The Nokia ‘E’ Series One of the most ‘Enterprising’ phones I’ve ever used , ideal for business the ‘E’ series started with the infamous E61 which I still use for bulk SMS which no other ‘E’ can handle and it also  inspired me to blog about Nokia at oure61.blogspot.com , later came E71 ,  excellent form factor and unlike E61 with a Camera , I also got that one but now it’s a mess . For my juniors in the office everyone has a E50 , E51 or E51i and none want to part with it, I’m hooked on a E71 while my father uses E65 and E90  and one E66 is in the family so every ‘E’ ever made I’ve got my hands on it .

Recently Nokia announced two new additions to their E Series the E75 and E55 , again a welcome addition but when I probed deeper into the specs I found that all that’s high is not the best and here‘s the showdown .

I’ve included E55 , E66 , E71 and E75 in the showdown so we can have a clear picture of which ‘E’ is simply the best and in my opinion you’ll be surprised

• Operating System
  • E55 – S60 V3 FP2
  • E66 – S60 V3 FP1
  • E71 – S60 V3 FP1
  • E75  – S60 V3 FP2
  • Winner -  E55 and E75 – the next version of software , although  rumor mill says ATT may gave S60v3 FP2 variant of E71 but it’s still awaited

• Screen
  • E55 – 240 X 320
  • E66 – 240 X 320
  • E71 – 320 X 240
  • E75  – 240 X 320
  • Winner -  Although E71 is wide screen but others have accelerometers and can change to 320 X 240 , so all are same

• Size and Weight
  • E55 -  116.5 X 49 X 9.9mm   – 95 grams
  • E66 -   107.5 X 49.5 X 13.6 mm -  121 grams
  • E71 -  114 X 57 X 10 mm -  127 grams
  • E75  – 111.8 X 50 X 14.4  -  139 grams
  • Winner -  E55 , thin is in also it’s the lightest of all even 27 % lighter then the next in line

• Operating Frequencies and Data Connections
  • E55 -  GSM – 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 -  WCDMA 850 /  900 / 1900 / 2100 -  Data – EDGE ,GPRS , HSDPA , HSUPA , WCDMA
  • E66 – GSM – 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 -  WCDMA 850 /  900 / 1900 / 2100 -  Data – HSCSD , EDGE ,GPRS , HSDPA ,  WCDMA
  • E71 – GSM – 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 -  WCDMA 850 /  900 / 1900 / 2100 -  Data – EDGE ,GPRS , HSDPA , HSCSD , WCDMA
  • E75  – GSM – 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 -  WCDMA 850 /  900 / 1900 / 2100 -  Data – EDGE ,GPRS , HSDPA , HSCSD , WCDMA
  • Winner -  almost same so winners

• Input Method
  • E55 -  Half QWERTY -  Two Letters on One Key
  • E66 -  Slide out Alpha Numeric Keypad
  • E71 -  Full QWERTY
  • E75  -  Dual Keypad – Slideout QWERTY Keyboard and Alpha Numeric Keypad
  • Winner – E75 with Dual input methods it’s a adaptable

• Camera
  • E55 -  2048 X 1536 -  4X Digital Zoom – 3.2 MP CMOS Sensor -  LED Flash -  Video Res- 640 X 480 – 4X optical -  15FPS
  • E66 – 2048 X 1536 -  4X Digital Zoom  –  3.2 MP CMOS Sensor -  LED Flash -  Video Res-320 X 240 – 4X optical -  15FPS
  • E71 – 2048 X 1536 -  4X Digital Zoom  – 3.2 MP CMOS Sensor -  LED Flash -  Video Res- 320 X 240 – 4X optical -  15FPS
  • E75  – 2048 X 1536 -  8X Digital Zoom  – 3.2 MP CMOS Sensor -  LED Flash -  Video Res- 640 X 480 – 4X optical -  30FPS
  • Winner – Although all E Series Cameras are crappy , not worth taking pics with but with higher Vid Resolution and better FPS E75 Wins.

• Memory -  Inbuilt and Card Support
  • E55 -  100 MB User Memory  / 16 GB Micro SD Support
  • E66 -  110 MB User Memory  / 8 GB Micro SD Support
  • E71 -  110 MB User Memory  / 8 GB Micro SD Support
  • E75  -  50 MB User Memory  / 16 GB Micro SD Support
  • Winner -  All but E75 are winners . E71 and E66 have more user available memory while E55 support for a bigger Card but E75 with it’s 50mb user memory will be a dead beat in no time

• Connectivity
  • E55 – Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and A2DP , Micro USB, USB 2.0  , 802.11b/g , 3.5mm Audio Jack
  • E66 -  Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and A2DP , Micro USB, USB 2.0  , 802.11b/g , 2.5mm Audio Jack
  • E71 -  Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and A2DP , Micro USB, USB 2.0  , 802.11b/g , 2.5mm Audio Jack
  • E75  -  Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and A2DP , Micro USB, USB 2.0  , 802.11b/g , 3.5mm Audio Jack
  • Winner -  E55 and E75 with standard 3.5 mm Audio Jack , ask me have to carry a converter with my E71

