We dont usually do this sort of thing here on ZCJ.
Oh no, our reviews are usually Giant and Proud and all that. But in this case, we had to make an exception. Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the Nokia 5235.
The Nokia 5235 “Comes with Music” as it is known elsewhere, has been rebranded the Nokia 5235 “Ovi Music Unlimited” here in India. It’s basically identical to the Nokia 5230 and Nokia 5233 variants (Read the 5233 Review Here) except that it comes with the Ovi Music Unlimited Service (Read our Overview of OMU Here).
Just to clear things up:
Otherwise all variants look exactly the same, and have basically the exact same set of features (including internal memory and ram) unless mentioned otherwise above.
And just to refresh your memory, some of those specs include:
Phew. Now that we have all that cleared up, on with the pictures!
Front View:
At the front of the 5235 you can see the 3.2″ Resistive Touchscreen that prominently takes up most of the space.
Underneath the screen are 3 keys which are the Green Calling Key, Menu Key and Red Call End Key respectively.These keys light up when they are used, and the Menu key pulsates or “breathes” to let you know the device is on, and to notify you of events such as a missed call, new text messages or new email. You can change this setting of course, in the Phone settings menu.
At the top of the Screen is a Proximity Sensor that shuts off the screen as you place the 5235 near your ear to make a call, etc. There’s no Front Facing VGA Camera though.
There’s also the “XpressMusic Key” which provides you with quick access to various media functions (just like on the 5800). Unfortch, this isnt lit though, so you might miss seeing this for the first couple times, when you first use your 5235.
There’s also the earpiece at the center. The Earpiece volume is fine and we’ve had no problems with it at all. We had no problems with Network reception either. The touchscreen on the Nokia 5235 is pretty much on par with the one on the 5800. The 3.2″ screen is displaying the same resolution as the 5800 and N97 screens. Things look “okay” on the 5235. A bit more crisper and less pixelated than the N97 (because it had a larger screen) but nothing new.
The screen is legible in direct sunlight. Not the best, but definitely not the worst.
Back View :
The back of the 5235 contains only the 2 Megapixel Standard Nokia Lens Camera.
There’s no Flash or Autofocus for the 5235’s camera. The back cover is sort of flimsy. And the way you have to peel it off the back doesnt aspire much confidence in the wear-and-tear of the back panel. Still, 1 month on and no problems here.
The single Stylus you get with the 5235, is housed in the back too, and securely fits back into the device. Be careful with the stylus, because you only get one. Not that you’ll need to use it, really. Just that you need it to take your SIM card out of the device.
Top View :
The top of the 5235 contains the power button. There’s also the charging port, 3.5mm Audio Jack and the microUSB port (with a hard plastic cover).
Unfortch the microUSB port cant be used to charge the device.
It’s only for data transfer. Disappointing, because we figured that would be a standard feature by now.
Bottom View :
The bottom of the 5235 is pretty minimal, containing only a tiny hole for the voice mic.
The slot you see is just a groove to help you take off the back panel.
Left View :
The left side of the 5235 has two large plastic covers. One for the contained SIM card slot, and the other for the microSD slot.
Its basically one large plastic cover that you have to open, to put in or take out the microSD or the SIM card. Whomever designed this method of putting-a-simcard-in must be pure evil, but if you’re a single SIM card kind of guy, it shouldnt bother you. You’ll still need that stylus to remove the SIM card though. There’s also the 5235’s single Mono speaker here. This is the 5235’s main drawback, in our opinion, as the single mono speaker is very tiny, and pretty quiet compared to most devices out today. To add to that, the loudspeaker quality (as you’d expect) isnt that great either, which means you probably wont want to use the 5235 as your Music Boom Box at all.
Right View :
The right side of the 5235 contains the Camera button, sliding keypad lock switch, and the Zoom in/out (aka Volume increase/decrease) rocker key at the extreme right side. The keys have pretty okay feedback to them.
No complaints here, but as we mentioned earlier, the sliding keypad lock switch does tend to get a bit loose over time. The Dedicated Camera key is just a normal button (ie: it’s not 2 stage like most other Nokia devices) since the 5235 doesnt have Auto-Focus.
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Conclusion:
[rating:3]
So like we said, hardware and software-wise it’s basically the same as the Nokia 5230 and Nokia 5233, except that it has 3G and GPS, and it comes with the Ovi Music Unlimited service.
You already know our opinion about the Nokia 5233 and about Ovi Music Unlimited. Does the combination of the two, make the 5235 an irresistible device?
Hardly. But it does make it a very good budget deal considering you’re getting a smartphone, with just about most of the basic features you’d want, and access to an “unlimited” supply of legal Music.
If only it had GPS though. That’s something we’ve come to depend on, on an everyday basis. And it has GPS too, which is definitely a good thing in our eyes.
So would we recommend the Nokia 5235? Only if you’re on a strict budget, and really want access to legal music.
Otherwise if 3G and GPS isnt important to you, there’s always the even-cheaper Nokia 5233.
Clinton is currently based in New Delhi, India and is executive editor for UnleashThePhones. He is responsible for all editorial decisions, and covers all forms of Mobile things.
Cj is addicted to caffeine, social media, and technology. Always up for a good conversation, you can reach him through the contact form, his website, on Google Plus 
or on Facebook or Twitter: Follow @clintonjeff
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