Review: Nokia E63

Released six months after the E71, the E63 has a few unique selling points of its own, plus it comes in at a ridiculously cheap price.The ‘poor man’s E71’, it’s the definition of ‘poor’ that makes this device interesting. It brings the Qwerty form factor, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 and quite a bit of Nokia online goodness to end users at a knockdown price.

Specs and info

Price: £200 Sim-free
Operating system: Symbian OS 9.2
Processor: 369MHz
Memory: 256MB
Dimensions: 113 x 59 x 13 mm
Weight: 126g
Display size: 2.4”
Display resolution: 320 by 240
Expansion slot: 1x microSD

The ‘poor man’s E71′, it’s the definition of ‘poor’ that makes this device interesting. It brings the Qwerty form factor, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 and quite a bit of Nokia online goodness to end users at a knockdown price. Some resellers already have it for around £180, including VAT. Companies buying the E63 for email-addicted employees will be getting it at just over £160, which is terrific value. If this gets picked up the UK networks, it’ll be free on even modest monthly contracts, we suspect.

The most interesting aspect is the balancing act here between price and features. We’ll start with what’s missing. You’ll remember the E71, of course, a well-respected smartphone entrant, reviewed way back in issue 77. It more or less redefined what a Qwerty-keyboarded smartphone could achieve in terms of raw specifications and speed, and currently retails for well over £100 more than this, the E63. The main features missing here being HSDPA (3.5G data), GPS and the use of a cheaper, two megapixel camera. Of these, the missing GPS is the biggest surprise, given Nokia’s usual focus on its Maps and navigation software offering – on the E63, Nokia Maps is relegated to a lowly position in the ‘Tools’ folder, where it’s unlikely even to be noticed.

The lower spec camera is a more predictable cost-cutting step but, to be honest, Nokia’s 2MP camera is still better than most and takes quite decent photos in good light. And not having to wait for focusing actually comes as a welcome change from the norm, even if you can’t shoot anything closer than about a metre away. Losing HSDPA is a shame, but is more about Nokia saving money on the necessary radio licences, we suspect. Other cost-saving measures include the device not shipping with a microUSB cable (though Bluetooth will serve just as well for most people), there being no infrared port (does anyone uses infrared any more?), the loss of dedicated volume controls and power button, plus there’s no memory card in the box, as there was with the E71.

The final chunk of the £100 or more reduction in the retail price can be put down to the materials used in the E63. It’s plastic all the way but the smartphone isn’t unattractive. In fact, the back is nicely rubberised and it feels as though it’s impossible to drop. The E63 even has some features that the E71 lacks: a 3.5mm audio out jack (hurrah!), separate ‘Ctrl’ and ‘Chr’ keys (a source of confusion on the E71) and a LED flashlight function (press and hold the space bar from the standby screen – this works really well).

Moreover, the E63 starts to look even better when you consider that a 1GB, one year ‘trial’ subscription to Nokia’s Files on Ovi service is included with every purchase. This lets you ‘dial in’ to browse and retrieve files from your desktop PC or from a temporary space in the ‘cloud’ and works superbly. The E63 is also the first smartphone to come with Nokia’s new Email Service – this is a hosted solution that pushes email from many sources to the E63 and is free at the moment, although Nokia do say that it will become chargeable eventually. Once installed, it too performed beautifully, assigning itself to the dedicated ‘Email’ hardware key on the E63′s front.

Comparing the software set to the E71, you also get an Internet Radio client and a Tetris-like game, Global Bloxx, but in many ways the software in the two devices is the same. Of special commendation are the match-as-you-type contacts system on the standby screen and the ‘mode’ switching between ‘Personal’ and ‘Business’. In other respects, the E63 (and E71) are unremarkable, with average music and media playback and with S60′s highly functional yet rather slow web browser.

With a huge battery, the E63 will last for days and provide solid, reliable email, Office and PIM operation. It’s a classic ‘workhorse’ – nothing to get excited about, but dependable when needed and affordable by everyone.
Essential Verdict

Performance: 8/10
Nippy over Wi-fi and throughout the interface, but lack of 3.5G data loses it some points when online

Design: 7/10
Uninspired, though arguably ‘classic looks’. Won’t turn any heads.

Features: 8/10
Not strong on gaming or video power, but packs a powerful punch in other areas

Value for Money: 9/10
A direct competitor of the likes of the Treo Pro and Blackberry Bold, this manages to be half the price.

Overall score: 8/10
If battery life, robustness and text input match your core requirements, then the E63 will not only be perfect, it’ll save you a lot of money

Review originally published in Smartphone & PDA Essentials magazine. Words by Steve Litchfield.

Popularity: 6% [?]