Before 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 the sections where the Nokia E63 is similar to the E71.
Nokia dropped some of the features of the E71 when they introduced the cheaper Nokia E63, but with good reasons. Remember that with all the number smartphones going around, consumers will be price sensitive when making their next purchase. Nokia’s price-point for the E63 (expected to be at Php11,000) combines a good set of features with a really attractive price.
What’s missing?
What went missing – GPS, HSDPA and a lower megapixel camera. Not everyone needs GPS and for most people, it’s not that essential anyway. You still get 3G speeds of which maxes out at 384Kbps – a broadband speed not normally achieved in the real world for most mobile 3G networks. And since the E63 is more geared towards productivity, the reducing the camera from a 3.2 MP autofocus down to 2MP might not disappoint a lot of people who are into this segment.
The Nokia E63 also shed off all of the external buttons on the sides – the volume control and the special back button of the E71. Even the dedicated power button at the top is gone as well as the sound volume at the sides.
Keyboard Improvements
There were some minor complaints about the qwerty keyboard of the E71. Some say it’s too cramped and though I don’t agree, those who were comfortable with the E61 will tell you size and spacing matters. It’s not really a design flaw but rather an engineering limitation – the smaller the phone, the smaller the keyboard and harder to type.
Nokia addressed this with the E63 by making the keypads protrude/bulge a bit more and giving each key press better feedback. Likewise, it’s much softer to type. They’ve also slightly increased the keyboard size and the individual keys. It’s not much but it’s fairly noticeable except fot the space key which got shortened.
Construction Changes
Since Nokia dropped the metal construction in favor of plastic, the Nokia E63 feels lighter to the hands. It has a matte finish so you don’t have to worry about fingerprint smudges.
What puzzles me though is why the Nokia E63 is a bit thicker than its predecessor (by more than 2mm). It’s possible that the 3.5mm headphone jack has something to do with it (that’s 1mm). Then, the construction of the back panel that covers the battery was also changed from a clip mechanism to a latch mechanism. Since plastic is not as strong as metal, the latch mechanism works well with it without worrying you’d chip it off. That’s another 1mm.
Value for Money
Don’t think of the Nokia E63 as a downgrade of the E71. Better yet, think of it as an upgrade to the E61 — but much cheaper. That way, you clearly see how much value you are getting with the Nokia E63. You also get the long-lasting 1500mAh battery life. No doubt, I believe the Nokia E63 will be a huge hit to those who bought and loved the E51 and the E61.
I still like my E71 because I am willing to pay premium for those extra features. However, for those who are in a budget (which most people are nowadays) but are looking into a fine qwerty smartphone, the Nokia E63 is the better option because of the bargain price-point.
Update: The Nokia E63 is now shipping with an SRP of Php14,200 (inclusive of 12% tax and foreign exchange adjustment).
Nice review! I’ll definitely consider it as a “gift” to myself this season! :-)
I will definitely get one myself. Has anybody seen this around yet?
great cell phone, didn’t realize nokia is now releasing cheaper units pack with functionalities.
[...] my full review of the Nokia E63 here. [...]
[...] today announced the latest addition to its Eseries range, the Nokia E63, designed for people who need to manage their business and personal lives equally well. Building on [...]
[...] today announced the latest addition to its Eseries range, the Nokia E63, designed for people who need to manage their business and personal lives equally well. Building on [...]
Yehey! I can’t wait to buy one for myself. The features is just right for me. Thanks for the great review! :)
Twitter: sugodcom
says:
It sucks!! You should choose N97 for christmas gift.
it sucks cause it doesn’t have those powerful features, but then again, E63 is catered to people who doesn’t need it or who are on a budget. either way, i think its a great alternative.
Saying it SUCKS may be your opinion but before you share your opinion on how it sucks, have you ever considered the price point and people it is catering to?
Cellphones now have a lot more segments than the old market. This surely hits a certain spot in a segment where price point vs. functionality meets.
