This side-sliding phone comes with both a front-mounted numeric keypad and full Qwerty keyboard

Nokia’s new business phone takes its inspiration from a number of recent success stories. The form factor is reminiscent of HTC’s much-liked Windows Mobile-powered S710 from a couple of years ago. It gives you the best of both worlds: from the front it is a regular candy bar mobile with numeric keypad beneath the screen, but turn it on its side and you can slide out a full-width Qwerty keyboard for typing.

Operating system Symbian OS 9.3, S60 3rd Ed, FP2
Processor N/A
Memory: 50MB
Dimensions: 111.8 x 50 x 14.4mm
Weight: 139g
Display size: 2.4”
Display resolution: 320 x 240
Expansion slot: microSD

The specs, meanwhile, are not much different to Nokia’s hugely popular E71 from last year, but Nokia itself suggests the real inspiration comes from its Communicator range. Anyone eyeing the E75 as a replacement for an E90 will be disappointed. Those coming to the E-series from scratch, however, will have much more to like.

The screen is the one area where there is an obvious disparity between the E75 and the wider expectations of a cutting-edge business phone. At a time when smartphone screens are getting bigger, the 2.4” QVGA display here seems pokey and, frankly, a touch low rent. It’s usable, of course, but the low resolution gives the system fonts a rather jagged look that immediately dates the UI (and S60 is by now in dire need of an overhaul), and the lack of physical size is hardly conducive to working with documents for any prolonged period.

This is one of the few concerns with the hardware side. The form factor is great: despite the presence of the keyboard the phone remains an extremely pocketable 14mm in thickness. The Qwerty enables you to type at decent speed, with the keys large and offering enough feedback for it to be comfortable to use, but there isn’t a dedicated row for the number keys. The front number pad doesn’t have physically defined keys, but rather flat rows with clickable areas. It’s not to our preference, especially for the buttons around the d-pad.

The build quality of the E75 is as outstanding as we have come to expect of E-series phones. It will stand up to some serious wear and tear: the combination of metals and plastics in the casing feels rock solid, and the sliding mechanism for the keyboard is smooth. In a welcome move there are two ways to charge this phone, either using the standard 2mm plug, or via microUSB.

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