January 4th, 2009

Nokia E71 Review

I was recently able to upgrade my cell phone contract and choose a new phone. There were so many to choose from and I sure as heck did my research to find which one would best suit my needs. I had a few requirements that the phone had to have or it was a no deal. They were: Full keyboard, GPS, 3mp+ camera, wifi. I searched long and hard and two phones stuck out. The first was the Nokia N78 and the other was the WAY more expensive Nokia E71. I went with the E71 and am very glad I did.

Nokia E71 Review

More pictures available on GSM-Arena

The Nokia E71 Specs

Dimensions: 114 x 57 x 10 mm
Screen Size: 320 x 240 pixels
Memory Card: Micro SD
USB: Yep! (2.0)
3G: Yep! (HSDPA 3.6 Mbps)
Wlan: Yep!

You can read the full specs on the GSM-Arena website.

The Good

  • Everything! Ok, I will go into more detail…
  • Full keyboard: The keyboard makes typing messages and browsing the internet very easy. Read below for notes about the keys though.
  • GPS Navigation: Wow is all I can say about the GPS navigation on the E71. I have used it countless times and along with Nokia maps it will take you anywhere. It is extremely accurate too. It really is just like any other GPS on the shelves. See below for things I don’t like about the GPS.
  • WIFI and internet connectivity: Accessing the internet is a breeze. There are multiple ways to access the internet and it is extremely fast with WIFI and a 3.6 Mbps HSDPA connection.
  • App Downloads: There is a app download section where you can download a ton of different apps. One of my favorites at the moment is JoikuSpot which pretty much turns your cell phone into a wireless router.
  • Office tools: The phone comes with a bunch of office tools which is useful for opening documents, spreadsheets etc. It even comes with a adobe acrobat and a zip tool.
  • The small things: I love all the small things too such as the calendar, IP Phone support etc. All useful little tools :)

The Not So Good

  • Keys are a bit small: I am starting to get used to them, but my fingers are a little big for them. My girlfriend has the same phone and she has no problem with the keys cause her fingers are smaller.
  • Software is extremely buggy: I have run into a few software bugs with the phone such as when I set my my home screen wallpaper, it keeps getting replaced with the default wallpaper. My unfortunate girlfriend has had even more bugs with her E71 phone ranging from installing software on it to keys being in the wrong place.
  • GPS Data: The GPS uses the internet to get data. This kinda sucks because when you have no reception, you cant search for address etc.
  • GPS Maps Subscription: This is more specific to South Africa I think, but the E71 only comes with 1 year free maps and it expires after a year which means at the end of this year, I am going to have to purchase another years subscription of the maps software
  • Camera: I think that with every phone I get from now on I will be disappointed by the camera because of how good my camera on the SonyEricsson K800i was. Don’t even try take a photo at night with the E71. During the day the photos come out fairly decent though.

Final Thoughts

I am extremely happy with this phone. It has everything I wanted in a phone with limited flaws that I can deal with. I can definitely see myself using it for at least the next year and will definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a “smart” phone.

7 Comments


7 Comments

  • SaulK, January 4, 2009:

    You can download all the maps and keep them on your phone (50 odd megs for SA). This obviously saves on data and time. It’s the Nokia map updater that you require.

  • Matt, January 5, 2009:

    Awesome! Thanks Saul, gonna look into that. Will definitely be useful.

  • Tim, January 5, 2009:

    Thanks for the review.

    I’m desperately trying to choose between the iPhone3G and the E71. I realise that these two phones aren’t exactly comparable (keyboard vs touch) but they are the only two I’m interested in.

    Having gone through 2 years of Nokia software hell with my E65, I’m reluctant to go through it again. But I keep hearing otherwise excellent things about the phone.

    Tough call.

  • Matt, January 5, 2009:

    Hey Tim,

    I am one who will vouch for the E71. I cant really say much about the iPhone though, I have only used it a few times at the office for testing.

    I heard that Nokia like to launch their software early and then improve and thats why it is often very buggy. Not sure how true that is.

    Unfortunately the E71 does have a few software bugs as mentioned above :( My GF has had a fair amount of trouble with hers. Mine hasn’t been to bad.

    If you willing to put up with the software issues, I would definitely recommend this phone :)

  • Richard, January 5, 2009:

    I agree, install TomTom or Garmin on your phone and you won’t regret it.

  • Marilyn Kam, April 16, 2009:

    hi i have the same issue with my selected wallpaper being defaulted back to a generic wallpaper. how do i prevent this? Cheers M

  • YAO ARNOLD, November 15, 2009:

    GOOD NOKIA I LOVE THANK YOU FOR YOUR THECNOLOGY.

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