Again, voicing your opinion is never a crime (I’m doing that myself) however, you’d look dumb if you did not consider all everything before saying it.
Overall I do hope the phone does not get taxed too much and stays within the 11 – 14k price point so it would sell well. The e71 now can be bought as low as 19k, and some people 5k difference is not that much considering you are getting less power features, but for some it may be the deal breaker.
Hope to be posted when this officially hits the market…I’ve been scouting for this phone, and most of the stores says its going to be early January…hope the price would be good enough for me to consider it as a birthday gift. :)
someone’s selling this at ebay.ph it cost around 13k w/ free delivery.. but be careful w/ the sellers they might be a scammer.. view their feedback first before buying… =)
huwaw. for a new QWERTY phone in the market with the features it has, it’s very appealing to those who wish to buy themselves a Christmas gift this season.
i’ve had blackberries and treos before, but at that pricepoint, that’s an absolute steal. :D
i’ll buy this instead of the LG Cookie!!
i was really tempted to buy the Cookie. lol. coz i was comparing e63 to the LG.
hope i’ll love it!
i was choosing between the 2, i mean
[...] Olandres has a detailed hands-on review of the Nokia E63 which is almost exactly the same as the Nokia E73 but with lesser [...]
Does this model have expandable memory?
dont complain about the features of this phone. its is resonable for its price and one i highly recommend.
its price compensates for the lack of its features, and it seems to be nice, not superior to N71 but far more useful than N61….
if you think it sucks… can you make your own phone?
To Ms. Joyce, before anything else I hope the blog owner won’t mind if I answer your question.
According to the Nokia Philippines website, the Nokia E63 has a “microSD memory card slot, hot swappable, max. 8 GB”. It also has a “110 MB internal dynamic memory”. (Source “http://www.nokia.com.ph/A41415338″)
:)
[...] the full review of the Nokia E63 here. [...]
Hi! I’m a very happy owner of an E63 which I bought two weeks ago in SM Megamall for 12.5 thousand pesos. At the time I was considering the E63, the E71, and the Samsung i780, in the end, the 7 thousand price difference (the E71 and the i780 had prices between 19.5 to 21 thousand) was too good to ignore. The way I looked at it, 7 thousand was too much to pay for the nice extras that the E71 had over the E63 (better 3G, better build quality, better camera *though apparently this is debateable*, more included accessories); on the other hand, there are some things about the E63 that I think are superior to the E71, in particular the qwerty keypad (compare the copy/paste experience on both phones). I’ll be doing a side by side comparison of the two phones on my blog in the next couple of days, for those who are interested. :)
hello.
ask ko lang. anu klase yung USB port niya?
MiniUSB ba?
@seoulbox – yes, it’s a mini-USB (not the proprietary micro USB of Nokia)
whew.
Okay lang pala siya kahita walang kasamang cable.
Thanks, yuga!
hi. can you tell me which one is better? e63, 371 or samsung f700? thanks
Go for the E71.
After waiting for the product to be available and finding time to look for the best price, I ended up getting the Ultramarine Blue E63 @ Memo Express @ Mega. The phone was priced lowest (after canvassing) @ P12.200 for cash buyers and I got mine @ P14,200 @ 0% interest for 12 months through Citibank. Good price and the warranty is safe (Nokia Care for a year).
The phone so far is doing well, great looking screen and the keypad is responding well. My point of comparison would be my old P1i. Though I miss a scroll key @ the side and the touch screen. But everything else, is great.
The package was pretty basic and some what incomplete. The package contains the phone, 1Gig mem stick, headset, battery and charger. No USB or CD included. I guess since I’ve always bought Sony I got pampered with a complete package. I guess this is how they got to lower the price. I was able to buy a class a cord for P250.
Over all the phone for its price (0% @ 12months saan kapa?), plus its features balances everything out pretty well for me.