The Nokia C5-03 has been taking up plenty of our time of late, as this nicely crafted 3.2-inch smartphone has a great touch and feel to it, while the build quality means it’ll easily cope with a busy life on the move. So, what is exactly on offer with the Nokia C5-03? Check out our Nokia C5-03 build and design review and find out.

The Nokia C5-03 makes the most of its 3.2-inch touchscreen display by pretty much doing away with anything on the main face. You’ll find a single rocker button below the display, which manages to pack all three function keys on-board, so you’ll find, call start and end buttons and a Menu button sandwiched in between the two.

Check out our Nokia C5-03 review

We really like the layout and design and the fact this is an incredibly slim smartphone makes it a very mainstream and highly usable device. Juts because it has a popularist look, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a cheap and cheerful device. Far from it, as we’ve found it to be rather touch and resilient, as the casing feels nice and tough.

On the back of the Nokia C5-03 you’ll find the backplate takes up almost nine tenths of the space and is a single piece of plastic. It’s shaped around the sides of the Nokia C5-03, so getting it prised off and the battery inserted can be a little tricky. On the plus side, this does mean that it won’t come flying out and spill the battery and SIM card out should you drop it.

Previous smartphones, such as the Nokia X6 and even the Nokia N8 have a switch on the side that unlocks the screen. With the Nokia C5-03 there is a button that you press and then you tap the Unlock button on the screen. We liked this approach when it appeared on the Nokia X3-02 Touch and Type and Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type and really like it here as it makes firing up the device really quick and easy.

Considering the Nokia C5-03 is really light in the hand, this feels quite a resilient piece of kit. The 5-Megapixel CCD camera on the back sits in a small dip, so it can’t be scratched too easily. With no hardware camera button you’ll need to press the icon on the screen to take snaps but this is all fairly straightforward.

Buttons and ports are kept to a minimum, so along with the Lock button on the right-hand side is the standard Volume/Zoom control rocker, while on the top is a USB port and 3.5mm audio jack. The base has a single port for the 2mm charge connector and that’s it. You’ll find the microSD slot hidden away on the side, under the backplate.

With an asking price of £189 (inc. VAT) SIM free, the Nokia C5-03 is a good all-round smartphone. The Nokia C5-03 is a simple and understated device that packs in plenty of charm and usability into its slim frame. If you’re looking for a no-fuss smartphone, the Nokia C5-03 is worth checking out.