The Nokia 5230 has proven something of a sleeper success story. This entry-level smartphone may be a stripped down Nokia 5800 but for those on a budget it has proven popular and highly effective. However, with Symbian^3 now offered in such devices as the Nokia C6-01 and Nokia C7 now may be the perfect time to think about upgrading. Here we help you decide whether the Nokia C6-01 or Nokia C7 could be your new Nokia 5230…

The Nokia 5230 is a great little budget smartphone. Taking the look and styling of the Nokia 5800 but stripped down, it may have missed a few modern day essentials but for the price it’s a great all-rounder. However, if you’re in the market for something a little more mainstream and don’t want the high-end gloss that is the Nokia N8, then we reckon the current choice of either the Nokia C6-01 or Nokia C7 will certainly serve you well.

Nokia C7 or Nokia 5230?

The Nokia C7 may not seem the most logical choice, as this smartphone is intended for mid- to high-end users. The 3.5-inch AMOLED screen is something of a step-up compared to the 3.2-inch transmissive touchscreen of the Nokia 5230 but you’ll be glad you made the move as images look pin-sharp and the extra size makes webpages easier to view and navigate.

Check out our Nokia C7 Ultimate User Guide

The use of the Symbian^3 operating system means you’ll be able to use all your old favourite apps and thanks to a beefed-up processor, things will fly by at the blink of an eye. Then there are features missing with the Nokia 5230, such as Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G data speeds, so the whole mobile computing world will feel faster and more connected.

Nokia C6-01 or Nokia 5230?

However, if you’re looking for something more pocket-conscious, how about considering the Nokia C6-01? This may well be the most obvious choice as it shares the same 3.2-inch screen size as the Nokia 5230.

What's more, you'll find the Nokia C6-01 has the clear edge. After all, the Nokia C6-01 is the first Nokia smartphone to use Nokia’s stunning new ClearBlack display technology, while the capacitive screen makes it finger-tapping friendly. What’s more, the AMOLED screen is ideal for those who put emphasis on image quality and brightness without impacting on battery life.

The big news with the Nokia C6-01, though, has to be the use of an 8-Megapixel CCD camera. What’s more, you’ll also find the same camera being used on the Nokia C7, putting the rather meek and mild 2-Megapixel camera of the Nokia 5230 in the shade. Suddenly you’ll find that photography on your smartphone has a whole new lease of life.

Storage has also been beefed up on the Nokia C6-01, as you’ll now find 340MB of user memory free on the device and support for 32GB of storage using a microSD card, so storing all you music and videos has never been easier.

The Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01 are both available now, so the question remains, which is you’ll ideal choice as an upgrade from the Nokia 5230? Let us know which one you’re going to pick by leaving a Comment in the box below.