Nokia E75 review

The Nokia E Series of business devices has certainly evolved since the handsets first began to appear late 2005- into a range that caters for all.

This most recent addition is a full Qwerty keyboard model. Where the previous E65 model could be seen as a junior version of the E71, the E75 stands breaks away from the series' previous trajectory of development.

However, Nokia has fully admitted that it has taken “a lot of inspiration from the Nokia 9300”, which was its very first Communicator. This return to roots can be clearly seen throughout the E75.

The E75 main difference from the classic 9300 is in the screen, which is very much a key factor to the Communicator series history and its build.

In the past, the main screen to the Communicator has always been a fairly large one, matching the keyboard's length once the handset is fully opened. There’s also a second smaller screen on the front, which comes into play when the Communicator is used as a regular mobile phone.

Nokia has taken a more regular approach on the E75, and implemented only one screen on the front, above the T9 keypad. It's understandable that the relatively diminutive screen may well put off previous Communicator users.

In reality, the much smaller overall size and convenient shape of the E75 make up for the lost screen inches. It’s comparable to a regular mobile phone, except that it still packs-in a full Qwerty, hidden away.

Communicators in the past were synonymous with being rather bulky and rather heavy. As an example, the E90, which was the last model, weighed in at 210 grams, with dimensions of 132x57x20 mm. The E75 is only 139 grams and 111.8x50x14.4 mm – roughly the same size as the E71

We shouldn't forget that the E90 did open out to produce an 800x352 4-inch screen, where the E75 now only has a 2.4-inch 320x240 display, with its flat keyboard sliding out from the case.

In terms of usability, it’s a good size to type, the keyboard being a tad wider than the BlackBerry Storm's in landscape mode. Plus it’s a physical keyboard rather than a 'virtual' onscreen one, which brings its own tactile advantages.

Nokia has bundled a software suite similar to that of the E71 and E63, including all the usual business office tools, plus access to all the recognised corporate and personal email systems. There’s a new email interface seen in this model, with a simple three-step setup process which we tried and found very easy to use.

Charging the handset can be done using the microUSB port, which is a welcome change to the regular Nokia charging methods as it can now be recharged from a computer too. Also very welcome is the bundled 4GB microSD card- very useful for those larger files, or even music and video.

As smartphones go, the Nokia E75 has everything arranged onboard to make it a very successful and welcome addition to the E Series range. The Qwerty keyboard may be a slide out one, but it otherwise ticks the functionality boxes compared to other phones of this generation. However, we can’t help but think that the upcoming full screen Qwerty keyboard Nokia N97 would have been better suited if it was itself branded as the new Communicator, or perhaps even become the basis for a separate E-series SKU.

**Price- Rs 22,500