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Nokia's three new XpressMusic handsets

Three new XpressMusic handsets have exploded from the creative minds within the world's biggest mobile phone company, but you'd be excused if you had trouble differentiating them from the last batch.

Joseph Hanlon Special to CNET News
Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.
Joseph Hanlon
2 min read

Line-up: the 5030 XpressRadio and the 5330 and 5730 XpressMusic
(Credit: Nokia)

Like music? Of course you do. Do you want a music-orientated phone that isn't the iPhone? Nokia hopes to entice you with these.

Three new XpressMusic handsets have exploded from the creative minds within the world's biggest mobile phone company, but you'd be excused if you had trouble differentiating them from the last batch of XpressMusic releases.

The 5730 leads the pack with a full QWERTY keyboard hidden beneath the facade of an otherwise common looking candybar. Equipped with the full complement of smartphone components, HSDPA, WiFi and A-GPS, but coated in a colourful splash of disco neons, the 5730 is the mobile phone equivalent of a mullet: business on top, party out the back.

Like henchmen to a school bully, the 5330 XpressMusic and 5030 XpressRadio follow the cool 5730 into the market. The 5330 looks like last year's 5320 XpressMusic dressed in a new outfit. Sporting 3G data speeds, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a bundled 2GB memory card, the 5330 seems serviceable but not particularly exciting. Though, Nokia's claim of 26 hours of music playback on the 5330 is impressive nonetheless.

The 5030 XpressRadio is an interesting proposition. Like the Sony Ericsson R306, the 5030 will be a music phone with an emphasis on radio. Nokia has installed an FM antenna inside the handset, doing away with the need to plug in the bundled headset to pick up your favourite radio station. That this is the big selling point for the 5030, you can expect it to be the cheapest of the bunch by a significant sum.

The 5030 XpressRadio will be in stores in the second quarter of 2009, while the 5330 and 5730 will come later in the third quarter. Local pricing for the handsets will be announced closer to these dates.