Nokia E71 Cell Phone Review - Conclusion

Conclusion
The Nokia E71 is a much anticipated device, and with that anticipation comes a lot of expectations. In particular it represents the hopes of many for Nokia to create a truly all-in-one device that combines the best of a QWERTY keyboard with a high quality camera along with all the goodness of an S60 smart phone. The E71's camera is certainly a step up from its predecessor's fixed focus two megapixel camera. In particular we were quite happy with the E71 camera's resolution and video, while color was just average. Still, it's in the same class as Nokia's N-Series devices with a 3.2 megapixel camera like the N73 and N78, in fact it's even a bit better.

On the QWERTY front the E71's keyboard is not great, we found it a bit small and fiddly to use. We were able to type fairly quickly, but we were actually able to type faster on the Nokia E66's keypad than we were on the E71's QWERTY keyboard. Still, the combination of a usable QWERTY with a solid camera and all the other goodness under the hood makes the E71 a compelling device. Complementing this combination are some nice upgrades to the PIM applications and the usualy S60 power and flexibility.

We were a bit concerned about the battery life, using AT&T's battery hungry 3G network means that talk and browsing times were significantly below average. The price will also cause many pause, whether it's worth the extra $400 over a Blackjack II or a Palm Centro is a personal decision, but we do believe most users will be happy with their purchase.

Note: This conclusion has been revised based on revisions made to the imaging section.

Who's It For

Business User
With Exchange integration and significantly upgraded PIM applications over previous S60 devices the E71 has a lot to offer business users. You should be concerned about the worse than average battery life, however, and the QWERTY keyboard is nothing to write home about.

Budget Callers
Yeah, not a budget phone.

Chatty Teenager
The E71 is too much phone for too much money for most teenagers.

Media Maven
Although a capable media device true media mavens will be better off with the significantly better camera and horsepower found on high end N-Series phones like the N82.