Nokia E61i Review - Introduction & Design

While many would-be Nokia smartphone users may have been put off by the pokey Cingular-branded E62 last year, the E61i is definitely worth a look if you like the feel of a Symbian smartphone.  The E61i features numerous cosmetic and internal upgrades over the E62 that make it a true powerhouse of a smartphone.  If you’re a global traveler, you’ll also appreciate that the E61i is an unlocked quad-band GSM handset with support for UTMS 2100 MHz band, which means it’ll fly along Europe’s 3G networks when you’re abroad.

There’s a lot of competition in the smartphone world right now, and carrier-supported offerings like the BlackBerry Curve and HTC Mogul and Tilt provide stiff competition to the E61i.  Still, if you’re a Symbian fan or simply in need of a top-notch smartphone, this Nokia is definitely worth a closer look.

Special thanks to Corey over at Mobile Planet for providing the E61i loaner for this review.

Nokia’s never been known for the slickest handset designs on the block; instead, their mobiles aspire to something of a more pragmatic, rugged aesthetic.  The E61i is perhaps the pinnacle of Nokia’s “form follows function” philosophy.  While I can see a certain retro executive sort of appeal to the handset’s design, it’s not what I would call slick or modern. 

The handset is housed in a silver and brown casing that’s a bit more visually interesting than the all-silver E62.  The brown plastic trim offsetting a silver metal casing reminds me of a luxury car fitted with a wood dashboard - there’s something either understated and elegant or really square about the look, depending on your personal tastes.  Measuring 117 x 70 x 14mm, the E61i is a big but thin phone, and some users may find it a bit too long and wide for comfortable one-handed use.  Possessing somewhat large hands myself, I appreciated the fact that the design afforded a roomy display and keypad while being thin enough to tuck away in a jacket or jeans pocket.  The phone is also a little on the heavy side at 150g - I enjoyed its solid heft, but Blackjack users may find it too heavy for their liking.

A 2.8” display dominates the top half of the E61i’s front panel, and a spacious navigational button array and QWERTY thumb board are arranged on the lower half.  As mentioned, the QWERTY board is probably the most comfortable to type on of any smartphone I’ve tried.  The keys are large, finished in a rubbery texture for easy gripping, and provide great tactile feedback.  Nokia also spaced the QWERTY keys out a bit more on the E61i as compared to the E62, which makes for fewer typos.

The navigational array above the QWERTY layout is typical S60 fare.  From left to right there’s a softkey, Call key, Contacts and Menu keys, a raised, center-mounted d-pad ring surrounding a select button, Messaging key, Multimedia Menu key, and another softkey above a Cancel key.  I found all of the buttons fairly easy to work with, though the D-pad ring is relatively thin and might take some getting used to.

A volume rocker key and voice recorder button grace the left side of the phone, and a camera sensor on the back panel is the only other adornment to the casing.  Part of the back panel slides off to reveal access to the battery, SIM card, and microSD slots.  It’s a shame that Nokia didn’t make the microSD card slot accessible via a side panel; having to remove the back cover to swap memory cards is a drag.