We know Nokia have been going through a lean spell recently, and although they still retain the number one position within the industry, the competition is getting fiercer. If Nokia wish to retain that number one spot then they are going to have to deliver something special, to turn back the tide of the opposition. At the recent Nokia World event Nokia announced the imminent release of the Nokia E7, a feature packed smartphone that shares a common heritage with the Nokia Communicator range of years gone by. We're going to take an in depth look at the Nokia E7 in this review, and judge whether it has what it takes to help Nokia retain it's market leading share.
At first glance, the Nokia E7 is similar in design to the Nokia N8, but a closer look shows some striking differences, chief among which is the inclusion of a full, four row QWERTY keyboard. The phone opens up in a similar manner to the Nokia N97, with the screen resting open at a tilted angle, which presents a very comfortable position for typing emails and web browsing. The display itself is generously sized, measuring in at 4.0 inches, and with a pixel resolution of 360 x 640. The display is an AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, supporting up to 16 million colours, and with the use of AMOLED, colours are presented in a deep, rich, vibrant manner. AMOLED technology is also less power hungry than traditional TFT displays, which will help with the battery performance, so long a contentious issue on feature rich, power hungry smartphone devices.
The display is covered with a scratch resistant surface, and also supports multi touch input, allowing the natural pinch and squeeze motion to zoom in and out when web browsing. A proximity sensor is included, as well as an accelerometer and there are some touch sensitive controls around the display also.
For all modern smartphones, it is important to offer an array of connectivity options, and here the Nokia E7 does not disappoint. The E7 is endowed with HSDPA over 3G at up to 10.2 Mbps, as well as HSUPA at up to 2.0 Mbps. The Quad Band GSM E7 also delivers Class 32 EDGE and GPRS, and on board includes WiFi 802.11 b/g/n. Nokia have also included the latest version of Bluetooth, Bluetooth 3.0, with A2DP support, and the Nokia E7, as with the N8, also includes support for USB-On-The-Go, also written as USB OTG. This feature allows the device to be used as a USB storage device, and can also be used to transfer files to other USB storage devices.
The Nokia E7 is also blessed with a strong set of multimedia features, which should lend support to the device from a wide section of the phone buying public, and not just business users, which you would automatically assume the E7 is targeted at. The E7 includes a high specification 8.0 Megapixel camera, with autofocus and dual LED flash. Face detection is also included, and there is support for Geotagging. Video recording is enabled, with the E7 able to record HD quality video at up to 25 fps. A secondary front facing camera is also included, for self portraits and those solitary moments when a video call is needed.
Music features strongly on the E7, with a full media player included, with support for various music and video formats, including MP3, AAC, MP4 and WMV. A 3.5mm audio jack is included, for music playback with your own preferred headset, and the Nokia E7 also incorporates a TV Out port via HDMI, and supports Dolby Digital Plus for a supreme sound experience. Another indicator to the importance of sound quality on the E7 is the inclusion of a second, noise cancellation microphone, which helps to cut down the level of background noise when making phone calls.
As with all recent Nokia smartphones, the Nokia E7 comes with Nokia Maps, with free voice directions, and to facilitate the E7 comes complete with GPS receiver and built in digital compass, as well as supporting aGPS which enables a faster lock on to your position.
When released, the Nokia E7 will be available in a range of colours, including Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue and Orange. The E7 will run on the Symbian^3 Operating System, and is powered by an ARM 11 680 MHz processor, and there is also a separate Graphics accelerator onboard. Internal memory capacity on the Nokia E7 is set at 16 GB, which can be expanded with the use of Micro SD memory cards.
On reflection, then, it is hard to see what more the Nokia E7 could offer. Without a doubt, this is a powerhouse of a smartphone, packed with the best in mobile technology. How it is received by the wider mobile community is to be seen, but it is hard to see what more Nokia could have done with the Nokia E7.
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