There’s a Nokia 6500 Slide, and a Nokia 6500 Classic, just to muddy the waters a little. They’re much the same, although with the 6500 Classic there’s more of an emphasis on the camera and music. The Slide has a little more to offer, even though it’s not a high end Nokia mobile phone.

What sets it apart from most Nokia handsets is that the company has certainly done its research when it comes to the camera. It might be just an average 3.2 megapixels, but that’s topped up by Carl Zeiss optics, along with an LED photo light and autofocus to make it something far more than the ordinary.

When it comes to music, the player is set up to support virtually all of the common file formats. The sound is good, and users can add a microSD card to give up to 8GB extra memory – which amounts to quite a few tunes. The handset also boasts an FM radio, just to add musical (or talk) variety.

Surprisingly for Nokia, what really lets the 6500 Slide down is its design. It just doesn’t feel right – it is a little awkward and bulky in the pocket. That’s unusual for Nokia, which is generally very attentive to feel, size and weight.

For anyone seeking out a good camera phone that’s also more than acceptable with music, the Nokia 6500 Slide represents a good, if not perfect, choice. The company makes better models but it is solid, not likely to break if dropped, and the price is right.