Wow, almost two-years of reviews for the Nokia 5165. Pretty impressive that this model is still offered and appreciated in the buy/replace/toss cellular phone market.

I've had this phone for about a year now and really like it. The size is good, the reception is good, and the features are good.

I don't understand the need for people to continually ask for smaller and smaller cell phones. If the phones get any smaller, I'll go crazy. I like to hold a phone in my hand that has SOME substance!! I was reluctant to give up my old Nokia 2160 with a retractable antenna. I live in an area with really spotty cell coverage. Cingular or Verizon subscribers...don't even bother thinking you will get good coverage on the Central Coast of CA!!! But the Nokia 5165 with Cellular One (AT&T) has surprised me with its reception. The "angled-out" stubby antenna (protects me from a brain tumor, I guess) actually provides good reception. The 99-number phone book fits my needs perfectly...along with its CallerID function.

Battery life and cell reception displays seem to be very accurate and the messages display, call log, settings system, clock, answer tones, and even the games selections are easy to access with the "one touch" MENU key. One drawback with the "one touch" key is when it comes to ending a call or dealing with call waiting or retrieving voicemail: sometimes you need to scroll through a selection. A nice item about Nokias is when you get a voice message (if you have that service) is hitting the #1 key for auto voice mail retrieval. With my voicemail service I get a beep (adjustable) and a visual notice in the screen. I was able to get rid of my pager with this phone!

The 5165 also has a lot of flexiblity, as mentioned by other reviewers for items such as replacing the face plate (inexpensively) getting after-market accessories, etc.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 25