Nokia E90 cell phone review - Tour & Design

The front of the E90 looks like a normal, if somewhat large, candy bar cell phone encased inside a plastic brick. The phone's plastic hinges are visible in the top and bottom corners. At the top center is the speaker, to the right of which is the standby/power button. Next is the external screen, which seems rather small on the huge face of this phone. Under this is the d-pad array. The top row features a set of soft keys, the next row down, from left to right, consists of the menu key and a clear button, while the final row contains the send and end keys. The keypad is the normal 12-key array, except the zero key features a blue "i" encased in a circle. This button brings up the Bookmarks menu as a secondary function.

Front Open

Opening the E90 reveals a tiny, wide laptop. The top half is more screen than not, flanked by the send and end keys on the left and a pair of soft keys on the right. The second half contains a full keyboard. The top row features several shortcut keys: desktop, contacts, messaging, Web, notes, calendar, a custom shortcut key labeled "My Own," and a menu key. Along the left are two special keys, namely a backlight toggle and a second create-your-own shortcut key. The internal d-pad is located in the top right.

Left

The left half displays the seam between the two halves, bookended by the silver plastic hinges.

Top

The top shows the hinge on one end and the separation of the two halves on the rest.

Bottom

The bottom starts with the silver plastic hinge. The split between both halves is visible; the bottom half has all the features. First in line is a standard mini USB port. Next is the proprietary charger port, followed by a set of metal panels for charging the phone in a cradle, and finally a standard 2.5mm headphone jack. All three of these features are on a recessed bit of black plastic. Underneath this feature is the bottom of the memory card slot cover. If it were open, you'd see the bottom of the MicroSD card and the metal hinge of the cover. The E90 has springs to hold the port's cover open and to eject the MicroSD card. The rightmost feature is the microphone hole.

Right

The right side of the phone is split by the gap between the keyboard and screen halves of the case. The left key is the shutter button, which unfortunately isn't a shortcut to the camera itself. The right key is a shortcut to the voice recorder. Its secondary function is to open up your voice tags.

Back

The back of the phone shows a tiny LED flash next to the 3.2-megapixel camera. Under this is a massive battery cover with a small, black release button on its lower right. At the very bottom is the memory card port. The top of the MicroSD card can be seen when the cover is open.

Battery Out

The E90 has a 3.7-volt LI-Polymer battery. It is a bit bigger than the typical cell phone battery, both in capacity (1500mAh, when most phone batteries are less than 1000mAh) and in physical size. Underneath it is the FCC label. The SIM card slot is below; you have to take the battery out to gain access.

In the Box (8.0)

Our E90 came with quite a few inclusions other than the phone and manuals. There was a proprietary charger with a European plug, but thankfully our reseller was kind enough to supply us a U.S. adapter. Oddly enough, there was also a U.S. charger included. There was a standard USB cable for the E90's mini USB port and a pair of headphones, which had a pendant-like button on it. There was a fancy case for the phone, but it was really snug. The E90 also comes with a 512MB MicroSD card as well as a MicroSD adaptor — again, it's nice to see industry standards included. Lastly, there was software that allows the E90 to sync with your computer, among other things.

Handling (9.0)
The E90 handles really well. It didn't feel slippery, and its case lent itself toward establishing a firm grip. It also sat comfortably in our hands. The E90 is probably better for those with bigger hands, however, as its size might be a bit unwieldy for some. Its size does give you a lot to hold onto, though, and we didn't feel as though we'd easily drop it.

Portability (6.0)
The E90 isn't as portable as some phones we've encountered, but its size doesn't make it impossible to carry around. It will still fit comfortably in a pocket or purse, it just takes up a bit more space than a typical phone. The other concern is its weight, but again, we're not talking about carting around a significant burden. The E90 is, despite its huge, 80s-era bulkiness, still a cell phone.

Aesthetics (5.0)
The E90 isn't a pretty phone. As mentioned above, the phone's face does slightly resemble early cell phones from the 1980s. This effect is mostly from its boxy shape and the excess featureless plastic around the actual phone parts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing in our post-modern society, but it's hard to fall back on irony given the E90's price tag and that the phone folds out into a sophisticated-looking miniature laptop. We therefore wouldn't recommend it for those looking to compete with the iPhone in a cell pageant. Though not flashy, the E90 certainly looks professional, both open and closed. It should suit business users quite well, providing they won't mind the occasional snicker from a sarcastic youth.

Durability (7.0)
The E90 feels about as durable as the brick it was fashioned after. The phone certainly has heft, and its hearty design seems as though it could take an accidental freefall onto pavement. We twisted the E90 around, but it didn't budge or creak at all. We do have a few concerns about it, though. First of all, moving parts are always a durability concern, and the E90's form factor is no different; the hinges feel robust, but could be a point of failure with heavy use. We also noticed the interior screen gets smudged by the keyboard when it is closed. This means that if dirt got inside, it could get pressed up against the screen and scratch it.

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