Nokia E90 cell phone review - Hardware
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Mark Brezinski Published on September 17, 2007 Comment on this |
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Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (9.8)
For this test, we time how long it takes to key in a sample paragraph. This shows how easy and efficient the keypad is for writing text. Using the internal QWERTY keyboard, the E90 took 19.4 seconds to finish the paragraph, which rounds out to 49 words per minute (WPM). This is pretty fast, but we did have problems with the keyboard. The keys didn't provide much tactile feedback, and we had to constantly check to make sure our inputs were being registered. Given the hardware's shortcomings, it's impressive it was still able to perform so well. It's basically a roomier version of the BlackBerry QWERTY, which allows for easier sight-based navigation since your thumbs won't block the keys as much. We also performed this test using the external keypad with T9 enabled, where our test took 26.1 seconds (36.7 WPM). That's not bad, but if you are typing anything longer than a couple of words, it makes sense to open up the phone and use the better keyboard.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| Nokia E90 | 49.0 | 9.80 |
| HTC Mogul | 44.9 | 8.98 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 39.3 | 7.86 |
| Nokia N95 | 29.28 | 5.86 |
| Helio Ocean | 53.0 | 10.60 |
| Apple iPhone | 39.6 | 7.92 |
T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
Normally QWERTY keyboards don't need T9 or auto complete. This phone has an external keyboard, though, and does, in fact, have T9. You can turn on T9 by hitting the star key. There really isn't any in-phone reminder that the star key can do this, but we assure you it can.
One-Handed Usability (4.8)
The internal QWERTY keyboard on the E90 is not easy to use with one hand. The easiest way we found you could do this (other than just setting it down) was to hold it sideways. No matter how we held the E90, typing with one hand wasn't very efficient. It took 40.838 seconds to get through our sample paragraph, which is approximately 24 WPM; around half the two-handed speed. The slow time is mainly due to how awkward the E90 is in just one hand. Normally the phones bounce around a bit while we type, but the huge E90 pitched around like a ship in a hurricane. The speed using the outside keypad one-handed was 32.34 WPM, so there wasn't that much difference between one and two hands there.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| Nokia E90 | 24.0 | 4.8 |
| HTC Mogul | 17.7 | 3.54 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 23.1 | 4.62 |
| Nokia N95 | 29.64 | 5.93 |
| Helio Ocean | 28.3 | 5.66 |
| Apple iPhone | 32.1 | 6.42 |
Keypad Backlighting (5.0)
The E90 has very odd keypad backlighting. The external keypad is governed by a light sensor, and sensitivity can be set. The internal keypad does not use this sensor, but instead has a button to activate the backlight. Though these two features mean you'll never have to slog through menus to get your keypads to light up, the internal keypad remains dark while you fumble around for the button. Also, the internal keyboard's backlight is far inferior to the external's backlight. The external keypad is bright and evenly lit. The internal keypad glows a dull green and looks more like glow-in-the-dark paint than an actual powered backlight. It will most likely suffice, but really isn't very bright.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (6.0)
Most phones have a d-pad, but the E90 has been gifted with two. Though they're essentially the same design, there are several key differences between the external and internal d-pad. The external one has a bigger select key, and the surrounding ring has a much steeper incline toward its outer edges. We actually liked the external d-pad quite a bit, because you could rest your thumb on the select key, then just run your thumb into the direction key you wanted as if it were a wall.
The internal d-pad has a much smaller select key, and the direction ring is far more flat than its external counterpart. These two criterion make the internal d-pad almost strictly worse than the external one. We understand real estate is a commodity, especially on the interior where the keys need a majority of the space, but the edges certainly could've been raised more, if only to prevent your thumb from accidentally hitting the select key along with a direction.
Again, as in the case of the talk/end buttons, we've scored both sets of keys and averaged their score, because you will use both of them.
Touch Screen (0.0)
The E90 doesn't have a touch screen.
Jog Dial (0.0)
The E90 doesn't have a jog dial. This is unfortunate, because some of the E90's menus are absurdly long.
Soft Buttons (6.0)
As with the d-pad, the E90 contains two sets of soft keys, and again, the external set is better, for much the same reasons. The soft keys on the outside angle in toward the center, providing a ridge to differentiate it from its surroundings. They also have some good snap to them, so you'll know when you've pressed them. They are also within easy reach of the d-pad and the keypad.
On the inside, the soft buttons are located to the right of the screen. They really aren't accessible from the keyboard or the d-pad, since moving from either requires you to shift your hand position. This is unfortunate, as it looks as though there's a bit of room on either side of the internal d-pad. As it is, they're just out of the way. Also, they don't have the snap of the exterior soft keys, and at times you won't be sure if you've hit them. Their flat shape is another detriment, as it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between them or the surrounding plastic.
Again, since there are two sets of soft buttons, we've scored each individually and then averaged out the score.
Volume Control (0.0)
The E90, oddly enough, doesn't have a volume rocker or dedicated hardware equivalent. When in a call or the media player, the left and right keys are remapped to be volume controls. You can also pull up your call profiles with a quick press of the power button.
Power and Standby (7.0)
The power button is located above and to the right of the external screen, and is quite small. A quick tap will bring up a menu featuring your call profiles, the option to lock the keypad or your phone, as well as an option to power down your phone. You can also accomplish the last menu item by holding the button in for a second or so. The button is about as isolated as a button can be, so you won't have to worry about accidentally turning off your phone.
