Can great things get better? Sure they can! We’ve loved the Nokia E71 for nigh on a year when we ran a review in October describing it thusly:
This phone is a magnificent piece of work. Everything about it screams “quality” from the texture of the keys to the styling and heft. Everyone I saw, be they users of iPhones, BlackBerries, flip phones or what have you, everyone thought it was a beautiful piece of hardware. It’s well constructed, uses a fair amount of real metal, and has a weightiness to it that seems out of keeping with its slight frame. And it is slight: it’s nearly as thin as my old Samsung Trace, and it’s narrower than a BlackBerry.
I won’t add too much to that except to explain what the “x” means and to note that yes, this is a kickass smartphone.
First off, the E71 differs from the E71x in that it uses Symbian 60 Feature Pack 3.2 as opposed to FP 3.1. I know, right? This means there are some drastic UI difference between this and the E71 model. This model also has the FM radio removed.
So what do you get for your $149 with 2-year-contract? All the things we loved in the E71 without the price. The E71 costs about $400 unlocked while the AT&T version costs half that. Add in a $50 rebate and you’re down to $99.
The device has turn-by-turn GPS built-in, instant and MMS messaging, as well as an HTML browser with 3G networking. The camera is a 3.2-megapixel shooter with video capture and it is a world phone which means you can roam internationally.
Bottom Line
Because we’ve already gone over the merits of this device in a previous review, I’ll offer a bottom line to those thinking of picking up a Nokia phone on AT&T. I’m of two minds when it comes to S60. S60 is sort of like Android at this point – powerful, wonky, and often modified by carriers to bend to their whims. The E71x has a great messaging system and excellent keypad and the build quality is top notch. This is sort of a Euro BlackBerry without a lot of the business oriented features and makes for a great phone for a user looking for messaging, email, and IM with a little bit of personal information managing capacity.
Don’t forget to mention that you can now (as of yesterday) get the full version of QuickOffice 6 for FREE on Nokia phones. This brings the E71 and E71X full circle as a perfect business phone! Had to throw in that tidbit in response to your “This is sort of a Euro BlackBerry without a lot of the business oriented features” comment. No offense, just want to give props where they’re due!
Are you kidding? Have you used both versions? The AT&T version is full of bloatware and kills some of S60s most useful features with that FP downgrade. Where’s the active standby homescreen?
WTF are you smoking, Biggs?
Thanks bob barker. That’s what I have heard/read every where else while I was researching the phone.
I have to switch from T-Mobile to AT&T and I seriously considered the E71x. Pretty much everyone else said to pony up for an unlocked and unbranded E71 if I have the cash. Get the cheaper unlimited text+data plan and still have a phone with a decent resale value.
I thought I had lost it when I read John Biggs review.
Guys, I hate to say this, but I picked up the e71x a few weeks ago, and am set to return it tomorrow. I like the hardware, but the OS is basically unusable to me.
I tried to remove some of the crap from the home screen, but of course I cannot. Then I tried moving it to a new sub folder called “Garbage”. It let me move a few apps there, but things like “AT&T GPS” and “AT&T Music” won’t move. They just won’t. And that annoys me.
I’m also annoyed by the fact that it seems nobody in the US supports this thing. I want to put Pandora on there to replace my Sirius subscription – but of course there is no Pandora app for Nokia – just BB and the iPhone.
The final straw was its bluetooth connection. I love bluetooth and use it religiously, and for some reason this stupid phone connects, then disconnects, then reconnects, then disconnects every two minutes when I’m not using the phone. That did it in for me. No more Nokia.
On a side note, I was pretty surprised how much I hated Symbian. I held onto my previous phone, a Sony Ericsson – which I love and am delighted to go back to – for about three years now. The battery is still great, it still works great, its still durable. I don’t care it doesn’t have internet, work pays for a BB. I’ve never used an OS that worked so well for a dedicated phone – the SE system is great, quick, and intuitive. No apps, sure, but for a dedicated phone its unbeatable in my experience.
Its missing he active standby Screen? That would make it pretty close to unusable. I’ve been using one since the day it came out, and much as I love the phone, theres no way its even half as usable without the home screen shorcuts, email, calendar and wifi displays.
Looks good. Looks big too.
Indeed, this ‘x’ is a kickass smart phone. Everything about it is cool and chic. Not weighed down by applications nor lacking them miserably, it fits into the elite class of phones with a no-nonsense price tag. As a web store providing accessories for the phone, I can tell you that it carries a breezy-business air about it and is great for messaging and mail.
How is $300 half of $400? The E71x does not cost half of the E71. I don’t live in the US, but after looking at all the comments above about how much bloatware is on the E71x, I’d go for the unlocked $400 E71.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on this phone. a LOT. and i may not be an avid business user but im a huge techie. as much as i hate the way carriers mod the OS there still seems to be a lot the phone has to offer. and maybe not out of the US but in the US the phone is 100 dollars without contract now and was 99 cents for my upgrade. im upgrading from my blackberry curve and it beats it in most aspects from wat i’ve heard. it has a faster cpu, which means less wait time and less slowdowns/lag/freezes. it also has more ROM which means it’ll run a bit faster while ur doing a lot of things. it has has a better screen (maybe not against the 8900 curve but the 8300 series). it also has the wifi, gps, office tools, and im sure there are a lot of applications developed that are kickass tho they might not be panodora. and for 99 cents a sleek powerful phone is something i will not turn down. 3 thumbs up in my book (i only have 2 thumbs too)