Nokia X3

The Nokia X3 is one of a pair of "X Series" devices announced by Nokia, along with the X6. This new series designation is for multimedia entertainment phones, and it seems to be roughly equivalent to the old "XpressMusic" name. Curiously, both phones are also named the same as large BMWs, and we think that Nokia have painted themselves into a corner a little bit when it comes to squeezing new phones into the range.

Unlike most other recent announcements from Nokia, the Nokia X3 is a pretty inexpensive device priced at about €115 SIM-free, presumably before tax. For this you get a pretty straightforward GSM-only device with a 2.2" 240 x 320 pixel display, a fairly basic 3.2 megapixel camera, dedicated media playback keys, microSD expandable memory, an FM radio and stereo Bluetooth.

Nokia are pushing this as a multimedia phone, and it is also the first S40 device that can talk to the Ovi Store directly. The music player copes with most major formats and there's a 3.5mm audio socket or you can use the stereo speakers for playback. One neat thing with the FM radio is that the antenna is already built into the phone, so you don't need to plug headphones in to get a signal.

There's a web browser and email client, and you can upload images to Flickr and Ovi if you are prepared to put up with a 2G connection that is. We'd like this phone a lot more if it had 3G.. but it doesn't.

One interesting side note is that the X3 has been designed to be highly recyclable - up to 80% of the components can be recycled, and it also uses a high proportion of recycled material in its packaging. Nokia have also reduce the number of toxic chemicals used in the X3's manufacture and the charger reminds you to unplug it from the phone when the battery is full.

The standard sales package includes a 2GB microSD card to get you started, plus a stereo wired headset and a USB cable.

If you're looking for an attractive GSM-only music phone that isn't too expensive, then the Nokia X3 seems to offer everything you need in the box. Nokia say that the X3 should be available during Q4 2009 in Red/Black and Blue/Silver colour combinations.. it may well make an ideal Christmas gift for someone!