Mac.
Reviewed by mandy from uk on 26th Mar 2008
Ihave had this phone now for 2 weeks,dont know what all the fuss is
about,it is fine,no probs with it at all(orange contract)it does just
as it says, only thing is no radio on that is the only reason not 5
Reviewed by mike from uk on 25th Mar 2008
better than a n95 which i owned.balance is below the d pad i assume
to keep it in your hand secure.speaker quality good. keypad smaller
than average if you have large hands avoid.sits nicely in suit pockets
and doesn't weigh too much.as a phone to make and recieve calls top
marks for its size. batt life i,m getting 60 hours making alot of calls
so not too bad. look this is phone not the ultimate survival tool ,if
you go into situations where you are away from a wall socket for longer
than 2 days to be on the safe side buy sattelite phone
Reviewed by arnold from england on 25th Mar 2008
this phone looks good outside,had mine fo less than 28 days,had dead
pixel on the screen it spread now it looks like ive broken it,t mobile
wont exchange it,rthy ar blaming me for the fault.it was alwaz in my
pocket and a little bit of weight on its dead.what a rip off.now back
to my 6230i,but stuck with the same contract for 18 months
Reviewed by Elmer from UK on 24th Mar 2008
After using an N73 this doesn't do half the things I could do before.
But what it does, it does reliably and with a very pleasant interface
that doesn't hang and crash like some of the symbian phones. Yes the
battery life isn't great. Two days between each recharge, but once you
get in the habit of regular charging it's not a big deal. Looks SO cool!
Reviewed by Joe from UK on 24th Mar 2008
The battery life on this phone is a complete joke and texting an impossibility
for anyone with adult sized fingers. I've tried the 6500 for 3 months
and have now given up and reverted to using an old Blackberry handset.
Really not sure how this merits 4 stars (excellent)out of 5 - I've given
it 1 which, at poor, is generous.
Reviewed by Kaneez from UK on 23rd Mar 2008
very good phone, although having a little trouble with the delivery
and reciept of text messages. texts are delivered 2/3 hours later and
when recieving sms half are truncated!! Any ne else with same problem?
How can it be eradicated??
Reviewed by Sue from England on 22nd Mar 2008
I've had it for over 3 months now so I've given it a good shot but I
can't wait for my upgrade...sadly, that's another 1 year and 5 months
away! Like other reviewers have said, it looks lovely and is so light
you can easily pop into your pocket or bag. But the keypad is not user
friendly. I'm 36 so arthritis hasn't quite set in yet but when texting
I'm forever hitting 2 pads at the same time so unknowingly I'm sending
texts half way through typing, saving as draft, etc, etc. The phone
isn't 'balanced' in your (one) hand when texting and I don't know about
anyone else but I keep getting cramp. Making/receiving phone calls and
texting is what I use the phone for so I'm not suitably qualified to
comment on the gadget-side of this phone but if you use a mobile for
the same things I do and you're thinking of getting one then don't.
I upgraded to this from my beloved but ageing SE K750i but I tell you,
I'm sorely tempted to put my SIM back in that because it was perfect
for me, unlike the Nokia 6500 Classic.
Reviewed by Julia from UK on 21st Mar 2008
I got this phone yesterday, everything seemed alright. However I made
my first call and all I could hear was this high pitched noise from
the speaker! It's giving me a headache when I talk for more than 2 minutes.
I've already called for a replacement except I'm a tad worried that
this is a design flaw and not just a problem with my phone? Not only
this but the call quality is absolutely horrendous. I just don't know
what to think about this phone.
Reviewed by Steven IP from UK on 18th Mar 2008
Don't bother with this phone unless you are just into looks. looks only
last a while, most importantly is 'what's inside that matters'. This
phone is a big big let down. This was a rushed project to compete with
the Samsung thin series which are rubbish anyway, for battery life and
reception. Styling, yes it looks great, but the battery life and reception
is very poor for nokia's standard. There is no call waiting beeping
tone on my phone which is frustrating as I keep missing those important
calls. The niggly ear handsfree head set which comes as standard is
confusing and the clarity of calls is a joke. I knew it was too good
to be true. I am going to change it to a nokia 6301 instead.
Reviewed by aLISTAIR from SCOTLAND on 16th Mar
IT WONT CHARGE WEN LO IT JUST BUZZES IT WONT CHARGE ON COMPUTER NEITHER
SECOND TIME BACK AND STILL DOING IT
Reviewed by dave argyle from uk on 15th Mar 2008
had my phone for 3months now and just lately it has started to switch
it self off. I can switch back on and it is ok .Happens at least a couple
of times a day. each time it happens the battery has a charge. keypad
locked. Contacted T-Mob no known fault at present. They agreed to contact
a week later to see if problem still occurs. Problem went away. 5 days
later hey presto yesterday switched it self off twice. Battery was fully
charged before i left home will contact t-mob again and discuss for
a replacement .
Reviewed by Alistair Gerry from UK on 13th Mar
A great looking phone with lots of functions. It will keep most people
happy, me included, if only it would stop buzzing and giving me a headache.
I really like this phone and would love to have kept it, was it not
for the fact that I have just been forced to send the third phone back
to Orange in as many days. My issue seems to be, when I put the phone
next to my ear I get a high pitched noise, rather like electrical distortion.
