Nokia E71x Day 1: Introduction & Initial Impressions

A few days ago I was contacted by a Nokia representative regarding my interest in evaluating an AT&T-branded Nokia E71x. Initially I was hesitant because I don’t know the first thing about writing a product review. Yet I’ve always found reviews done on other sites focusing too heavily on features that don’t mean much to me. Ultimately I decided that Nokia would benefit from a power user’s opinion so I accepted the offer.

Over the next 3 weeks I’ll try to give a frequent snapshot of what I liked and disliked about the device from the standpoint of user. I’ll also try my best to compare the E71x to my 3-year-old E61 which I have come to regard as a device far ahead of its time. I really hope I like the E71x but AT&T’s botched device customization of the Nokia E62 with limitations such as a lack of 802.11b/g wireless present in the E61 and a whole host of useless bloatware pre-installed has me approaching the endeavor with caution. This is in no way a negative reflection on Nokia but more of an AT&T issue.

Now onto Day 1’s thoughts…

The E71x was shipped via DHL and arrived in a regular AT&T branded box. It contains the phone, battery, charger, USB cable, manual, and several other booklets. I was in a hurry to get the phone charged so I could swap my SIM into the E71x from the E61.

While charging I was able to compare the E71x to the E61. The E71x is all black and very feels solid. The device is smaller than my E61 in all three dimensions. It can comfortably slide into my coat or pant pocket without causing an unsightly bulge. The keyboard no longer has a gap between the keys and the keys have a more defined click when depressed. The back cover is metallic but has become a fingerprint magnet. Overall its a gorgeous phone.

I was able to make a few calls and send a few texts today. The handset call volume and speaker phone are both loud and clear. The phone has signal reception on par with my E61 (excellent). One thing to note is other reviews on the internet for the unbranded E71-2 have commented that the antenna is near the bottom of the handset which can cause some signal degradation when the phone is in hand. I wasn’t able to experience this myself but I’ll be on the look out for it.

It’s too early to say for certain but I found the keyboard to be a mixed bag. Although I like the harder click associated with the keys relative to the E61, several times I found the key clicked but the phone did not register my input. I’ve had to slow down my typing and make an effort to depress each key very firmly. Earlier I mentioned the E71x keyboard no longer has a gap between the keys like the E61. I have rather large hands so its taking me a bit longer than expected to get used to the new arrangement. Hopefully it is a temporary thing and I’ll adjust.

Overall the phone is much more responsive and I’m pleased with my first day’s usage. Tomorrow will be a big day as I pair the device to my car via Bluetooth and attempt to get voice-over-ip (VoIP) working.

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June 5, 2009 | Filed Under Phones, Tech/Gadgets 

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