EVEN if you have no intention of using your mobile phone as an MP3 player, you have to check out the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic.

Why? Simply because its design is probably one of the most exciting I have seen from the giant phone-maker in a while. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this is the sexiest Nokia phone in the market now.

Like the 5300, predecessor in the same series, the 5310 has dedicated music playback buttons on the left bezel of its screen.The 5310's metallic blue bezel (also available in red) and black buttons on a grey body is classy. It is also noticeably slimmer and lighter, coming in at just 9.9mm thin and a mere 70.2g.

For music lovers, it has all the right stuff that makes an excellent MP3 phone. Other than dedicated playback buttons, both the phone and its included stereo headset come with a 3.5mm standard headphone jack so that you can plug in your own headphones. This is important as bundled earphones are usually of average quality and the cans in the 5310 package are no exception.

I connected my own earphones and was rewarded with a solid musical performance from the 5310. Sound quality was pretty much on par with my Creative Zen MP3 player.

Other than supporting different music formats like MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, M4A and WMA, the phone also plays rights-protected (WMDRM) songs. This means you can play music purchased from the new Nokia music store when it opens in Asia in 'the coming months, with the exact date to be confirmed', as Nokia puts it.

Still, the 5310 has another treat for music fans - it comes preloaded with music videos from Linkin Park, Josh Groban and The Click Five.

One of the most common grouses about using mobile phones as MP3 players is battery life. Nokia claims an 18-hour playback time and I did my own experiment to test the claim.

After a typical day of usage - I used the 5310 as a talk devicee at work, turned on the shuffle mode in the MP3 player and left it to play songs through my stereo set at home. Though usage did not come up to the 18 hours promised, I had nearly eight hours' worth of music. Not bad!

FINAL SAY

Nokia may have hit on the right formula for a great MP3 phone - good sound quality and excellent battery life combined with good looks.

Nokia 5310 XpressMusic
» $528 (without operator plan)
» Get it from authorised Nokia dealers