Slim is in - Nokia 6300 vs Sony Ericsson w880i

Looking around now at the mobile world these days, it seems that there is a battle between all brands. A battle to see who can lose the most weight, who can shed every ounce and hint of fat, and at the same time, pack in as much features as possible. Sounds like madness? Not for us as customers though.

And why would we complain? Everything's about being slim now. "Slim is in". Look around us... plasma Tv's, digital cameras, desktop pc's, notebooks, mp3 players, FASHION MODELS... everything's getting slimmer. It was inevitable that mobiles would eventually follow heed. Remember when the Moto's RAZR first came out? It blew everyone away! The size, the weight, its slimness - it was unheard of! Now, everyone's in on the action. Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung and even the smartphone makers are slowly getting in on the action.

It is with this in mind, that I now do a brief comparison between the latest Nokia 6300 vs Sony Ericsson W880i. And, since it comes in looking similar to an Apple iPod Nano, I decided to throw in one too in my review! (well, only for photo size comparison anyway)

So, is the 6300 better? Or the W880? Having a hard time deciding on which of these slim beauties is the feather-weight champion for you? The 6300 with almost-smartphone capabilities or the funky and fashionable W880i with its Walkman features? Read on...

Inbox(s)

Nokia 6300 vs SE W880i

SE W880i Colours: Silver/Black and Black/Orange.

SE W880i inbox

Nokia 6300 and SE W880i inbox
Free gift - Sony Ericsson speakers! (exclusively from Incomm only!)

Nokia 6300 inbox
1 x Nokia 6300 unit
1 x Battery
1 x travel charger
1 x pop port stereo headset
1 x 256MB microSD (with adapter)
1 x hard leather pouch
1 x User Guide and other reading material
1 x PC Suite software CD

SE W880i inbox
1 x Sony Ericsson W880i unit
1 x Battery
1 x Two port Std charger
1 x USB cable
1 x Sony Ericsson Stereo earphones
1 x 1GB Memory Stick Micro
1 x User guide and other reading material
1 x Sony Ericsson PC Suite software CD
***FREE GIFT*** Sony Ericsson Stereo Speakers!
(Only available at Incomm while stocks last!)

First Impressions
Having both the n6300 and w880i in hand, I was bubbling with joy at the slim beauties I have been admiring for so long.

• The Nokia 6300 is slim, feels very sophisticated, classy and very solid in hand.
  
• The w880i feels like it looks; super slim, very funky-cool and has a blow-me-away look.

Although both are slim, one exudes sophistication and simplicity whilst on the other side, the wild and adventurous. It almost doesn't feel like a fair comparison. If you ask me which one I'd choose, it would be EXTREMELY difficult to choose between the two. (Can I have both?)


Physical aspects / Build quality

Nokia 6300 keypad

Comparison shots; 6300, iPod Nano & w880i

• The Nokia 6300, available in only one colour; Silver, has a slim candy form factor. It feels very solidly built in-hand with its steel casing. There's a slight weight while you're holding it, but this is a good thing. Both front and back are brushed silver in colour, with black edges surrounding the screen and the camera at the back. There is an issue which I do have with the silver casing though; the likelihood and ease of getting fingerprints all over.
  
• The right side sports the usual volume increase / decrease keys, which will also serve as the control for the music player. Do note, however, that there are no dedicated camera buttons on either side. (Another issue)
  
• The 6300 can be considered as rather basic in its looks. Someone did comment that it looked like the old Nokia 3230, except slimmer.
  
• The keypad is well spaced out and typing sms's or dialling phone numbers should be without any hassle.

Sony Ericsson w880i; Silver and Black colour schemes.

• The Sony Ericsson W880 comes in a either Silver (with black back) or Black (with dark orange back), in a (slim) candy bar form factor as well. Personally, the black/orange colour scheme looks really hot. Whilst the front (Silver or Black) looks brushed metal in their respective colours, the back is made of a rubbery matt material, serving perfectly as a non-grip surface. There's even a little hole for you to hook your lanyard-of-choice and since the w880i's so light. What a brilliant location SE!
  
• The left side sports only the pop port on the left (for charging and for the included earphones) and, on the right side, a dedicated camera button with the volume increase / decrease on the top right corner. This design blends in well with the w880's slim appeal, with just a little flip-like toggle. Personally, another good design from SE.
  
• On the back, you see the camera on the far right, making it ideal for snapping away with the camera button ideally placed as well.
  
• The keypad, on the other hand, is the main appeal on the w880i. The newly designed keys are now slimmer, which seems to be the direction that SE is moving towards. Sms-ing or dialling numbers caused me to be sceptical at first, but after some practice, I got used to it.
  

Display / User Interface

• The 6300 sports a 16M colour TFT display with QVGA resolution. Utilising the familiar S40 3rd edition interface, the display will not be unfamiliar to users. You will see the same software on other S40 edition phones like the 6280, 6288, 6233 etc, as well as wallpaper / theme customization. I won't touch on this too much since it is nothing unfamiliar.
  
• The w880i sports a 256k TFT colour screen with a QVGA resolution. Again here, if you are familiar with SE models, then the w880i's interface will be no different.
  

Overall, its a matter of choice really. Whether you prefer Nokia's S40 OS or SE's interface. Both have their strengths, and their own weaknesses, which I won't dwell too much on here.