I called Orange handset faults, who diagnosed a problem with each phone
they had given me. They were very good and sent a replacement the next
day, however each phone had the same problem, guess I'm just rather
unlucky. If anyone has any fantastic ideas on how to get a hold of one
which works I'd be really grateful because I rather like it! It would
have got more stars if I could make calls on it!
Reviewed by Zedun from Luxembourg on 12th Mar
If you're thinking of buying this phone maybe you'll find my story interesting.
Two days ago I came back home from the store with the black version.
The first moments in front of my PC istalling the Nokia suite and updating
the firmware were wonderful. I just loved the gorgeous design (although
the plastic back cover somewhat spoils it), the nice menus and graphical
interface (I particularly like the black theme which has a touch of
red every now and then and goes well with the black steel finish). The
charm lasted until I tried to make a call and discovered the faint buzzing
noise coming from the earpiece. I then remembered that horrible sound
made by the Motorola V3's speaker. It resembles static from a radio
and although it's pretty faint, you can definitely hear it. Now that's
not acceptable in a phone if you ask me.I went back to the store and
tried two other classic samples and a slider one. Same thing. Luckily
I got my money back so I'm back right where I started. This is a shame
because otherwise I consider this phone to be exactly what I like and
need: superb design; it's slim enough to disappear in your pockets (not
like those chubby sliders from Nokia that take the shape of a nice little
potato in your pocket); it has a good enough camera and decent music
capabilities for a phone, etc. I must say I'm getting pretty tired of
Nokia. They definitely know how to set the prices for their expensive
phones but why can't they just produce a phone that doesn't make you
feel bad about your money... By the way, all 6500s, classsic or slide,
and the 6300s here in Luxembourg are made in Hungary, so it might be
that all phones coming from that factory have the buzzing noise problem.
I suppose you guys in the UK get sets from different factories because
this issue seems to be almost inexistent in your reviews.
Reviewed by Chris Forrest from UK on 11th Mar
I am on my second Nokia 6500 Classic in a week which has just broken
again, the same problem as last time, when the battery gets low and
you want to charge it, it will not take a charge, T-Mobile will replace
it very quickly, but that is not the point, I expect a quality phone
to last, I still use a Nokia 6310i for work and it is the dinasour of
the phone world and has never let me down, come on Nokia I expect better.
Reviewed by suzie B from UK on 11th Mar 2008
My 5th phone. Is it so difficult to replace my lovely RAZR? It is so
small and difficult to text and the balance is all wrong. The user interface
when texting is tricky. Dictionary rubbish, can't use text language
at all! Trying to just send a simple text to a friend takes forever,
just finding their number in contacts is a challenge - despite me being
quite a techie. Why didn't Nokia put lights on this phone to indicate
low battery etc? They could have easily fitted into the speaker/earpiece
area! My MDA has loads more and lasts for weeks!! Even though camera
and music player very good, there is no little mirror on the back when
trying to take pics of yourself w friends! How much would that have
cost?!! I am finding myself, yet again, dissappointed by this latest
generation of small phones. Very average :o(
Reviewed by Mark from UK on 11th Mar 2008
What is all the fuss about with this phone? I've had mine for about
3 weeks now (T-Mobile contract) and can't complain at all. After running
the initial battery charge down I gave it 3 full charge / discharge
cycles, charging for between 6 and 7 hours each time. I am now getting
3 to 4 days use. My advice .... turn off 3G unless you need it, turn
off keypad tones, turn off screen saver and use the power save mode.
The camera is perfectly adequate; if you want a better one then buy
one. If you want a large capacity MP3 player; buy one of these as well!
It's a phone for heavens sake and as far as the battery is concerned
- what do you expect from something that's smaller than an After Eight
Reviewed by rayan from uk on 9th Mar 2008
its realy bad handling bz of headset out put top of the phone.its realy
dep to put in
Reviewed by Kevin from United Kingdom on 6th Mar
This phone is ok would'nt say its great though you cant expand the memory
only comes with 1gb and if you are anything like me who llikes to store
a load of music and photos and videos this is not the phone for you
also because its so slim the battery is also slimmed down resulting
in poor battery performance I have found this phone needs charging on
a daily basis and I only used this for the odd phone call and sending
a few texts a few advantages though this phone looks and feels very
nice and takes really good photos with its 2mp camera. I hope Nokia
release an updated version of this possibly with a 3mp camera and the
facility to expand the memory.
Reviewed by Ant from UK on 4th Mar 2008
Like many others a bad experience. Been repaired once and rubbish again.
That's if the battery stays alive long enough to find out. Persuaded
by T-mobile salesman that the latest and best but now can't wait for
contract renewal so can replace with a phone that works and doesn't
just look good on the shelf. I'll put it in recycling and keep using
my cheap Samsung PAYG handset.
Reviewed by zEE from UK on 20th Feb 2008
I have only this phone for 24hours so can;t really comment on the phone
for its true value, but already I am feeling very negative about this
phone. My last phone was the excellent 6230i Great phone luved very
much. -Compared to the 6230 the 6500 has all the same functions except
video. -Nokia have concentrated on the inside rather than the outside.
-buy a 6300 very similar but alot cheaper. -One ugly ugly thing is the
battery cover made of plastic? what the? Nokia could do better than
that. It took me 10mins to get if off - and it theres someone sat right
next to you when you are getting removing the cover - There you go they
have a bloody nose! Pros: Nice one the outside Cons: Worse on the inside
Overall: Nokia pull your finger out!
