Nokia 6000 Series: Complete Guide — 6600, 6230, 6230i, 6630, 6300, 6500, 6700 Classic and the Best-Selling Series in History 2026

The Nokia 6000 Series isn't just "a series" — it's Nokia's commercial backbone for over a decade. Here we find the Nokia 6600, the phone that brought Symbian to the mass market, selling 150 million units. Here we find the Nokia 6300, the best-selling model of 2007 and still the most popular phone in Africa as of 2011. Here we find the Nokia 6630, the world's first phone capable of true global roaming including Japan. This is the most complete guide ever written in English on the entire Nokia 6000 Series — the series that, numerically, defined what "having a Nokia" meant for hundreds of millions of people.

1. History of the Nokia 6000 Series

Nokia's Commercial Backbone

Unlike the 7000 Series (design/fashion) or 8000 Series (luxury), the 6000 Series was Nokia's commercial heart — the "Classic Business Series" models that sold in huge volumes worldwide, from European markets to African and Asian ones.

Timeline of Key Models

2. Nokia 6600 — "Calimero", the First Mass-Market Symbian (2003)

Type: NHL-10 | Codename: Calimero | Announced: 16 June 2003 (alongside 3100, 6220, 7250i) | Available: August 2003 (NA), October 2003 (EU) | Launch price: ~€600 | Sales: 150 million units

The Nokia 6600 is one of the most important phones in Nokia's history — the first successful mass-market Symbian Series 60 phone.

Why the 6600 Succeeded While the 7650 Didn't

The Nokia 7650 (2002) was the first S60 phone, but remained a niche product. The 6600, released a year later, conquered the market thanks to three key factors:

1. Compact size — easier to handle than the 7650
2. Expandable storage — the 7650 had no memory card slot, the 6600 had MMC
3. Conventional keypad layout — the 3650 (the other S60 model of the era) had an awkward circular keypad; the 6600 had a traditional numeric keypad

"Try & Buy" — Nokia's Early App Store Concept

The Nokia 6600 shipped with a pre-installed 32 MB memory card containing demo apps under the "Try & Buy" programme — trial versions usable for free up to three times before purchase was required. A pioneering concept anticipating modern app store "lite" versions and in-app purchases.

The "Second Non-Communicator with Memory Card Slot"

The Nokia 6600 was the second non-Communicator Nokia phone (after the Nokia 3650) to feature a memory card slot — a technical detail we take for granted today but represented a storage management revolution on smartphones in 2003.

The 6600's legacy: many users consider it a "trendsetter" phone — proof that Symbian could work on an accessible, reliable, durable device. The 6600 demonstrated to Nokia (and the market) that smartphones could sell in feature-phone volumes.

👉 View Nokia 6600 available at Infosate

3. Nokia 6230 and 6230i — Series 40 with Camera and EDGE (2003/2005)

Available 6230: Q4 2003 | Available 6230i: 28 February 2005 (RM-72) | Predecessors: Nokia 6100, 6310i, 6610

Nokia 6230i — The 2005 Update

The 6230i (RM-72), released 28 February 2005, brought significant improvements:

6230i — Europe only: the Nokia 6230i was distributed exclusively for the European market.

👉 View Nokia 6230/6230i available at Infosate

4. Nokia 6630 — "Charlie", the First Truly Global Roaming Phone (2004)

Announced: 14 June 2004 | Available: October/November 2004 (Japan) | Codename: Charlie | Predecessor: Nokia 6600/6620 | Successor: Nokia 6680

The Nokia 6630 is one of the most underrated phones in Nokia's history — holding an absolute record rarely mentioned.

The World's First Phone with True Global Roaming

The Nokia 6630 was the first phone in the world to offer true global roaming — a major technical first. Before the 6630, GSM phones had near-global coverage except in Japan, where 2G standards differed (PDC, not GSM).

The 6630 solved this by automatically switching to the W-CDMA network in Japan — becoming the first device capable of working seamlessly on both global GSM networks and Japan's 3G network. This is why it was available in Japan as early as November 2004.

Charlie as Calimero's Evolution

Developed under the codename "Charlie", the 6630 was a direct evolution of the 6600 (Calimero) and 6620 — same Symbian S60 setup but on a 3G platform with OMAP 1710 at 220 MHz, nearly double the speed of the 6600.

👉 View Nokia 6630 available at Infosate

5. Nokia 6220 Classic — the "Budget N82" with Xenon (2008)

Announced: 11 February 2008 | Not to be confused with: Nokia 6220 from 2003 (different model)

The Nokia 6220 Classic (2008) is often described as the budget version of the Nokia N82 — same xenon flash on a more economical body, without WiFi and 3.5mm jack costs.

6220 Classic vs N82: both have a 5MP camera with xenon flash — an expensive, rare feature in 2007-2008. The 6220 Classic offered this premium photographic experience without WiFi and without a standard audio jack, making it appealing for those wanting "the N82's camera" at a lower price.

👉 View Nokia 6220 Classic available at Infosate

6. Nokia 6290 — First S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 (2006/2007)

First announced: November 2006 | Available: March 2007 | Predecessor: Nokia 6131 | Successors: Nokia 6650 fold, Nokia N81

The Nokia 6290 holds a specific technical first: it was the world's first device to run S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 — the Symbian platform update that would power many later models (including the E51 and E66 covered in our E-Series guide).

