Nokia E66 Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design

The E66 is a slider phone with understated good looks and a slim profile. The device does have some heft to it, and like any phone with moving parts we have some concerns about durability.

Front Closed
From the front the Nokia E66 is dominated by its 2.4 inch display. Above the display is the speaker for the phone with a small pinhole VGA camera for video calls. Below the display are the D-Pad surrounded by the controls.

Front closed, notice the dark controls.

Front Open
Opening up the slider will reveal the keypad. 

Opening the slide reveals the keypad.

Left
On the left side of the E66 is the 2.5mm headphone jack near the top and a Micro USB port with a tethered cover towards the bottom. Just below the Micro USB slot is an Infrared window and below it one of the battery release buttons.

On the left is the headset and Micro USB port.

Top
On the top of the Nokia E66 is the red power button.

On the top the power button.

Bottom
On the bottom of the E66 you find the slim port for Nokia's proprietary charger.

On the bottom the charging port.

Right
On the right side of the Nokia E66 you find the volume keys near the top with a dedicated voice command key that sits between them. Towards the bottom is a dedicated camera key with the second battery cover release just beneath it.

On the right volume keys and the camera button.

Back
Most of the back is taken up by the reflective battery cover. Near the top you find the lens for the 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera along with an LED flash and self-portrait mirror.

A 1000 mAh is a little small.

Battery Out
Removing the battery cover on the E66 is a little different than most phones. Instead of sliding it up or down you use two release buttons found on the left and right of the phone. The battery cover then tilts up and off. Under the cover you find the 1000 mAh batter, SIM card and MicroSD card slots.

In the Box (7.5)
The E66 ships with a good selection of accessories. In addition to a software CD with synchronization software and manuals you get a charger, stereo headset, USB cable, wrist strap, pouch and 2GB Micro SD card. This is refreshing given the dearth of accessories we've seen on other devices like the Sony-Ericsson Z750a.

Handling (6.0)
The Nokia E66 sit comfortably in the palm of your hand, whether open or closed. The back is slightly textured, which should help keep you from dropping it. Pushing the slider open or closed does mean you'll be pressing your thumb against the screen so expect to get some smudges on there. The E66 does feel a bit hefty, despite it's relatively small size, so it might bother you if you hold it up to your head for long conversations.

Portability (7.5)
The E66 measures 4.23 x 1.95 x 0.54 inches and weighs in at 4.26 ounces. It's a relatively small and slim phone and should fit comfortably into any pocket or bag. The weight is higher than average, however, mostly due to all the metal used in the construction. This is good for durability, see below, but means it will weigh you down more than you might like. That's compared to a regular phone, however, compared to smart phones the E66's weight is not as big an issue.

Aesthetics (6.0)
Nokia's E-Series devices are targeted at business users so if you're looking for blinky lights, bright colors and sexy you might want to look elsewhere. That being said the E66 does have understated good looks, which is probably the exact look that business users are looking for. It's slim profile is nice and those we showed it to liked the styling on the back.

Durability (6.0)
We had mixed impressions of the E66's durability. The metal construction makes it feel solid, we imagine it will hold up well to a few drops, and we detected no creaks or problems with the casing. What concerns us is the slider mechanism. We're always concerned about such moving parts but the rasp the E66 makes when you open or close it makes one worry that it won't last very long. We also found the buttons to be plasticky and a bit loose and the very prominently unprotected lens for the camera is also a concern. Nokia has a good reputation for durability, so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt on some of these, but they are concerns nonetheless.