Reviewed by Ken Woods from UK on 18th Feb 2008
Just put the battery in and a bit of plastic snapped off the side :(
Only had it 5 mins! Shame as a its very good looking phone. I will go
back to my 6300 though - basically the same phone without the battery/signal/reliabilty
issues. Looks like nokia have gone for form over function with this
Reviewed by Lesley from UK on 14th Feb 2008
My only complaint about this phone is that it is not easy for the slightly
older person to use. The buttons are too small for arthritic hands and
the icons are not easy to navigate. I tried to turn up the volume and
took two photos of my shoes ! I have still not found out how to turn
up the volume ? I am not even 50 yet ?
Reviewed by sara ranger from england on 12th Feb
lovely phone but i have found that the screen scratches easily.
Reviewed by John M from UK on 6th Feb 2008
I've had my 6500 Classic for about a month now and I love it. It looks
great and I find it easy to use (even with my big thumbs!)I use it primarily
as a phone (obviously)and secondly as an MP3 player. As a music player,
I have found that I can get a large number of tracks on its 1 gig memory
and the sound quality is great, both with external speakers and the
headphones. I've read numerous reviews about the poor battery life,
but have had no problem with mine ( I plug it into the computer when
it's not in use, and keep it topped-up). Maybe I'm easily pleased, but
I can (so far) find no fault with my 6500 Classic and have no problem
in recommending it...it's Great!
Reviewed by Graeme from England on 5th Feb 2008
I've had this phone for four months now, so I'm well past the honeymoon
period. I've had a Motorola V3 and V3i before this, and compared to
them this is a breath of fresh air. The phone's well built, easy to
use, does everything within its capability well and looks good too.
There's some really neat touches like the Active Desktop and the analogue
clock screensaver, too. I've not had an issue with the battery life,
either, but maybe my expectations are low. In a nutshell... GOOD: -Looks
great, feels good to use -Active desktop feature is brilliant -Build
quality (apart from I sometimes tug the plasticky battery cover off
when taking it off charge) -Great screen -Decent camera (but won't bin
my digital camera just yet!) -Good internet (with Opera browser supplied
with mine) -Text memory...haen't deleted a single sent or received text
yet BAD: -Keypad a bit fiddly sometimes -No dedicated headphone jack
-No video calling. Was miffed at first but have made peace with Nokia
now -Expandable memory would be nice
Reviewed by andy mcp from england on 2nd Feb 2008
I've had my 6500 Classic for 2weeks now and it has been great!!! Classic
just about sums it up,so easy to use,software great,does everything
you need. OK battery isnt the best,lasts at least 2days,but it has to
do so much more than nokia phones from 5 years ago(small black and white
screen etc) am not surprized! Really light,looks great.....BEST NOKIA
Reviewed by Miktech from UK on 29th Jan 2008
I've had my 6500 Classic about 3 weeks now and it's been OK. That's
all though - just OK. The battery isn't that great in terms of times
between charges but the most infuriating thing I've noticed with this
phone is the signal reception. In moving to this phone, I've taken about
10 steps back as it keeps on losing it's signal. I live in a a rural
area and admittedly signal strength isn't great overall but my other
(older) phones have all been fine. I've lost count of how many times
I've picked the phone up to see a healthy signal vanish in two seconds
for no apparent reason (even in areas that show full strength signals).
Is it anything to do with the metal casing at all? Shame on you Nokia
for producing such a (gorgeous) piece of rubbish
Reviewed by mark d from England on 28th Jan 2008
Nice little phone. Come back to Nokia after having 2 Sony phones pack
up. One problem though, battery! My phone seems to be stuck on a full
battery all the time! Sometimes if you turn it off the battery will
update but this is not every time!
Reviewed by OC from UK on 28th Jan 2008
Received a 6500 Classic as a replacement for a 6300 that was out of
stock, and immediately regretted it. The phone is beautiful to look
at and hold, has great features and menus... and that is where it ends.
It seems Nokia has tried to pack it all in, but as always, something
else has to give. The battery life is abysmal, the sound tinny, the
speakers and earpiece vibrate on half volume, there is no outside volume
control button, the loud speaker is at the back meaning that if the
phone is lying on a flat surface, you might not hear it ring. Reception
is very poor even outdoors, the vibrate is feeble, the buttons are too
fiddly to text easily. Not much point in owning a phone that doesn't
do what it's made for - to make calls. This one's going back.
Reviewed by johnnyb from uk on 27th Jan 2008
ive had the same problems as most people with this phone,the freezing
up ,selecting default ringtone, turning off and on,wot a shame! ive
had lots of phones i tend to get a new one every few months. and if
this phone worked properley it would have been the best one i had, with
the build quality great screen and camera easy to use and sexy to look
at. its just a real shame that nokia have made mistakes on the tech
side other wise this phone would have been a real classic
Reviewed by moira bayne from ENGLAND on 25th Jan
Aesthetically pleasing but the battery life is terribly short the reception
is also poor. i'm sure its not worth the price and feel Nokia should
recall them or offer some package
Reviewed by Rampant Rabbiter from UK on 23rd Jan
OK, this is my second review of this phone...and I've downgraded it
from 5* to 4*. Not much of a drop, but I really struggled texting with
the keypad on this phone. The keys are quite hard to press, and sending
a lengthy text gave me cramp after a while! As I'm an avid texter with
1000 freebie texts to use each month, I eventually sold the phone and
switched to the (far superior) 6500 Slide! To those who think it's the
same phone in a different shell - it's not! It's fantastic! But anyway,
I'm not reviewing that phone. In every other way, the Classic was great.
