Review of GSM/UMTS-smartphone Nokia E71

Mobile-review have posted their review of the Nokia E71 smartphone. Here is their final impression.

Call quality was never an issue with the E71, as it easily lived up to our expectations of a Nokia-branded phone. Ring tones sounded quite loud and we were happy with them even in noisy environments. The vibro alter was of moderate strength.

As of today, no other device on the market can stand up to the Nokia E71, as, by and large, every QWERTY-enabled device these days is unique in its own way. So how do we assess the performance of such phones? In my opinion, the leading criteria should be the thumbboard quality and functionality. As far as the Nokia E71 goes, it retains a pretty mediocre keyboard that fares on par with other offerings out there; it’s quite another matter, though, that its close sibling, the Nokia E61i had an absolutely stellar thumbboard. But when it comes to functionality, the Nokia E71 is second to none in its price segment – no Windows Mobile device can put up a similar pack of applications and features, although some of them boast touch-sensitive displays.

It’s not a coincidence that Nokia has put the E66 and E71 in one line-up – in fact it’s one phone that comes in two designs, each retaining a different keypad and form-factor. The sliding E66 has just as many metallic accents in its casing, and a different display orientation. But given their identical price tags, both revolving around the level of 350 Euro, the choice is not all that clear-cut. Most consumers will definitely go for the E66, and its QWERTY-enabled iteration will enjoy much more modest sales; the ratio will float around 80 to 20 in favor of the E66. Being aware of this situation, in order to boost the E71’s sales Nokia has launched it before the E66.

The Nokia E71 is set to land in Russian early in August. Those of you who are expecting its price to soar down will be disappointed to learn that its price curve won’t see any sharp turns down the road. Later in August the market will see the E66’s release that will retail for around 60-70 USD more, which is well-justified, as it’s a truly decent phone that will outshine its predecessor, the E65, hands down.

The SAR value for the E71 is 1.33 W/kg