Nokia 5165 Phone (AT&T)

• Simple-to-use navigation buttons and graphical screens
• Large 5-line screen
• Changeable faceplates allow personalization
• E-mail and wireless business-card capabilities
• Up to 180 minutes of talk time and 200 hours of digital standby time; includes NiMH battery, charger, and headset

Weighing in at 6.2 ounces (including battery), the highly portable 5165 measures 5.2 inches high, 1.85 inches wide, and 1.2 inches deep, not counting a stubby antenna that extends another 0.7 inches. Extremely rugged, it should stand up well to being thrown into bags and briefcases or occasionally dropped.

Four buttons handle most menu navigation: a hefty "Navi" key in the middle, up and down arrow buttons that control volume during calls, and a key marked "C" for "clear". Menu navigation is very intuitive. A tap of the Navi key brings up the first of a series of graphical menu items. Hit Navi again for additional menu options, or tap the up or down arrow keys to select a different menu. Top-level menu choices are a phone book, messages (SMS and voice-mail alerts), call log, settings (for calls, phone, and security), system, games (Memory, Snake, and Logic), clock, tones, and keypad lock. The brightly backlit display works well with the control keys to simplify finding and making choices. In text mode, the phone provides five 16-character lines.

The 5165 lets you choose from 30 preprogrammed ringer tones. You can also download an additional five from your service provider's Web site, if applicable. Although there's no internal vibration mode, an optional vibrating battery is available. You can store electronic business cards in your phone book. Any friend or associate can forward his or her name, number, and e-mail address to your phone, and you can automatically store the information with some deft menu navigation.

One caveat regarding faceplates: In theory, all 5100-series faceplates should work with this phone, but in practice, only Nokia-brand faceplates seem to work. The problem is the keypad, the thin rubber pad inside the phone on which the actual keys are mounted. We tried several different faceplate models (both Nokia-branded and after-market models) and found the 5165's original keypad will not accommodate non-Nokia faceplates.

The 5165 supports the usual array of call and messaging features. If the services are supported by your carrier, you can use this phone with caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and voice-mail alerts. A call history stores the last 10 numbers dialed, the 10 most recently received calls, and the last 10 missed calls. The phone supports two-way SMS text messaging, but isn't WAP- or Internet-enabled.

The 5165 offers four basic security features: an initial security code, a keypad lock, call-restriction modes, and a lock code that can activate or deactivate memory and menu options. The lock-code feature lets you store numbers in a secret unlocked location, allowing you to make calls even if the phone is locked.

The 5165's NiMH battery is rated to last up to 180 minutes of digital talk time and 200 hours of digital standby time. In our testing, we achieved 180 minutes of digital talk time and over 225 hours of digital standby time.

Overall, Nokia's 5165 is a noteworthy and reasonably priced addition to its 5100-series phones. Choose your favorite faceplate color and ringer tone and start dialing! --Brown Consulting Associates & Thom Arno

Pros:

• Changeable faceplates
• Portable; intuitive to use
• 5-line screen
• Huge range of Nokia and third-party accessories

Cons:

• Lacks standard vibration mode
• Not Web-enabled

How We Tested Battery-Talk/Standby Time

When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery-charging methods and history, will affect performance. When handset manufacturers and mobile-phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery-life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, as analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.

Our Tests: We tested digital-mode talk and standby times with each phone. Prior to each test, we fully charged the phone's battery according to the manufacturer's directions. To test digital-phone talk time, we turned the phone on, established a digital-carrier signal, dialed a number in our test lab, and, when the call rang through, took the receiving phone's handset off the hook. When all went well, we simply recorded the time when the phone died. In a couple of cases, the phones lost the signal and dropped the calls. If we were right there and could redial, we did so immediately and continued running the test. Otherwise, we halted the test, recharged the battery, and restarted the test. Assuming consistent carrier-signal strength, this test should represent best-case talk time. It's worth noting the talk-time performance of several phones significantly exceeded the manufacturers' ratings.

To test digital-phone standby time, we turned the phone on, established a carrier signal, and left the phone in standby mode. We checked the phone every few hours (for what was often days on end) until the phone finally cut out. As no outgoing or incoming calls occurred during testing, and because the phone was not moved, this method should represent best-case standby time, again assuming consistent carrier-signal strength.