Last year we witnessed a rise in QWERTY handsets, undeterred by the ever increasing prevalence and finesse of touchscreen smartphones. A quick look at the global smartphone market tells us that Nokia has certainly spruced up its brand name globally over the years with its Symbian operating system. Nokia’s E-series definitely makes a mark among other feature-rich mobile phones unleashed by the company mainly for business professionals who are always on the move. Way back in April, Nokia launched three QWERTY handsets namely the C3, C6 and E5 which were carved out to render an exceptional messaging interface along with an engaging social networking experience. And among these scintillating handsets, the Nokia E5 hopped out of the company’s kitty and knocked our doors in an attractive blue box for a complete review.
The E5 packs in earphones, a USB cable, a charger, a user manual and a messaging pocket guide. The build feels good with plastic all around and a metal backplate on the rear side which may withstand few knocks and bumps. The QWERTY keypad has a slight plastic feel, but it is quite comfortable to type. The keys are neatly positioned and we were delighted to see many shortcuts such as a Bluetooth on/off button and a mute button. Long pressing the space bar key turns on the camera’s LED light which also functions as a flashlight. The * and # keys can be used for quick zooming. The backplate could be removed quickly without any confusion as the phone sports two quick release tabs on either sides of the panel. Besides, the right side makes room for a volume controller which can also be used to zoom in and out while capturing fun-filled moments. The top edge sports a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB port and a power connector. The two soft menu keys are by default set up for contacts and menu, but we could allocate a range of different shortcuts as per our liking.
Above the keypad is a vibrant display screen which comes along with several shortcuts such as camera, web, Facebook, Ovi Store, chat and maps. Twitter fans may be peeved that there is no Twitter app on board. These shortcuts on the display screen are completely customizable and other desired shortcuts can be added easily. The main screen comes with a dedicated widget to access your favorite contacts. Each contact can be represented by a small thumbnail selected either from the gallery images or by capturing a photo using the integrated camera. On clicking one of the added contacts, we were presented with a range of options that enabled us to edit the contact, send a message, call or add feed.
The horizontal bar on the screen usually highlights e-mails, once the e-mail account is set up. The display size seems to be small, especially browsing the web or viewing various documents can get annoying. The D-pad on our review unit helped us navigate with utmost ease and comfort. On the right side of the D-pad we spotted a dedicated messaging and call end button while on the left side there was a dedicated homescreen and call start button. Long pressing the homescreen button intuitively directed us towards our recently opened applications.
Moving ahead, the device runs on the S60 3rd Edition software with Feature Pack 2. Pondering on the specifications, we observed that the phone comes with 256MB RAM, larger F2.4 aperture and a fixed-focus camera which sports the Extended Depth of Field feature. On tossing the phone, we spotted a 5MP camera which precisely captured images with sharpness and decent clarity. It does not have a lens cover. The performance of the camera is satisfactory without any impressive features. If you want to snap up this handset mainly for the 5MP camera, we suggest that there are better Nokia phones in the market which flaunt excellent imaging capabilities. The call quality on this phone was remarkable and we did not have issues with the network reception too.
The loudspeaker wasn’t one of the best ones around, with the sound emitted not being loud enough. However the call did not get muffled when the mobile phone was kept on the table. The ringtones were loud and the vibration strength successfully alerted us when the device was on silent mode. The 2.36-inch TFT display supports 262K colors and 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The display clarity under bright outdoor conditions was good and we could use various features of the phone without any hindrance. The E5 also flaunts essential applications such as search, alarm clock, calendar, to-do list, notes, calculator, countdown timer, Vlingo Voice, world clock, stopwatch and QuickOffice applications.
The fact that the Nokia E5 does not come pre-loaded with games disappointed us. Nonetheless, casual gamers need not worry as the phone comes incorporated with the Symbian S60 3rd Edition software which will enable you to add as many games as you wish. All these options are intuitive and easy to use. The process of syncing was rapid and transfers were completed quickly between the phone and PC. The Nokia E5 boasts of a 1200mAh battery and on sporadic usage that is for the camera, web browsing, making calls and sending text messages, the handset functioned efficiently for one complete day. The internet experience was good and the pages uploaded quickly and accurately as the text did not blur even when we zoomed the pages.
You can grab the Nokia E5 in several vibrant hues like carbon black, chalk white, sky blue, copper brown and silver grey. Our review unit left us with many positive impressions. To round it up, the handset combines enticing business features with social networking and unrivaled entertainment capabilities. The QWERTY keypad is comfortable to type on, with precisely-sized buttons and excellent tactile feedback. If you aren’t a fan of touchscreen and want a messaging friendly handset, then this phone is worth a try. The 5MP camera, multiple connectivity options and interesting business applications are other strong points of this incredible device. This handset may not compete with other high-end Nokia phones but with various enthralling features it gets a good rating of 8 out of 10 from us. Tagged at 12,699, the phone may be a good option to grab considering its stunning design and plastic chassis strengthened by the metal backplate.
