Nokia's latest model to target the teen market, the 3395, has all the pros of the model it's replacing, plus some appreciable improvements, including more downloadable ring tones, animated screensavers, and wireless Web access. In terms of value, the 3395 is a better deal than the 3390. If you're in the market for a feature-rich starter phone that won't take up a lot of space in your purse or pocket and can live without analog roaming, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal.
The 3395 has the same look and feel as the 3390, which makes it slightly bigger (4.2 ounces; 4.3 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches) than Nokia's 8260 and 8290 handsets. Apart from size, the main differences are the 3395's three function keys (the 8260 and 8290 have six) and its interchangeable Xpress-on covers. The 3395's three keys allow you to maneuver through the phone's menu and make calls. Like the 3390, the 3395 also has a backlit keypad, and although the keys are small, they're spaced far enough apart to prevent misdials.
Nokia has seven different sets of covers for the front and back of the 3395. Like the 3390, you can change the entire color of the phone, or you can give it two-tone flare by swapping different covers for the front and back. We did find that it was easier to change the faceplates once we did it a couple of times. As noted, from both a price and design standpoint, the 3395 is geared to younger users, and Nokia rounds out the teen slant with five built-in games. Along with the titles found in the 3390 (Space Impact 2, Snake II, Bantumi, and Pairs II) the company has added Bumper, a virtual pinball offering that allows you to set the phone to vibrate when the ball hits a bumper. We're not talking Game Boy level here, but the games are mildly entertaining and didn't suck as much energy from the battery as we thought they might. The 3395 also has text and picture messaging. However, if you send a picture or text message to a phone that doesn't support this service, your message will bounce back.
Those less interested in the phone's entertainment features should note that the 3395 features voice dialing, a built-in calendar, a calculator, caller ID, vibrate alert, a 250-name phone book, an alarm clock, and a keypad lock. Its also accepts virtual business cards via SMS. The phone took less than an hour to fully charge, and we surpassed the rated talk time of 2.5 hours by half an hour. Unfortunately, we didn't fare as well with standby time. We clocked 96 hours instead of the rated 132 hours. That's a tad disappointing since Nokia phones usually have more impressive standby times. On the other hand, calls on the single band (GSM 1900) 3395 were clear on Cingular's GSM service in New York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.
Nokia has seven different sets of covers for the front and back of the 3395. Like the 3390, you can change the entire color of the phone, or you can give it two-tone flare by swapping different covers for the front and back. We did find that it was easier to change the faceplates once we did it a couple of times. As noted, from both a price and design standpoint, the 3395 is geared to younger users, and Nokia rounds out the teen slant with five built-in games. Along with the titles found in the 3390 (Space Impact 2, Snake II, Bantumi, and Pairs II) the company has added Bumper, a virtual pinball offering that allows you to set the phone to vibrate when the ball hits a bumper. We're not talking Game Boy level here, but the games are mildly entertaining and didn't suck as much energy from the battery as we thought they might. The 3395 also has text and picture messaging. However, if you send a picture or text message to a phone that doesn't support this service, your message will bounce back.
Those less interested in the phone's entertainment features should note that the 3395 features voice dialing, a built-in calendar, a calculator, caller ID, vibrate alert, a 250-name phone book, an alarm clock, and a keypad lock. Its also accepts virtual business cards via SMS. The phone took less than an hour to fully charge, and we surpassed the rated talk time of 2.5 hours by half an hour. Unfortunately, we didn't fare as well with standby time. We clocked 96 hours instead of the rated 132 hours. That's a tad disappointing since Nokia phones usually have more impressive standby times. On the other hand, calls on the single band (GSM 1900) 3395 were clear on Cingular's GSM service in New York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.
6.3
Nokia 3395
Score Breakdown
Design 6Features 6Performance 7