I had a slight panicky moment when my phone went completely dead and
I thought I had discovered the dreaded charging error that's been mentioned
so much on here, but all was fine. After leaving the phone to charge
for around 5 minutes, I could then switch it back on. With some phones,
you can switch them back on as soon as they're on charge. This phone
obviously needs to take in a bit of juice before it can power up again
- so give it a chance, everyone! I found the battery perfectly acceptable
for such a slim phone - around 2 days use, sometimes 3 days if I hadn't
used it a lot. Not sure what I can say to those who's batteries are
going flat in less than a day, but it must be a fault! No problems with
signal, everything worked a dream. It's just not the most comfy of phones
to send thousands of texts from! Oh, and the camera's a bit naff too...but
then why would I bother about that when I've got my Kodak 12MP digital
camera?! But it could be an issue for those who don't have a separate
Reviewed by chris peacock from uk on 23rd Jan
a nice phone to look at ' but thats all i'd recomend to anyone now ..
i saw the reviews about the battery life n thought ok i'll give it a
go .. wishing now i'd never bothered it really does suck 24hrs MAX forget
making long calls or playing music without it plugged straight into
the mains .. ive gone back to my 6300 n this rubbish is going straight
on ebay.. nokia have made a nice phone let down only by the battery
in a word avoid this phone at all costs if i could give it no stars
i would its not even worth the poor rating to me
Reviewed by G.E.M from UK on 22nd Jan 2008
THE WORST PHONE I HAVE EVER HAD,I GOT MY FIRST ONE IN NOVEMBER 2007
AND NOW I AM ON MY FIFTH ONE AND CARPHONE WAREHOUSE HAS JUST AGREED
TO LET ME HAVE A DIFFERENT MAKE AND MODEL,THEN THEY ONLY OFFER YOU ABOUT
10 OTHER PHONES TO CHOOSE FROM AND THEY ARE ALL OLD TYPE PHONES WHICH
HAVE BEEN OUT AGES .BATTERY LIFE IS VERY POOR AND I HAD A PROBLEM WITH
SIGNAL STRENGTH AND IT WASNT MY SIM CARD
Reviewed by Dave W from UK on 18th Jan 2008
Had to cancel my mobile upgrade and send the phone back. The battery
life was just too poor. I left home at 6:30am on Weds morning with the
phone fully charged (as it charges on my bedside table), within 24hrs
it was dead, not just low on battery but actually switched itself off
dead. My usage that day was: Calls Rcvd - None Calls Made - 35s, Home
3m 54s, Home 9m 36s, Home 2m 18s Texts - Received 2, Sent 3 That's just
not a usable battery life, I'd already abandoned bluetooth to try and
maximise life and it still wasn't good enough.
Reviewed by Alex from UK on 17th Jan 2008
I've only had this phone a week and I've already been struck with the
charge problem. The battery ran flat (these things happen, you can't
always avoid it) and the phone now refuses to charge. If I can't get
it charged, I've lost everything on it. How ridiculous, I can't believe
Nokia has the nerve to sell these things when they go tits up like this.
Reviewed by Simon from UK on 16th Jan 2008
I received the phone yesterday, so admittedly I;m writing this in a
very early stage - if there's any developments I'll write another review.
So far I'm very happy with this phone. My previous phone was the 8800,
which has a very very poor bettery life - so in comparison charging
every other night is just fine by me. The software is good - no frills,
but that's the way I like it. The active standby screen is very useful,
and the screen itself is impressive. As for speed, it is slightly slower
at opening the inbox than older Nokias, but we're talking split seconds
here. If that annoys you so much to not have the phone, then you have
larger problem my friend! As for ergonomics, the phone is tiny - properly
thin, and very light. The buttons are ok - they'll take a little getting
used to. Build quality is good - but it's only natural to be wary of
a phone this thin. I'm worried that I'll sit on it and break it in half!
I've been used to the heavy steel body of the 8800 so a phone this dainty
is ver unnatural for me. To conclude - this is a very nice phone. It's
like the 6300, but more attractive and smaller. If you want a host of
advanced features and applications, look elsewhere. But if, like me,
you just want a stylish phone you can call an text on - I would recommend
Reviewed by Goose from England on 15th Jan 2008
Had my phone 3 weeks now, i really like it. However, i have just found
that my keypad has cracked. Not good enough really is it.
Reviewed by rudy from england on 14th Jan 2008
had the phone for 2 days now not had any proplems with it not wven the
pc suite. bit dissapointed to hear about the battery but will have to
wait and see. wich is best umts or gsm?
Reviewed by Amelia from Australia on 14th Jan
Fantastic phone with great features. Just got mine about a week ago,
no problems at all, time will tell however... It's a beauty with it's
sleek design and modern curved edges. Battery life isn't as great as
it good be. My previous Nokia had an excellent battery - up to about
9 days!! Great ringtones actually on the handset compared to many other
mobiles, it a good thing to see that mobile phone companies are getting
some style in their music :) The phone fits perfectly into my pocket
and while in my hand it doesn't feel as if it could just snap in half.