Calls/Messaging

• Call quality (and loudspeaker) on the 6300 is excellent, so no need to elaborate further on this issue. For Messaging, the Nokia 6300 supports SMS, MMS, Email and Instant Messaging (network dependent). This is typical of most Nokias. And like most Nokias too, the 6300 feels good to SMS with. Feedback is tactile enough and keys evenly spaced out.
  
• Call quality (and loudspeaker) on the w880 is also excellent, with no complaints. For Messaging, it also supports SMS, MMS, Email and Instant Messaging (network dependent). As pointed out earlier, the keypad will take some getting used to.
  

Multimedia/Camera quality
Music wise, it is obvious who the winner will be here. The w880i. Branded with Walkman, the 6300 doesn't stand a chance! BUT, for the sake of this comparison, I'll briefly mention the quality of the sound.

• The 6300's built in Music player is more than capable of handling any playlist which you may have, depending on the size of your microSD card of course. With its equaliser, you can choose any set preference for your listening pleasure. Volume wise, you would have no problems hearing the songs, but for some reason, Nokia's output, to me, sounded almost very shallow and bassy. However, with the included headset, the quality is slightly different. But, as I said, its more than enough to satisfy the average user. The 6300 has FM radio too.
  
• The W880i, on the other hand, sports the Walkman brand which is (now) synonymous with SE's. The ease and functionality can rival even the iPod. Browsing through your songs, setting your playlists and just generally using the W880i is a pleasure indeed for the music junkie. Sound quality is better than the 6300, but again, I'm not sure if its just me, the output's very sharp, almost as if there is an absence of bass. BUT, when you plug in the earphones, the whole picture changes! You will be BLOWN AWAY with the quality. With the W880i's (great) battery life, you have on your hands (and in your ears) and very very good mp3 player! Since the w880i comes with the free speakers, I will touch on this too. In a word, its unbelievable. I didn't expect much from the speakers to be honest, on the first impression. So small in size, I half expected it to be just mediocre. But, when I plugged in the W880i, the sound was fantastic! (for such a small creation!) On full volume, my whole office could hear my song quite clearly! Definitely a worthwhile inclusion from SE (and Incomm).
• Another cool w880i feature worth mentioning is the Track ID feature. Basically, if you hear a song in the car/club for e.g, and you are not sure what the title is, just let the w880i "hear" it, and it will help you to identify it, from downloading through its internet connection. Cool or what?!
  

Camera wise, I will let photos speak for themselves. Both the 6300 and w880i sport 2 megapixel cameras. Both have adjustable settings for you to tweak how you'd like your pictures to turn out. Both do not have autofocus capabilities, but zoom functionalities are there at least. Perhaps the only difference is that the 6300 does not have a dedicated camera button (which is one of my issues). So without further ado... (photos on left are 6300's, and those on the right are w880i's. Click to enlarge)

Features worth mentioning
What I liked about the Nokia 6300

• Great Active Standby features on the beautiful 16M colour screen. I've always been a fan of Nokia's PIM capabilities.
  
• Browsing around in the S40 menu is easy, and straightforward. This includes setting your profiles, customizing your themes, wallpapers and ringtones.
  
• It feels very nice in hand. Slim, very solid and weight distribution well balanced, doesn't have a plasticky-toy feel. Classy...
  

What I liked about the Sony Ericsson W880i

• First and foremost, the size! The slim(sexy)ness blew me away.
• The file manager is fast! Noticably faster than older SE models. Browsing through the camera photos was a joy.
  
• Love the Walkman player. Strap it around your neck and you won't even feel the w880i at all since its so light. Also supports Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo profile.
  
• Track ID feature! (New to SE)
  
• As a 3G phone, it has a front facing camera!
  
• Comes with 1Gb memory stick micro inbox!

Problems / Issues?
What I didn't like about the 6300

• Prone to fingerprints.
  
• Not a 3G phone - Why Nokia, why??
• No autofocus or flash on camera. Camera performance also average.
  
• Lack of dedicated camera button at the side meant most photos taken in portrait mode (as evident from photos above).
  
• Video camera quality mediocre.

What I didn't like about the w880i

• No FM radio
• No autofocus on camera.
  
• Video camera quality mediocre.
• Keypad could be an issue for the fast texters.
  

d3xlabs recommendations
Having tried out both these slim beauties so extensively, I was so reluctant to return them. I wanted them both!
On one hand, I have the 6300 with its executive feel, its seemingly business type features, its basic and easy to use OS... a strength of Nokia. Fantastic for those who want a phone that just does its job, and does it well! (And looks good at the same time too)
On the other hand, the w880i with its wild funky outlook on life, a mobile that just begs to be showed off to everyone around, and with the SE's equally powerful OS to use, its Walkman powerhouse... its perfect for those who want to stand out, and shout it loud!
This is a hard call. But, at the end of the day, its really up to you. It all comes down to what kind of a person you are. Conservative or Outgoing. Only you will know.
(Buy both if you can afford it)

My 6300 rating - 4 stars
My w880i rating- 4 stars
Selling prices - Nokia 6300 (BND428-00), Sony Ericsson W880i (BND798-00)
(Use your DST Privilege card for better discounts)
From: All Incomm outlets

Other competitors: Samsung X820, Motorola KRZR/RIZR