Not everyone needs all the features found in a modern high-end smartphone, and in many cases paying the extra cost for seldom-used features will be a waste of money. While Nokia has phones like its impressive N97 to compete with the latest generation smartphones from HTC and Apple, it also has a great selection of cheaper phones designed to meet the needs of users who want a large touchscreen device, but they don’t need extras like Wi-Fi or a super megapixel camera.

The Nokia 5230 is a great new model in the Nokia Music Phone range, designed to be ideal as a personal media player as well as a phone. A standout feature of the Nokia 5230 is the display, which is large at 3.2 inches and also high-resolution. This makes it ideal for browsing the web as well as browsing your music collection. There’s a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can still use your favorite headphones, plus an FM radio.

In addition to its multimedia playback capabilities, the Nokia 5230 has plenty of features for a mid-range smartphone, with its 2-megapixel camera that can record video at 30fps and a GPS sensor that allows it to work with Ovi Maps. The 5230 has a 3G HSDPA connection for fast web page downloading and the onboard storage can be expanded up to 16Gb with the use of a MicroSD card.

The fast 3G connection means a great online browsing experience, making the Nokia 5230 ideal for keeping up with your email and social networking contacts. The 5230 comes with the new Ovi Maps software, which together with the built-in GPS sensor, gives you voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, right out of the box, for free. The 5230 can also access the new Ovi Store, where you can download additional apps and games for your phone.

If you need a powerful phone that can run the latest mobile games, want a phone that can replace your digital camera, or serve as a portable video player, the Nokia 5230 may not be on your list of candidate phones. However, if your needs are more basic, then the Nokia 5230 is an excellent mid-range touchscreen smartphone that is definitely worth considering.