The Nokia 6303 Classic is a mainstream phone designed to replace the Nokia 6300, which is one of the best selling Nokia phones of recent years. That’s a pretty stiff challenge Nokia has set itself, so we thought we’d better check the Nokia 6303 Classic out for ourselves. Check out how we got on with our Nokia 6303 Classic review…

The Nokia 6303 Classic has a pretty stiff job ahead of it, as it needs to convince everyone who currently owns a Nokia 6300 that it’s time to upgrade.

After all, the Nokia 6300 will go down in history as one of those phones that just worked. It delivered exactly what it set out to deliver, a great handset for the every day consumer.

The first you notice about the Nokia 6303 Classic is the design, quickly followed by the build quality. The shape gives the 6303 the appearance of a slider-phone when open. However, this is very much a candybar phone – it’s just that the screen and main function keys sit on a raised ledge above the number-pad.

It may be a design that splits opinion but one thing all will agree on is the build quality. The stainless steel case just feels fantastic in the hand. The Nokia 6303 Classic is simply one of those phones you don’t need to worry about, as its tough enough to look after itself.

Check out the Nokia 6303 Classic unboxing

The 2.2-inch screen has a standard 320 x 240-pixel resolution and is pretty sharp for a phone that costs less than £100 on Pre-pay. The menu and call buttons share the same space and sit either side of the D-pad, which is a little small but responds well. Even the backlit number pad has good sized keys and react quickly as you write a text or punch in a number.

Check out the Nokia 6303 Classic tech spec

Of the new features, the 3.2-Megapixel camera is worthy of mention, as it offers a decent resolution. You won’t find a dedicated camera button, but you can use the Volume controls on the side of the Nokia 6303 Classic for zoom functions.

When you want to take pictures you use the D-Pad. In reality, we found images a little slow to save, highlighting that this is a mainstream phone and not a dedicated camera device like the Nokia N86 8MP. However, image quality is more than acceptable.

Running the Nokia Series 40 operating system, the Nokia 6303 Classic has a streamlined interface compared to the Nokia 6700 Classic, for example, but it has all the functions we’ve come to expect from a good all-round Nokia device. So, you’ll find the Opera Mini web browser is pre-installed, as is Nokia Maps. With no GPS built-in you can use the maps but you’ll be reliant on adding an external antenna.

However, where the Nokia 6303 Classic wins out is in terms of battery life, as it’ll easily deliver over five hours of talk time between charges. We’ve been happy with the performance of the Nokia 6303 Classic, as it’s a nice phone and really easy to use.

So, does the Nokia 6303 Classic live up to its task of convincing people it’s time to upgrade from the Nokia 6300 to this fresh faced version? We think so, as the Nokia 6303 Classic is a damn-near perfect phone for anyone who just needs to basics done, but done exceedingly well.

Check out the Nokia 6303 Classic review image gallery: