30The Nokia C6-01 is the smallest Symbian ^3 smartphone we've seen to date, and it's also one of the most impressive. With a compact 3.2-inch screen, what's it like when it comes to texting, however? Join us after the break for our Nokia C6-01 keyboard review...

The physical difference between the Nokia C6-01 and the Nokia N8 may not be that much – at 3.2 inches rather than 3.5 inches – but it feels like a lot more. The Nokia C6-01 is one of the smallest smartphones we've seen in recent years, so you may be wondering if it comes at the price of usability.

Check out our Nokia C6-01 review!

In some ways, it's actually the opposite, and the Nokia C6-01 is better for having a smaller screen. We'll get to that in a moment, however. In portrait mode, you'll find the same alpha-numeric arrangement as the Nokia N8 and other Symbian ^3 smartphones. We've installed Swype on our Nokia C6-01, but you'll still get a similar keyboard when holding the phone upright.

There are three letters to a key – as with normal non-touchscreen phones, and it couldn't be easier to use. Because the keys don't have to be as small as QWERTY ones, there's a lot more space per button, so mistakes happen less frequently.

Those of you with small hands may actually prefer the QWERTY landscape keyboard, as it's more suited to a smaller form factor. We found the Nokia N8 slightly too wide for comfortable use with Swype, but it's a lot easier to wrap small hands around the Nokia C6-01 as you type.

It's definitely worth installing Swype on your Nokia C6-01 – even if you don't get round to using it properly. You can still press each of the keys individually – rather than swiping a finger across several – but it comes with the advantage of being able to press and hold a key to get a secondary character, such as an exclamation mark or question mark.

Find out more about Swype in our full Swype review!

The regular non-Swype QWERTY keyboard is still more than usable, with decent text correction and a responsive feel, but it loses out when needing lesser used characters. Instead of being able to press and hold, you'll have to click a menu button, and then find the character you want, which takes more time.

Overall, then, the Nokia C6-01 is easily capable of matching its larger siblings when it comes to texting and emails. The keyboard may be smaller, but it's no less usable, helping to make this a great smartphone.

Check out our Nokia C6-01 keyboard and texting photo gallery below: