I recently upgraded my phone and got a Nokia 6300. Since posting about it some interesting comments have come in, and I also I’ve been using the phone for a while so i thought I would add an update.

So, the truth is, I ended up getting the Nokia 6300 for a whopping €9! Why? Well, it should have been €49, but I had had some issues with my bill and was considering leaving Vodafone, but on top of that the guy in the shop was extremely nice and helpful. I thought the phone was €9 on my package but I was wrong - but under the circumstances he went ahead and gave it to me for the price I had thought it was. For nine euros, I can’t complain at all - i’m very happy with it so far. I love the size of it.

So, how am I getting on with the 6300? Well, battery life is only ok, but then I use the phone way too much. I think the big, very bright, screen is eating the battery. If I turn it off while I sleep I just about get two days out of it - just about. My girlfriend got the same phone and she has no problems with the battery, but she does have problems with how much time I spend texting and talking on the phone, so maybe the battery issue is actually a problem with me!

I do have another friend with the 6300 who isn’t thrilled with the battery life either though, and his usage would be between the two levels of usage I’d say.

Having said that, nearly two days isn’t bad for my level of usage, I just worry about when the battery starts to go…

Minor niggle - the usb port is covered by an annoying little thing which always seems to get in the way of the cable going in.

The camera is alright, as I said in my original post, i don’t really care too much about the camera - it’s just handy for the odd snap. The range of quality from the camera is interesting. As always, outdoor shots in good sunlight (rare enough in Ireland) look best. Indoor shots can be very grainy and can get a green tinge to them.

Below are two shots from the phone, one of a rainbow, taken from a moving vehicle and the other of a crane or soemthing, just for a rough idea of what the camera is like. I would have posted images of friends which are more telling but I’m not sure they’d like to be guinea pigs… click on the thumbnails to see the full size images as taken directly off the phone.

As for the comments that were left, well the Nokia E65 was mentioned a few times, and it looks good enough, but I really don’t like slidey phones or shell phones. it gets points for having Wi-Fi though.

And the Sony Ericson K750i also got a good mention from more than one commenter, but I have to admit I am a Nokia person through and though. Even though the look of the phone isn’t bad - if a little chunky, the other probelm with it is that it doesn’t have Wi-Fi.

My Nokia 6300 doesn’t have Wi-Fi either, but if I was to spend more than €9 on a phone I think i would go for one with Wi-Fi.