Other Buttons (10.0)
If the E90 has one thing, it's buttons. There are myriad buttons scattered around that you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhwere. The first row of keys on the keyboard are all extra shortcut keys, one of which you can customize. The first column of the keyboard contains the backlight key and another shortcut key. The front of the phone has a menu key and a clear key. The right side of the phone has a shutter key and a shortcut to the voice recorder. In addition, the E90 has two sets of number keys, soft keys, d-pads, menu buttons, and send/end keys. The E90 is one of the most button-filled phones we've reviewed.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.0)
On most phones we consider the external screen to be the secondary screen, because most external screens offer limited functionality compared to the internal screen. In this case, however, the two screens provide identical functionality, just with different sizes and orientation. As this is the case, user preference will be the main determining factor of which screen is used more often.
We labeled the interior screen as the primary one, mainly because we felt it would be used more than the external one. Not only is it bigger, but it provides easier access to the full keyboard. We will still test the exterior screen in sections that aren't covered in the Secondary Screen score below, but our scores are based on the internal screen.
The internal screen on the E90 has a resolution of 800 x 352 pixels. This is a lot higher than most phones, even the iPhone. This allows for impressive detail. The first place you're likely to notice this is while browsing the Internet. You'll find images appear just as sharp as they would on a computer.
| Cell Phone | Resolution | Score |
| Nokia E90 | 800 x 352 | 10.0 |
| HTC Mogul | 320 x 240 | 8.0 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 320 x 240 | 8.0 |
| Nokia N95 | 320 x 240 | 8.0 |
| Helio Ocean | 320 x 240 | 8.0 |
| Apple iPhone | 320 x 480 | 9.0 |
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (10.95)
Normally phones with larger screens suffer in this category because they have the same resolution as those with smaller screens. This is not the case with the E90, which manages to compress 219 pixels into every inch.
| Cell Phone | Pixels Per Inch | Score |
| Nokia E90 | 219.0 | 10.95 |
| HTC Mogul | 142.9 | 7.15 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 165.3 | 8.27 |
| Nokia N95 | 153.8 | 7.69 |
| Helio Ocean | 168.0 | 8.40 |
| Apple iPhone | 164.8 | 8.24 |
Screen Physical Size (10.0)
The interior screen measures an impressive 4 inches diagonally. This is bigger than most phones out there, packing more screen than even the iPhone.
| Cell Phone | Size Diagonal (inches) | Score |
| Nokia E90 | 4. | 10.00 |
| HTC Mogul | 2.8 | 7.00 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 2.4 | 6.00 |
| Nokia N95 | 2.6 | 6.50 |
| Helio Ocean | 2.4 | 6.00 |
| Apple iPhone | 3.5 | 8.75 |
Screen Brightness (3.95)
For this test, we browse the phone to a blank white website, then hold a lux meter two inches away from the display (lux is a measurement of brightness). Even at the brightest of its five preset settings, the E90's mammoth screen could barely output 54 lux. This is substandard light for a phone. At its dimmest setting it only registered 7 lux, which is incredibly dim. The external screen was unable to change its brightness, and maintained a steady 12 lux. With so much screen, we expected much more light from the E90.
| Cell Phone | Brightness (lux) | Score |
| Nokia E90 | 54 | 3.95 |
| HTC Mogul | 102 | 7.85 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 90 | 9.00 |
| Nokia N95 | 72 | 4.85 |
| Helio Ocean | 63 | 4.35 |
| Apple iPhone | 15.4 | 15.40 |
Screen Bright Light Performance (6.0)
For this test, we shine 3,000 lux of light onto the phone's display to see if we can navigate through the resulting glare. This test approximates what a user's experience would be like on a sunny day. The E90 did have quite a bit of glare, which could pose a problem for some users. The icons were very washed out, but we could still make out text for the most part. Those who have trouble differentiating between colors might find the E90's screen unreadable on sunny days, but most people should be all right.
Color Depth (10.0)
Both of the E90's displays are capable of 16 million colors. This is the most you'll see on a cell phone these days, and allows for very deep colors.
| Cell Phone | Colors (thousands) | Score |
| Nokia E90 | 1,600 | 10 |
| HTC Mogul | 65 | 6.00 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 65 | 6.00 |
| Nokia N95 | 1,600 | 10.00 |
| Helio Ocean | 260 | 8.00 |
| Apple iPhone | 65 | 6.00 |
Secondary Screen (17.68)
The external screen on the E90 has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. This is standard; it allows for good detail, but nothing overly impressive. The screen is only 2 inches diagonally, with is a little on the small side. Coincidentally, this ramps up the screen's PPI, as it essentially crams average resolution into a smaller-than-average space. The result is an impressive 200 pixels per inch.
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (5.0)
The E90 has a proprietary port for charging, and uses a mini USB port for data transfer. Like a few other Nokia phones, the E90 can't charge via USB, because it can't draw enough power.
Headphone & Jack Compatibility (6.0)
The E90 has a standard 2.5mm headphone jack. It can also hook up with a Bluetooth headset.
Internal Storage (1.0)
You won't be able to fit much on the phone itself, as it only comes with 128 MB of internal storage. We'd recommend dropping the extra for a MicroSD card.
Expansion Slot & Format (7.0)
The E90 has a MicroSD memory card slot on its back. Its cover is held open with a spring, and the card holster itself uses a spring for easy card ejection. The placement of the slot means you thankfully won't have to remove the battery in order to get at it, which is an annoying standard on a lot of current phones.
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