For people who do seem to have trouble putting the back, back on without
leaving it slightly ascrew next to the key-pad, just remember to slide
it on carefully, and make sure you press it down as your sliding ;)
Reviewed by lucy from england on 13th Jan 2008
Reviewed by Lucy from UK on 13th Jan 2008
I've only had this phone for 2 days and am now trying to take it back.
I have to say I think this is the worst phone I have ever had. OK it
looks really nice, however looks can be deciving!! It's slow to load
anything, freezes and then you have to turn it off. When you try and
turn it on again it won't, for at least half hour. I tried for 2 days
to get music from my computer to my phone and it would either tell me
that there wasn't enough memory (even though there was plenty) ot the
computer programme would freeze. All in all I think Nokia have seriously
lost the plot with this one!
Reviewed by Jason from UK (London) on 12th Jan
I have had my 6500c for over a month now. started to get a few little
problems recently such as when in camera mode the phone will freeze
for a minute or two. The other problem when making a call no body can
here me sometime. Most of the time it just works fine. Just waiting
for my replacement one at the moment. Apart from that the phone is very
good, large memory, easy to use, looks ok, and slim.
Reviewed by Ian from Edinburgh on 10th Jan 2008
Great phone and looks the part however only drawback for me is lack
of a radio but I knew that before I bought it so shouldn't really grumble
Reviewed by TG from England on 9th Jan 2008
A fantastic phone. I recieved deliver two days ago and still have battery
after charging for a few hours! Maybe they have issued a new battery
with the latest batch? Key pad takes little time to get used to but
on the whole this is a brilliant phone which looks amazing, is really
easy to use and covers everything and more for a slimline handset. I
have always been Sony Ericcson but after being uninspired by their latest
range I am very impressed with Nokia decision to takes things back to
the good old days of useability! Would take this phone over an 1st generation
Iphone anyday - who wants to scan throh menus and use a quert keyboard
for a text message anyway!?
Reviewed by Steve from England on 28th Dec 2007
Brilliant little phone. I used to only have Nokia's then the past few
mobile's i've had have been Sony Ericson's. But now gone back to Nokia
and I think this is the right choice, I was going to go for the 6300
but the poor memory on it made me go with this one and I'm glad it did.
I text and call alot, and also (every now and then play music on it)
and the battery life is good. It normally lasts about 2 1/2 days till
the warning for low battery pops up and i've only had it a week. So
i've only charged it twice, both overnight, and its lasted a good while.
Its very slim and looks great. The keypad took a bit of getting used
to but after a day or so its fine. The phone is everything I look for
in a phone and would recommend it to anyone to get. Got good features
that are standard then extras that are brill.
Reviewed by Dan from England on 28th Dec 2007
It's not as sexy as everyone says. Battery life is really, really, really
poor. The metal casing feels cheap, and fails to score. The buttons
are fiddly and annoying. However, the software and screen clarity are
really good. But why oh why the stupid charging method. Throw away all
Nokia chargers you had before- they won't work!
Reviewed by Paul from England on 27th Dec 2007
great lookin phone... unfortunately, it has ridiculous battery life...
and when u try charge it off the laptop, it drains the laptop battery
tooo!! also Nokia PC Suite always freezes, and it really needs volume
buttons on the outside of the phone so that we dont have to regulate
the sound through the options every time!!! i dunno if the looks are
worth the inconveniences!!! hopefully we'll get used to it!!
Reviewed by Ravi from India on 24th Dec 2007
Nokia 6500 is one of the best mobiles i have ever seen...the picture
and the sound clarity are just awesome and the best feature that enticed
me in this model is Polyphonic Ringtones. Iam enjoying all the tones
by changing it very oftenly..
Reviewed by simon from uk on 18th Dec 2007
had this phone 4month now, its great, i would recomend it to anyone
Reviewed by phil from UK on 11th Dec 2007
The phone is absoloutely amazing. It is so slim and light, it fits perfectly
in my hand. i was slightly sceptical about whether to buy this phone
or not because i had read a few reviews saying it wasnt a good phone.
I have had it for about a week, and i am very impressed. The speaker
is loud for such a slim phone and the interface is so easy to use. only
slight problem is that the battery lasts about 24 hours but that is
considering that i play quite a lot of music on full volume. overall
great phone. Nice one Nokia.
Reviewed by warren from England on 11th Dec 2007
I brought this phone ob friday,instantly fell in love with the phone
and its easy to use menu features but after 4days it has stop receiving
calls, i am so angry at this as i relly like this phone. maybe i just
got a bad one but my friend had to change his 6500 classic 3 times but
i ignored his advice and brought the phone anyways.
Reviewed by Abdi from England on 6th Dec 2007
Had the phone for about a week or so. Battery is good enough as i charge
the phone nightly (after 2/3 chargin circuits). buttons do take gettin
used to but thats ok. ergonomically i have no problems and i listen
to music all the time, talk constantly and text and the battery still
lasts all day. just plug it in the charger when you go bed. i admit
the its poor compared to others but its also slimmer. The menus are
great. easy to use, fast response. I gave it 4 stars last tyme i reviewed
it. Fell in love with it even more. dnt care about FM now.