• Messaging
  • E55 -  IM , POP3  , Mfor Exchange , SMS , MMS , IMAP4 , SMTP etc.
  • E66 -  IM , POP3  , Mfor Exchange , SMS , MMS , IMAP4 , SMTP etc.
  • E71 -  IM , POP3  , Mfor Exchange , SMS , MMS , IMAP4 , SMTP etc.
  • E75  -  IM , POP3  , Mfor Exchange , SMS , MMS , IMAP4 , SMTP etc.
  • Winner – what do you think , they all are ‘E’ Series so every mass messaging format they support

• Power Options -  Charging , Battery and Talk Time
  • E55 – USB Charging -  BP-4L 3.7V 1500 mAH -  GSM Talktime 8 Hours , Standby -  672 Hours ( 28 days) , WCDMA Talk Time – 6 Hours ,  Standby 432 Hours
  • E66 – Standard 2mm  Charging – BL-4U 3.7V 1000 mAH -  GSM Talktime 7.5 Hours , Standby -  264 Hours  , WCDMA Talk Time – 3.5 Hours ,  Standby 336 Hours
  • E71 – Standard 2mm  Charging – BL-4L 3.7V 1500 mAH -  GSM Talktime 10.5 Hours , Standby -  408 Hours  , WCDMA Talk Time – 4.5 Hours ,  Standby 480 Hours
  • E75  – USB Charging -  BP-4U 3.7V 1500 mAH -  GSM Talktime 5.2 Hours , Standby -  280 Hours  , WCDMA Talk Time – 5.3 Hours ,  Standby 270 Hours
  • Winner – E55 with it’s 28 days standby time and E71 with it’s highest talk time on GSM

• Features
  • E55 – Accelerometer Sensor , Files on OVI , FOTA , Radio , A-GPS , Accelerometer Double Tap , Accelerometer  XYZ , Ambient Light ,Magnetic North , Magnetometer XYZ , Rotation
  • E66 – Accelerometer Sensor , FOTA , Radio , A-GPS , Accelerometer Double Tap , Accelerometer  XYZ , Ambient Light , Rotation
  • E71 -  FOTA , Radio , A-GPS ,  Ambient Light
  • E75  – Accelerometer Sensor , Files on OVI , FOTA , Radio , A-GPS , Accelerometer Double Tap , Accelerometer  XYZ , Ambient Light , Rotation
  • Winner – E55 it may be small but i has the highest feature set

• Processor Type and Speed
  • E55 -  ARM 11 -  600 MHZ
  • E66 – ARM 11 -  369 MHZ
  • E71 – ARM 11 -  369 MHZ
  • E75  – ARM 11 -  369 MHZ
  • Winner -  Using the same ARM 11 as in N97 ( as per rumors )  E55 is a speed demon and sure winner

So the E55 although small in model number kicks ass of all other ‘E’ -  What do you think , discuss in comments

Discovering the legend ‘E’

Farhan

Building on their most successful Business Series “ E” class phones with more then a Ten million units sold  in 2008, At Mobile World Congress -  Barcelona , Nokia has announced 4 new devices as yet including two new E Series

“Efficiency is about doing more with less and focusing on what’s truly essential,” says Kai Oistamo, Executive Vice President at Nokia.  “With direct access to Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes, companies can potentially save up to a third of their operating costs as there’s no need for middleware or additional servers.”

Keeping the business both theirs and consumers Nokia has introduced the E75 and the E55

The E75 to be available in March for Euro 375 , featuring a Candybar style with a slide out keyboard ( one keypad and one keyboard ) others specs are same as other E Series , so except the form factor nothing new here

“With the Nokia E75 we took a lot of inspiration from the Nokia 9300, which was our first mini communicator,” adds Oistamo. “Owners of the Nokia 9300 loved the messaging functionality a full keyboard provided, but also used the traditional phone keypad a great deal. With the Nokia E75 we kept these essential ingredients, significantly upgraded all of the features and made it as compact as possible.”

But with this small screen, don’t insult the 9300

What impressed  me is the Nokia E55 , at 9.9mm thickness claimed to be thinnest SmartPhone .

“When we launched the Nokia E71 last year, we really set a new standard for just how compact a full QWERTY device could be,” continues Oistamo. “We have continued on this theme and have come back with the world’s most compact messaging device, the Nokia E55.”

“With the Nokia E55 we have made messaging as efficient and pocketable as possible,” continues Oistamo. “In our usage tests, the Nokia E55′s compact QWERTY keyboard has been proven to be fast to learn and quicker to use than standard phone keypads.”

Featuring a Sony Ericsson P1 style with two alphabets on on one key , the phone features 2.4 inch screen ( 16 million color ), accelerometer ,support upto 16gb Memory Card , A-GPS and Nokia maps 3.0 . The phone features a 3.2 Mp Camera and runs Symbian S60 3.2.3 .

The phone also has IM support builtin with GMAIL , YAHOO and MSN chat services preinstalled and comes equipped with Nokia Office Tools .

Expected to retail at 265 Euros ( 110 Euros less then E75 ) and will be available in Q2 2009

“With companies looking to consolidate costs and assets, and with the number of email-enabled devices in the Nokia range and our direct access model, Nokia look set to continue this performance in 2009,” concludes Oistamo.

So which one you are waiting to buy the E75 or E55 , I’ll go for E55 it’s thinner and sexier then the dual keyboard E75 and ofcourse offers better bang for the buck

Comments are welcome on my choice :p

Farhan