Nokia E90 cell phone review - Intro

If you're a compulsive e-mailer and Web browser on the road, the Nokia E90 is worth checking out. Looking like a laptop that's been shrunk in the wash, the E90 has two screens: the outside one measure two inches, and the inside's diagonal is an impressive four inches. Each display boasts impressive resolution and color depth, which makes images look just as they would on a computer screen. And there's a decent keypad and a good sized QWERTY keyboard, providing plenty of choice for entering text. The hardware isn't all amazing, though;  we found the majority of the interior buttons didn't provide enough tactile feedback, so it was sometimes hard to tell when keys had been pressed.

The E90 runs the Symbian operating system, with the Series 60 user interface. This OS has a bit of a learning curve to it, but works well enough once you get used to it. One seriously useful inclusion on this OS is its proprietary Web browser, which has a great visual history. The Symbian OS also means the E90 is very extensible, and if you find your phone needing an application, chances are it exists for download. The file browser is still included, and with the E90's internal screen, gains additional functionality by displaying the contents of folders on the right side of the screen while you browse through the folder structure on the left. Of course, the Symbian OS doesn't do everything well, and its media player still has a confusing interface.

The E90 is one of the more well connected phones out there. It supports quad-band GSM, Wi-Fi networks (802.11b and 802.11g), Bluetooth 2.0, and Infrared. Infrared is rare on devices, and is mostly used to connect to legacy hardware, which business users sometimes have to do. The only downside in this area is that the E90 is an import. As this is the case, U.S. buyers will not be able to use the E90's Push to Talk software, and the E90 will be stuck on EDGE networks. EDGE provides a slower connection speed than 3G, which will slow down the impressive browser a bit. The GPS also suffers from the slow speed, and takes a few minutes to initially find locations.

The E90 is unlocked, meaning you can choose from any carrier you'd like. Unfortunately, this also means the phone is expensive. We received ours from Dynamism.com, which sells the handset for $1,199. You might be able to find a better price from other resellers if you shop around, but it's never going to be a cheap alternative. It does provide plenty of performance for the sizeable price, however, and could mostly replace a laptop on the road.

Below is a list of the areas we critique phones on, as well as a brief description of the E90's performance in each.


Tour & Design - The E90 represents the point of intersection between a laptop, 80s cell phone, and a brick.

Audio Quality - It's clear Nokia was more focused on the form factor than audio quality.

Imaging - The picture and video capture on the E90 are very good (for a phone).

Making/Receiving Calls - Despite bad audio quality, the E90 functions well as a phone.

Messaging- Though available for download, the E90 didn't ship with much of the advanced features we'd expect to see on a business device.

Organizer - The organizer was above average on the E90, thanks in part to the numerous fields it provides.

Multimedia - The E90 is not a media device. Despite this, it still offers adequate multimedia functionality.

Software - The Web browser on the E90 is one of the best out there.

Battery Life - The E90 exhibited very poor battery life overall, but was especially limited during calling.

Connectivity - The E90 is a quad-band GSM phone that has a bevy of connection options.

Hardware - Hardware is a mixed bag, as the two phone positions offer greatly differing hardware experiences.

Other Features - The E90 is equipped with a few extra features, including a GPS that works well, and a Push to Talk feature that most likely won't work at all in the U.S.

Value & Comparisons - The E90 does a lot of things, but it's also very expensive. There are a number of less expensive phones out there that offer similar features.

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