Reviewed by kasim siddique from great britan on
2nd Dec 2007
i just bought this phone a week ago and i think it has such amazing
features dat no uder nokia phone can have
Reviewed by Lynn from Northern Ireland on 1st
i love it. it's my baby
Reviewed by Blade13 from England on 1st Dec 2007
No problems with this phone, fantastic, the battery is fine, no funny
noises, the screen is crystal clear, well don nokia!
Reviewed by M from England on 30th Nov 2007
Very, very poor battery life (to be expected really for such a slim,
light phone). Sloppy build quality, mine creaks like mad. Menus seem
slow too. Not really that comfortable to use in real life, could this
phone actually be too thin? Try picking it up of a desk or table...not
easy, ergonomically the 6300 may be a better choice. Dont buy this phone
for business use unless you want it plugged into a charger constantly.
Turning off bluetooth etc helps battery life but not much. Software
works fine and mine charges fully from a USB port. Had this phone for
2 weeks now and regretting it, or will I just get used to it?
Reviewed by L from UK on 29th Nov 2007
Battery life seems to be appaling yes. But what if you switch to GSM
mode only instead of having the UMTS on all the time? does it help?
I'm about to try... Buzzing sound from the charger is "normal" ive had
it with other chargers/phones its just the electricity being converted
by the transformer it shouldnt affect the phone in any way. When the
phone battery runs flat u have to charge it for a couple of mins before
u can turn it on again. Aside from this the phone is good. buttons are
a little small though.
Reviewed by Abdi from England on 28th Nov 2007
I absolutely LOVE this phone. I have had it for a full day now and after
charging it for 3 hours wen i opened it. Its still got battery left.
Even though ive been listening to music alot, texting and calling and
using bluetooth (turn it off wen finished). I charge my phones every
night. always have. so long as the battery lasts me a day im happy.
Nice and Easy to use. Keypad is a bit small but that takes getting used
to. Only dissapointment is the lack of FM radio. (i dnt use 3G or mobile
Reviewed by tj from England on 28th Nov 2007
right 24 hours on from me saying there is a strange buzzing noise coming
from my charger. I ve just got in from work and my phone run out of
battery on the way home ( had no problems with the battery is lasted
since sunday morning , and i text and call alot ) and now the phone
will not take charge at all, i ve been trying for half an hour now and
it wont charge. I ve taken the battery off and on but still nothing.
Without doubt i will now be sending this phone back ( this is my second
6500 so maybe 3rd time lucky ). has anyone else aloowed there phone
to run out and got it to charge again? for those of you with one of
these dont let it run out as it may not charge again
Reviewed by abbey from england on 28th Nov 2007
Fantastic - nothing more to say
Reviewed by Rampant Rabbiter from UK on 28th Nov
OK, I've had this phone for 24 hours now and my first impressions are
very good. Having come from the amazing Nokia 6300, I considered the
6500 Classic the only phone worth changing to, as it is effectively
a revamped and sexier 6300. I am slightly disappointed in the build
quality compared to the 6300. Don't get me wrong, the 6500 is quality
and still feels lovely to hold...but the 6300 had a special something.
Also, the navi-pad and keypad in the 6300 were far more comfortable.
However, I am aware that Nokia changed this in order for the 6500 to
look so sleek and streamlined, so I'll forgive them for this. I charged
my phone last night - PLEASE NOTE: I experienced NO problems, NO weird
noises or buzzing sounds and NO other strange occurrences. Looking at
previous reviews, it seems the 6500 has been getting slammed for problems
with charging. I haven't yet used the USB cable to charge through my
laptop, nor do I intend to. As with everything else, ie. iPods, charging
through a laptop or PC will always take longer and will probably not
be as a good a charge, as charging through the mains. I also took a
lengthy call last night as well, with no strange buzzing noises, as
this has also been reported. I am also quite pleased that this phone
does not get anywhere near as hot as the 6300 during a call. I am very
impressed with the screen quality - a slight improvement on the 6300,
which was already stunning. I am also glad that Nokia have been more
generous and given this phone some lovely themes - though these may
not be present in all phones, depending which network people are on.
I bought mine on o2, and thankfully, they leave the phone alone. Another
great improvement - and possibly a first for Nokia - is the displaying
of more details on the screen when a text is received. It now states
who the message is from and also what time it was received, which is
very helpful. I always hoped Nokia would do this when I discovered Sony
Ericsson have been doing this for years! The ringtones provided with
this phone are also rather good - again, probably network-dependent
- and I have not yet bothered to transfer any of my own music onto the
phone as I am quite impressed with the tones, 'Delerium' and 'Euphoria'
are especially good. The ringing volume is fine for me, no problems
there. Also, Nokia seem to have revamped the music player, with more
features and additional skins. However, I have an iPod Nano, so I won't
be using this phone for music. The only songs I have on the phone are
what I want to use for ringtones. The camera is better than the 6300's
camera, for the main reason that it has a flash. Again, I have a digital
camera anyway, so won't be using it for any real photography, but it's
just perfect for snaps. The absence of a memory slot does not bother
me - I increased my 6300 memory up to 1GB anyway, so I'm no better or
worse off at the moment. So far, so good with this phone. I'm very impressed.
Obviously, time will tell...but I do have faith in Nokia and as long
as everything stays fine, the 6500 will be my phone for a long time.
