It’s no secret that the Nokia E71 is a hot smartphone. It’s won countless awards, and is frequently praised among bloggers and consumers alike. I’ll confess, when the E63 was announced, I was skeptical. Who would buy a dumbed-down version of the hottest Nokia since the N95? Well, Nokia decided to go ahead and send me an E63 NAM (in that beautiful blue color scheme, no less) and I have to say, it’s a fantastic phone! After several days of use, I can even admit that, for the most part, the Nokia E63 is a much better purchase than the Nokia E71. Blasphemy, I know, but let me tell you why.
First, the Nokia E63 is only slightly thicker than its E71 brother, though not so much that it’s a bother. Remember, I’m coming from the N95, the champ of chubby. The E63 maintains the same keys on the front of the device, but eliminates the dedicated volume rocker, as well as the recorder button. While its a shame to lose these in some instances, for most users, it’s no big loss.
The biggest thing that the E63 has going for it is the included 3.5mm audio port. This is something no other Eseries has had before, and something that was badly needed. I am a recent surprise convert, from the Nseries to the Eseries. I like to use my phone for music, gaming, and photography/videography, but email is increasingly important, as well. Not having to jack around with a 2.5mm to 3.5mm audio adapter is definitely good.
The Nokia E63, unfortunately, lacks GPS. When I asked the Product Manager about this at Nokia World last year, I was told that the Eseries brand requires WiFi, and thus, GPS had to be dropped to maintain the lower cost for the E63. Now, while I am a Nokia Maps user, I am easily able to get by with Google Maps Mobile, which uses a combination of GPS and cell-tower triangulation to figure out where you’re at. It’s not as accurate as straight GPS, but it’s close enough for most people, and I don’t see this being a major issue, frankly.
As you can see, the QWERTY keyboard on the E63 is nearly identical to that of the E71, with a few differences, mainly on the bottom row. On the E63, the spacebar has been shortened on either side, to make room for a few more punctuation buttons. This is definitely appreciated, especially if you’re a frequent web surfer. The spacebar on the Nokia E63 can also be held down to activate the LED flash as a flashlight, something that should have been standard on LED-flash-equipped phones from day 1. The keyboards are the same width, and the rest of the keys are basically the same.
Both keyboards are somewhat…bubbly, with each key slightly raised in the middle. This makes it quite easy to use the keyboard without worrying about accidentally pressing nearby buttons. The predictive text also makes sure you don’t accidentally press the wrong thing. The materials used on the keyboard is slightly different between the two handsets, as you noticed in our unboxing video. However, after a bit of regular use, I’ve noticed that the keyboard on the E63 is a bit more ‘worn in’, and doesn’t make quite as much noise as it did fresh out of the box.
The other noticeable difference between the E63 and the E71 is the camera. The Nokia E71 features a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with single LED flash. Sounds glamorous, right? Well, unfortunately, it’s a royal pain to use, and even after 3 firmware updates, still leaves a slightly purple-pink film over the resulting photos. Basically, it’s crap. Thus, dropping from a 3.2 megapixel autofocus cam to a 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera isn’t a big deal. Neither phone has a dedicated camera button, either, which means you won’t be capturing anything ‘spur of the moment’ like you would with an Nseries like the N79.
Basically, the Nokia E63 is a cheaper, more stylish version of the Nokia E71. It’s missing GPS, but also gains a standard 3.5mm audio port, for those of us who need email and want a QWERTY, but also need a decent standard music experience. I was also rather annoyed to find that the Nokia E63 arrived without a microUSB cord, stylish protective case, or even a wrist strap, like my E71 came with. I realize the point of the E63 is to be cheap, but it’s still an Eseries. Regardless, given the choice, surprisingly, I would take the E63 any day of the week. It’s the closest thing to an Nseries that the Eseries has offered, yet, thanks to its slightly beefy build and standard 3.5mm audio port. Now, if only I could find it in camo…….