7. Nokia 6280 — 3G Slider (2005)

The Nokia 6280 was one of the mid-2000s 3G slider models — part of Nokia's transition toward sliding form factors with integrated 3G connectivity, during a period when the 6000 Series was diversifying form factors (bar, slider, flip) while maintaining its "Classic Business" positioning.

8. Nokia 6300 — Nokia's Best-Seller of 2007 (2007)

Announced: November 2006 | Available: January 2007 | Discontinued: May 2009 | Predecessor: Nokia 6100 | Successors: Nokia 6303 classic, Nokia 6700 classic | Manufactured in: Cluj-Napoca, Romania

The Nokia 6300 is one of the most important and enduring models in Nokia's commercial history — officially the best-selling Nokia handset of 2007, and according to an Economist report, still the most popular phone in Africa as of 2011, four years after launch.

Why the 6300 Was Such an Enduring Success

Reasons cited by reviewers at the time:

"Smart, understated" design — a discreet yet elegant design appealing to a wide audience, from professionals to casual users

Premium materials — the use of stainless steel in construction gave a "well built" solid feeling, rare in affordable feature phones

Tried-and-tested Series 40 interface — simple keypad layout, established interface, clear 2" QVGA display

Complete features without excess — MP3 player, FM radio, expandable microSD storage, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, 2007-era web browser and email client

Acknowledged Flaws

Reviews of the era honestly acknowledged the limits: basic 2MP camera, no 3G, and small battery with only 3.5 hours talk time. The successor Nokia 6303 Classic improved many of these aspects, but the 6700 Classic was considered the "better all-round replacement".

Variants of the 6300

PCB Sharing with the Nokia 3110 classic

The Nokia 3110 classic is based on the same motherboard as the 6300 — but with a different design and lower-resolution screen. The 3110 classic, however, has infrared, absent on the 6300 — a rare "feature trade-off" detail between two models sharing the same base hardware.

The 6300 in Africa in 2011: according to The Economist, four years after launch the 6300 was still the most popular phone across the African continent — extremely rare commercial longevity in an industry where models become obsolete within 1-2 years.

👉 View Nokia 6300 available at Infosate

9. Nokia 6500 classic — The Thinnest Nokia of Its Era (2007)

Announced: 31 May 2007 | Available: September/October 2007 | Predecessor: Nokia 6233 | Successor: Nokia 6700 classic

The thinness milestone: when the 6500 classic launched in October 2007, its 9.5 mm thickness made it the thinnest phone Nokia had ever produced up to that point — a record that didn't last long given the sector's rapid evolution, but significant for its time.

👉 View Nokia 6500 classic available at Infosate

10. Nokia 6700 classic — The Premium Successor to the 6300 (2009)

Announced: 29 January 2009 | Available: June 2009 (Europe) | Predecessors: Nokia 6300, Nokia 6500 classic | Manufactured in: Hungary | Production ended: mid-2012

The Nokia 6700 classic was designed to replace both the 6300 and 6500 classic with a more premium design — stainless steel body and chrome-plated keypad.

6700 vs 6300 — The Generational Leap

Production until 2012: despite the rise of touchscreen smartphones, some 6700 classic units remained on sale over a year after official production ended — evidence of persistent demand for quality feature phones even in the smartphone era.

👉 View Nokia 6700 classic available at Infosate

11. Nokia 6000 Series Secret Codes — Complete List

Symbian S60 Models (6600, 6630, 6280, 6220 Classic, 6290)

Series 40 Models (6230/6230i, 6300, 6500 classic, 6700 classic)

Model Identification via *#0000#

12. Complete 6000 Series Comparison

13. Nokia 6000 Series Collector Value 2026

Most interesting for collectors:

• Nokia 6600 — historic piece, first mass-market Symbian, less common Rose and Brown colours
• Nokia 6630 — underrated "first global roaming" technical first
• Nokia 6300i — exclusive Europe variant with WiFi/VoIP, rarer than standard 6300
• Nokia 6700 classic — Nokia's last great premium feature phone before the touch era

14. How to Check a Used Nokia 6000 Series Phone

Symbian S60 models (6600, 6630, 6280, 6220 Classic, 6290):

1. *#06# + *#0000# — IMEI and software version
2. *#92702689# — serial number, month/year of manufacture
3. 6600: check working MMC slot and whether Try & Buy is still present
4. 6630: test 3G/UMTS connection if network available
5. 6220 Classic: test the xenon flash — should produce a sharp flash, not a continuous LED

Series 40 models (6230/6230i, 6300, 6500 classic, 6700 classic):

1. *#06# + *#0000# — verify the type (RH-12/RH-28/RM-72/RM-322 etc.) matches the declared model
2. *#92702689# — life timer and serial number
3. 6300: check stainless steel for scratches/oxidation, working mini-USB connector
4. 6500 classic: check brushed aluminium integrity — easily marked
5. 6700 classic: test A-GPS with Nokia Maps, verify accelerometer (screen rotation)
6. 6230i: check USB Mass Storage — connect to PC, should appear as a drive without drivers

Original Nokia 6000 Series at Infosate

At Infosate you'll find a selection of original Nokia 6000 Series phones — 6600, 6230, 6630, 6300, 6500 classic, 6700 classic and other models from Nokia's best-selling series ever, all verified before shipping.

👉 Explore the Nokia 6000 Series collection at Infosate