Nokia 2720 Fold Review

Nokia’s high-end efforts can sometimes distract from the fact that the Finnish phone maker remains top of the pile when it comes to basic but brilliant blowers.

But does the Nokia 2720 Fold fit into this category? Well, it has basic covered, but brilliance is perhaps too strong a word for this serviceable cell.

Flipping great
The most striking thing about the Nokia 2720 Fold is its design. Flip phones are distinctly out of fashion in a world of touchscreen titans and killer candybars.

Still, it’s refreshing to see this form factor once again, and Nokia has clearly made the most of it. The phone sits pleasingly over the ear and doesn’t give you cause to shout into the mouthpiece as it sits right by your gob.

There’s also a second screen which can be seen when the phone’s folded up. This delivers text and call notifications, a feature normally found on much pricier flip phones. The screen sits flush to the body so there are no awkward design kinks making it hard to slip into your pocket.

Flipping awful
However, that flip design does throw up some quirks that we’re less than enamoured with. The outer body is shinier and cheaper than the England football team’s M&S suits.

It picks up fingerprints faster than stolen jewellery, too. Then there’s the fact the flip mechanism feels a tad wonky. It didn’t create too many issues while we were playing with it, but give this phone an extended run over a few months and you could run into some problems.

Then there’s the postage stamp 1.8in screen, which feels remarkably inadequate when compared with the panels found even on the likes of the Nokia 6303i candybar. The low res means pics aren’t rendered well and icons appear blocky and outdated.

Review continues after the break...

Inside track
Under the hood, the Nokia 2720 Fold is about as basic as you get, although at a penny shy of £50 for a SIM-free version, it’s hard to complain.

The messaging app is actually great, with easily accessible icons for inserting video, sound clips and photos. Sadly, though, the keys are a tad too flat and sticky, taking us an age to get up to speed with tapping out texts.

The classic Symbian look, however, means this is a phone that’s easy to get to grips with and relatively foolproof. The camera, at 1.3MP, won’t win any prizes, but is fine for quick shots in bright daylight.

If you’re after a flip phone and don’t have the budget for the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, this could be an option. Just don’t expect to be bowled over by a welter of added extras.