After a couple of weeks with the Nokia E71, I can certainly say it’s the best and most equipped smartphone coming out of Nokia’s doors for the longest time. The smaller form factor has some drawbacks but is something to be expected due to size constraints.
The Nokia E71 (see unboxing pics here) is the successor of the popular Nokia E61 & E61i but follows the same features from the candybar Nokia E51 (see review here). Click on thumbnail images to see larger pictures.
Nokia has shrunked the E71 to just 57mm (E61i is 70mm) and trimmed it down to an amazingly 10mm (E61i is 13.9mm) thickness. That’s slimmer than the E51 at 12mm and as slim as the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic (9.9mm) and Nokia 6500 Classic (9.5mm). The size of the E61 was the primary reason I chose the Samsung Blackjack over it.
Because of that, the display screen got narrower a bit at 2.36 inches (320×240 pixels) from 2.8″ with the E61. That includes the QWERTY keyboard with the keys a little too crowded. However, I think Nokia made a good trade-off by making the keys more embossed so you don’t accidentally hit neighboring keys. Typing becomes comfortable when you’re fingernail-oriented rather than thumb-oriented. The number keys are all positioned at the center so you can easily type in single-handed.
In the connectivity department, the Nokia E71 offers everything imaginable in its form factor — 3G/HSDPA 3.6Mbps, WiFi 802.11 b/g, built-in GPS receiver and A-GPS function, microUSB, infra-red and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP. The internal memory of 110MB is a little small considering the E51 has 130MB, but a dedicated 128MB RAM and ARM 11 369 MHz processor makes the phone responsive. Besides, you can add in 8GB of storage via hot-swappable microSD card.
The only disappointing feature with the E71 is the 3.15 megapixel camera (2048×1536 pixels). It’s supposed to be auto-focus but there’s no way I can see it working The autofocus will have to be manually toggled each time you make the shot. You need to press the “t” or “4″ key to do this.I made several sample shots here (click on thumbnail) — can’t even make a single decent and on-focus shot had a more decent shot here but if you’re going to take moving pictures with this camera, forget about it.
There’s no dedicated camera button on the side too, so you’ll need to use the middle button to take photos and videos. Video quality is no better as it maxes out at 15fps. There’s secondary front-facing camera for video calls.
I guess Nokia didn’t bother to make improvements in the optics considering that this is mostly a business phone. I once had a chat with the Nokia N78 Product Manager and he told me that the camera is on the top of the list of features that affects the thickness of the phone (so is the cost).
The audio quality is decent and sound volume is good even if the speakers are placed at the top side. There’s support for 3D tones and MPEG4 video playback is smooth.
A bunch of mobile office productivity tools are pre-installed — QuickOffice, Dictionary, Adobe PDF reader, Zip and printer manager. There’s an intranet feature to securely connect to your office network via VPN. You can also enable the built-in encryption feature to secure files in your phone’s memory or external memory card.
Battery life is good and the BP-4L lithium polymer is rated at 1500 mAh. Nokia suggests a talk time of a whooping 10.5 hours! Just make sure to turn off WiFi scanning to conserve more juice. From experience, usage lasts 2.5 to 3 days with normal 3G and WiFi usage.
All-in-all, I’d give the Nokia E71 a good buy for data/connectivity dependent users. This is not for the multimedia fans though. The list price of about Php21,000 to Php23,000 makes it an even attractive purchase.
Note: Updated the part on the camera with newer sample photos.
[...] you continue reading this, please read my review of the Nokia E71 first so you’d get a better perspective of where I am coming from and so I don’t have to repeat [...]
Is Nokia E71 US Version the same as the Philippine’s version? … Because I can get the phone on Amazon in a very much cheaper price…
[...] a blog post at the Nokia Conversations website, the Finland-based company admitted that the Nokia E71 is their most leaked product [...]
anyone selling e71 secondhand? sorry for the budget i’m in 15000
Yuga, I love your reviews! No BS! An honest-hands-on-review. I have the E61 & E61i and love them both, but the camera just isn’t good enough and I have trouble opening Youtube on WIFI. I’m looking at the E-75.. can you review the E-75 plz? THANK YOU..
HELLO THERE..I HAVE AN E61 MOBILE PHONE AND I WILL LOVE TO DOWNLOAD AUTOCAD APPLICATION ON IT I DON’T KNOW IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME OUT PLEASE HELP ME WITH THE SITE I CAN GET IT FROM OR FEEL FREE TO MAIL ME AT faremicrown@hotmail.com…
REGARDS..
kua how can i download themes for E71..i tried the nuskin but ddnt work..pleas help me thank you
guys,
If you want to check the latest prices of all mobile phones available in the Philippines, check this blog site…
http://pinoygadgetprice.blogspot.com
what’s great about this blog is that there is a comparison of prices between stores in the Philippines, so you will get to know where to find the best deal. Cool!
thanks again abe!
When will the red e71 be available in the Philippines? You can see a preview of it in the Nokia Philippines site but it seems to not yet be available in stores. Any news would be great
i just bought it yesterday amounting to 21950 @ MOA, white color, fab phone, i decided to shift from n95 to e71 so far the best phone ever had. e71 red also available at MOA
does this phone support video calls?
I bought an E71 and E63 yesterday for business use. Both are excellent phones,minimal difference. The E63 is more comfortable to use though. The E71 is “maporma” but same software with E63. If you’re on a budget get an E63 it’s around 11k nowadays. If you’re willing to spend for a few thousand bucks for a chrome dipped casing (E71′s internal is just plastic dipped in chrome) then get an E71.
Either way, it gets the job done and that makes me happy.
I thinks its not autofocus, since it doesn’t automatic focus. manual focus? lol ..sir yuga what is better? n5800 or E71? coz i’ll buy either of those phone.. pls blog if theres already 5800 firmware Version 21..
@edz, i have both the 5800 and the E71, go for the E71. I rarely use the 5800.
Great phone, the battery lasts for 3.5 to 5 days… simple but elegant and good price
Great phone, the battery lasts for 3.5 to 5 days… simple but elegant and not too expensive
buy it from jeddah for only SR 1,400 (x 12.3 as of today 5/24) Php 17,220. if the the ave market price in manila is Php 22k you’ll save around 4k++ nice deal. talk to someone you know there.
@ yuga
sir yuga thanks for the reply…
ok thanks I will go for E71.
Thanks.
@ josh
17,000 lang dito sa Nokia Tarlac ang E71 and it comes with 1year limited nokia warranty
will buy this tomorrow …
Payment Issued na!!
Man you guys just copied blackberry,.. Nokia is a rip off,.. even copied sidekick,.. stupid so stupid.. ugly ass phone
“A bunch of mobile office productivity tools are pre-installed — QuickOffice, Dictionary, Adobe PDF reader, Zip and printer manager. There’s an intranet feature to securely connect to your office network via VPN. You can also enable the built-in encryption feature to secure files in your phone’s memory or external memory card.”
Is this also available in E63?
[...] Nokia E71 [...]
magkano po ba ngayon ang E71X.. i planned to buy a new phone kasi..
how do you use video call? :/