People should give this phone a chance - there are always bad batches
when a phone is released. If you're thinking of buying it then go ahead
- for every person who's written a bad review, there'll be hundreds
more like me who are very happy with the phone.
Reviewed by adam from uk on 28th Nov 2007
My phone is also experiencing a buzzing noise from the speaker which
is quite audible when in a call, it goes off if you leave the phone
alone for a minute or so, but at soon as you press a button it starts
again. Like a speaker buzz. Not sure if it's a dealbreaker or if I'll
send it back, but it's a bit irratating. Most phone chargers make buzzing
noises, it's the way they are wired I think - nothing to worry about.
When the hne makes the noise though it's annoying!
Reviewed by tj from England on 27th Nov 2007
ive got the wierd buzzing sound on my charger also, has anyone else
got this ? i havent had a problem with the phone but i am worried about
Reviewed by tony from england on 26th Nov 2007
DO NOT buy this phone! my third one in under a month, and the third
one i have now is dead, doesnt want to charge! my battery went and i
cudnt charge it anymore, a wierd fuzzin sound comes from the charger
and the phone seems dead, cant turn it on and wont even charge, worst
phone ive had, looks good but a load of tosh!
Reviewed by Ammar from UK on 21st Nov 2007
Had the phone for nearly 2 week. Nice Phone. But battery is so poor.
Have to charge it everyday and USB cable doesnt charge the battery to
full power. Left if running on my laptop all day and battery is less
then half full. Nice phone but battery life is rubbish
Reviewed by James B from UK on 21st Nov 2007
BEFORE YOU BUY PLEASE READ!! Nokia's N-Series was plagued with problems
and the 6500 was supposed to be a return to form. It's not. Yes, it
looks good. Yes, the menus are fantastic. Yes, it's easy to use... But,
everyone I know with one is experiencing charging problems, getting
a background buzz, and having the occasional lock up/restart - which
happened so much on the N-Series it was considered a feature. The charge
problem first presents itself if you let the battery run flat leave
it for too long. It won't accept a charge after that. Also, you'd think
you could just plug it into any USB to charge (at last), but no, you've
got to have the right drivers installed to do that. Nokia, seriously,
what are you playing at? Are you actually testing these things before
distributing them? Every Nokia I've owned for the last 18 months has
gone belly up (N80x4, N73x3, N95x1, 6500x2). Poor. Very poor.
Reviewed by Cotton Mouth Tom from UK on 20th Nov
Wicked phone i have used it with a multitude of bt headsets including
the jawbone. It pairs with gps but doesn't support it in the maps- a
con. It would have been nice for a better camera and a radio, but a
sacrifice i am prepared to make for the size. Haven't noticed any probs
with battery really good sound. WHY IS THERE NEVER ON ANY PHONE SUPPORT/SOFTWARE
FOR MAC. We have to wait for mac to support the phone, as they just
did with the n80 for e.g.. Sort it out Nokia and phone manufactures
in general stop whining about the ipods market share and do something
Reviewed by Tony J from uk on 16th Nov 2007
I ve got this phone and i m having real reception problems, and there's
a strang buzzing noise while I m on a call, anyone else having this
problem? other than that the phone really is nice, its abit slippery
tho and texting takes abit of getting use to
Reviewed by Steve C from England on 15th Nov 2007
Sorry folks but what is the point of a phone that needs charging so
frequently. This is the worst battery life of any phone I've ever owned.
Reviewed by jojo from uk on 15th Nov 2007
great phone but battery life is poor question does turning off 3 g save
battery life ????
Reviewed by Emma from UK on 11th Nov 2007
Got this phone on thursday, love everything about it, its great, only
downfall is the screen broke after 3 days, didnt drop it, nothing it
was just in my pocket... ordered another as there is nothing else about
at the moment, just be careful with it and its great!
Reviewed by Rich S from england on 9th Nov 2007
Got my phone 3 weeks ago. Following 2 charging circuits fried i am waiting
for my 3rd replacement!!! Love the phone and hopefully it'll be 3rd
time lucky when i get my new one!!!
Reviewed by Waqar from UK on 7th Nov 2007
Bought he phone 3 weeks ago, big fan of texting on my old 6230i, cud
text blindfolded. Buttons too small, takes getting used, having problems
with usb charging, having to now switch the fone off for it to accept
charging. Have found USB ports in the past to be fragile and damage
easily and expect this one on the phone to be no diffrent. Features
wise, is good with all ususal stuff. But if you are a big text messager
and want functionality over looks, go for a diffrent phone and with
a standard charging port. Also my Jabra BT500 Bluetooth headset is not
compatible with this phone, so i cannot use my alltime fave headset.
Bought a Nokia Jawbone which now does not connect properly to this phone.
Graphics and memory are nice. Thoroughly disappointed, was a diehard
Nokia fan, big let down if this is to be their 'flagship' phone for
the majority of users. Buy the cheaper 6300, almost the same at a quarter
of the price if you really want something like this.
Reviewed by Anthony from Singapore on 5th Nov
Battery life...I use the USB adapter and charge directly from any PC,
which is great for travel. Find a cafe or biz centre and I am golden.
Reviewed by Ben from UK on 3rd Nov 2007
Had the phone a few weeks now (see my ealier review below for comments
on the terrible PC software!). Very pleased with the actual phone however.
