Nokia 7610 Supernova

When you think of recycling, it's usually this that comes to mind...

However, Nokia's policy of sticking to 4-digit models meant that they'll eventually run out of numbers (even for the Nseries - what comes after N99). So someone in Finland had the bright idea of recycling model numbers.

The Nokia 7610 Supernova. Yes, Nokia have zombified my good old 7610.

Let's go back 4 years ago in 2004. Nokia launched the world's first fashion & design-oriented smartphone! With cutting-edge specs (first megapixel phone) & an exquisite elegance with its curved edges, the 7610 was meant to break an unspoken rule - that smartphones were meant to be unstylish. The Nokia 7610 was one of the most successful phones ever & it's still being sold (last time I checked it was around Rs 5000).

So what would a mid-end successor stand against its flagship namesake. In terms of specs, there have obviously been some major improvements. You can check the original Nokia 7610 specs on Wiki.
The Nokia 7610 Supernova has the following Key Features

• Fashionable slider with smooth curves
• Exchangeable XpressOn-covers
• Theme Colorizer with color detection and automatic setting of navigation key illumination and wallpaper color
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash and 8x digital zoom
• TV out for image sharing and Instant messaging
• Background Noise Cancellation
• Stereo music player with dedicated music key supporting MP3, AAC, and AAC+, and RDS stereo FM Radio
• XHTML browser

Technical Profile

• System: GSM/EGSM Quadband 850/900/1800/1900
• User Interface: Series 40 platform
• Dimensions: 98 mm x 48 mm x 15 mm (L x W x H)
• Volume: 63 cc
• Weight: 99 g
• Standby time: Up to 12.5 days
• Talk time: Up to 8,4 hours
• Main display: 240 x 320 QVGA,  16 million colors
• Battery: BL-4S, 860 mAh, Li-Ion
• Memory: 30MB free user memory plus support for microSD memory card up to 2GB

Camera:

• Image capture:  up to 3.2 megapixel (2048x1536) JPG 24bit color
• Video capture:  VGA (640x480) at 15 fps

Data Services and Connectivity:

• GPRS multislot class 32 (31 in China), up to 100 kbps
• EDGE multislot class 32 (31 in China), up to 296 kbps
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Micro USB

The 7610 Supernova is a slider, compared to the candybar that is the 7610 v1. In terms of design, it's much less revolutionary but nevertheless stylish enough for fashion conscious target market.

Hands-on Video

The lesser cousins…
7210 Supernova

A slim candybar with almost the same specs except here there’s no TV out, the battery is smaller & the camera’s only 2MP.

7310 Supernova

Same specs as the 7210, but better display, TV out & better recording with the 2MP camera.

7510 Supernova

A folding phone with same specs as the 7310, with better battery life… 

The Verdict

So is the clone better than the original? The final answer is a blatant NO! No matter what the specs, the 7610 Supernova is as distant as the nearest supernova from Earth from being a smartphone - it runs a lowly S40 v3! Yet again, my beloved S60-powered 7610 lives on until a suitable heir comes along...