Nokia E63 Review

The Nokia E63 is Nokia’s latest launch in its E Series range of business mobile phones. The last launch – the E71 was a very successful one and quickly became the choice of many enterprise customers, but it was a bit costly in terms of price. Considering that, Nokia has launched the E63 which is almost the same as the E71 but at about half the launch price, with just a few features amiss, it is almost a low cost version of the E71. It is Nokia’s cheapest smartphone with a QWERTY keypad currently and doesn’t have many competitors. The newly launched Kogan Agora – the world’s 2nd Android based phone is in the same price range and has similar features and may prove to be a worthy competitor. In this review we check out the Nokia E63 and compare it with its big brother – the Nokia E71.

Nokia E63 Specs:

• Dimensions: 113 x 59 x 13 mm
• Weight: 126 gms
• Display: 2.36 inch TFT Display, 16M colors, 320 x 240 pixels
• Memory: 110 MB Internal memory, upto 8 GB via Micro SD
• Connectivity: GPRS class 32, HSCSD, EDGE class 32, 3G, USB v2.0 Micro USB
• Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth v20 with A2DP
• OS: Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI
• Camera: 2 MP camera, 1600 x 1200 pixels, Flash, video recording – QVGA @ 15 FPS
• Battery: 1500 mAh Li-Po Battery BP-4L, 440 hrs standby time
• Other Features: QWERTY keypad, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3 / AAC / MPEG4 player, 3.5 mm audio output jack, Office applications, FM radio

Design:

The Nokia E63 sports a very similar design to Nokia E71, only slightly inferior in terms of build quality – the materials used. The design is almost the same as the E71 with some layout changes, but the body is made of plastic instead of metal. At dimensions of 113 x 59 x 13 mm, it is 3 mm thicker than the E71 and weighs just 126 gms, more or less the same as the E71. Both the E63 and the E71 are visibly thinner than the previous gen E61. While the build quality is not as good as the E71, it is very good when compared to the standard in its category. The plastic its body is composed of is very durable and feels strong. It is available in two colors – red and blue.

On the left of the device, you will find the MicroUSB connector and the Micro SD slot. The top sports a 3.5mm headphone jack while on the bottom edge, there is just the 2 mm charger socket and a lanyard eyelet. The right is totally clean with no sockets. The front of the phone is adorned with the 2.36 inch TFT display and the ambient light sensor and the earpiece above it. On the back, you find the battery cover, the 2 MP camera and the Flash.

Display and Keypad:

The Nokia E63 sports a 2.36 inch TFT display much like the E71. It has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels and supports 16 M colors. The display quality is nice with decent brightness. It offers nice contrast and the sunlight legibility is also quite good. While the display size is a bit small compared to any QWERTY device, it is definitely usable.

The QWERTY keypad is the main highlight of the E63 as it is meant to be a business offering. The keypad of the E63 is quite nice and the keys are big enough to be pressed easily. They also offer nice feedback. The keypad is very ergonomic and easy to get used to. The keypad and key layout is very similar to the E71, with just two keys more and the size of the space key reduced. It is more like the E61, just nicer once you get used to it. You can easily type significantly faster using this keypad than normal phone keypads. It is one of the better QWERTY keypads I have seen. The keypad has a white backlighting which is helpful when typing in the dark.

Above the kaypad you find some buttons – a Menu, Calendar, Contacts and Mail. You can also see the regular Left and Right select keys, the Call and the End key. In the center, you find the navigation button.

OS and Interface:

The E63 sports the Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI. While this is not the latest Symbian OS version, it performs just as well as the latest. The OS is almost the same as the v9.1 with some performance and visual improvements, as well as some added features. It comes with a ARM 11 369 MHz processor and 110MB internal memory. You get about 70 MB freememory using which you can easily multitask about 7-8 applications. You can expand the internal memory using Micro SD cards upto 8 GB. It comes with lots of applications – most notably Quick Office using which you can view, edit and create new documents. Most of the other features are the same as in other Symbian OS versions, so we won’t be elaborating much on that. It also sports Wi-Fi and other connectivity features but misses out on GPS which is present in the E71. The call reception quality is pretty nice as in all other Nokia phones.

Camera and Multimedia:

It comes with a 2 MP camera which takes shots at a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. The image quality is nice with semi accurate color reproduction which is good enough for casual shots. The camera is nice and takes decent shots. It can also record QVGA video at 15 FPS. The camera is good enough for casual shots, if you are a camera enthusiast, you will need to look at other 5 MP phones or preferably a digicam.

The display is nice enough for watching videos using Smartmovie or some other Videoplayer. The default player is the same as in E71 and can play 3GP and MP4 videos by default. The sound quality is nice and the speakers are adequately loud.

Battery:

The E63 sports a 1500 mAh Li Po battery rated at 440 hrs standby time and 10 hrs of talktime. In reality, the actual values are almost the same as these. The battery will last you about 3-4 days easily with moderate usage. It is one of the most powerful batteries in Nokia smartphones.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Nice Build Quality
• QWERTY Keypad

Cons:

• No GPS
• 2 MP Cam

Final Words:

The Nokia E63 is a superb deal at just around $250. It is almost as good as the tried and tested Nokia E71 except in some cases, but the reduction in price totally compensates for that. It should probably be Nokia’s next bestseller after the N73. If you want the power of the E71 but cant afford to have it, get the E63.

Our Rating: 4 / 5.