Good build quality. Not as good as the adverts would have you believe
- the plastic bottom half of the phone doesn't fit 100% tightly, so
you can feel it moving slightly when texting, etc. Probably not a problem
for most people, but I am particularly anal! Screen is excellent, features
very good (bearing in mind I'm coming from a Motorola V3I). E-mail feature
allows me to have my Yahoo e-mail on the move. Bluetooth seems good
with a reliable connection to my motorola headset (drops connection
less than my V3I did). Never use cameras on phones, so can't judge on
that. Battery seems fine. I only turn on bluetooth when I want to use
the headset, and I charge it every 3 days or so. I'm not a particularly
heavy user on calls though. Can't really find any major cons against
my recent phones (Motorola V3I and Samsung D600). Most of all it's a
huge pleasure / relief to have finally come back to Nokia, with the
simplicity of the menus and flexibility of the features / settings.
Still haven't got the PC software to work however.
Reviewed by Bonzo from UK on 2nd Nov 2007
It's a good phone and looks great, but battery life is poor. Unless
you really need to have the slimmest Nokia 3g available I would go for
a 6300 (which I now have),at a third of the price and with better features.
Reviewed by Brian from England on 1st Nov 2007
After reading the reviews i was a little concerned about the reports
of poor battery life. With the phone used in its default configuration
the battery lasted 1h22m after a series of full charge/empty cycles
(batteries dont reach full capacity until they have been charged a few
times from empty). Turning OFF GSM and Bluetooth the talk time increased
to 3h44m!! a very good improvement. In all i am very very pleased with
this phone, it has all the features i want in a very small package.
Reviewed by ralph from england on 29th Oct 2007
finally after years of frustration I found MY perfect phone. Great reception,
slim and light. 1Gig memory. (why do I need an ipod to fill my poket
?. Also the 6500 looks almost better then an Ipod) Easy to navigate.
Xcellent screen. Camera could be better but hey it's a phone !
Reviewed by A Georgiou from cyprus on 28th Oct
Reviewed by mo from england on 28th Oct 2007
@tony yup thats true bluetooth drains the battery.the more things you
have running at the same time including programs the faster the battery
drains.you should be able to turn of 3g from the settings that drains
the battery alot aswell
Reviewed by John Regal from England on 27th Oct
I think the phone is the best phone in da world!!!
Reviewed by Andrew from England on 27th Oct 2007
Great phone, but the software for linking with PC doesn't work properly
- and tech support couldn't get it working Nokia need to sort this out.
Have switched to Nokia 6300, which all works fine.
Reviewed by tony from england on 25th Oct 2007
Had my 6500 3 days now. Charged it to the max used it with my blue tooth
and it lasted 54 then it was flat!!! Tried without the blue tooth it
lasted 1hr 57 mins... Is it me or is the battery life just rubbish!
How many times you meant to charge these a day so far I’ve charged
mine twice from flat in a day… Been told to turn the Bluetooth
off when not using it as the battery life will last a lot longer.....
Anyone know how true this is? Any advice would be great. Or maybe I
should go back to my faithful 6234
Reviewed by Dave from Scotland on 23rd Oct 2007
I have gone back to Nokia after using a Samsung for the last year. Had
my 6500c for a week now and love it. Yes the battery does need charging
every other day but that's the price you pay for a slim phone. This
is a stylish well made handset that sits comfortably in the pocket.
As long as you are not looking for loads of whistles and bells you will
not be dissappointed with this phone.
Reviewed by David from UK on 23rd Oct 2007
Nice phone design, shame about the battery - utterly lousy.
Reviewed by moooooooooooooo from uk on 22nd Oct
a outstanding phone i love it go get it now
Reviewed by Hem from UK on 22nd Oct 2007
Dazzer, I had the same problem with the battery - but it's because the
GSM is switched on as a default and it's a bit tricky to figure out
how to turn it off! It lasts much longer once the GSM is deactivated...
Reviewed by Dazzer from England on 21st Oct 2007
I've had this Phone for a week now it's a great Phone, but keep charging
it every day, i don't know if it's got a faulty battery or not it would
get 5 stars , but for the battery.
Reviewed by Wes from UK on 19th Oct 2007
Nice phone you look at and use but the battery life is appalling...
charged in the morning and its out by the end of the day even on just
standby. The software supplied in the box isn't the right version for
the phone and instantly needs upgrade downloads.
Reviewed by Deanie Boi from England on 19th Oct
Superb phone ! I have had Nokia's in the past & then switched to Sony
Ericsson which was awful I then decided to get the Motorola V3i which
was good, but now I have gone back to Nokia, & I can say I glad I did.
I upgraded to the Nokia 6500 Classic yesterday the phone looks COOL
build quality is good & the functionality of the phone is great, the
keypad is much better to use than the Nokia 6300, battery life so far
is great I have had Bluetooth on & made several calls & still full bars
! The menus are easy to use if you have had a Nokia's before. Charging
the phone makes the phone look like a teletubby as the mini USB connection
is at the top of the phone. The USB cable that comes in the package
is for charging from your PC & is great idea. Also the phone is nice
& slim so it fits in your jean pockets ok. Overall this is the best
phone I have had in a long while & I would recommend to go & buy it.
Reviewed by keli from limavady on 19th Oct 2007
1 - 100 | 101 - 110 | Next 100 reviews
its da best fone ever already have 1