The unlocked Nokia E71 is a sleek, stylish smartphone with business-class features. But, the E71’s steep price tag and seriously limited support for Microsoft Exchange are two strikes against it. I reviewed the E71 for TechRepublic’s Product Spotlight series and am providing an abbreviated version of the full review in this gallery. You can read my full Product Spotlight review here.
Despite being a magnet for fingerprints and smudges, the E71’s metal exterior gives the device a sleek, sophisticated look. The E71 is a big improvement over the E61i.
Unlike the bulky AT&T Tilt, the Nokia E71 feels right at home in a coat or pants pocket. So long phone holster.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
The E71’s keyboard is slightly smaller than other Nokia Eseries phones (like the E61i and new E63), but I still found it easy to use–even with my large fingers.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
On the E71’s left side, you’ll find the MicroUSB connector, microSD card slot, and a back panel release button.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
Both the MicroUSB and microSD connectors are protected by small rubber covers.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
On the E71’s right side, you’ll find the 2.5mm headphone jack, volume controls, record button (for voice dialing), and a back panel release button.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
The E71 uses a 2.5mm headphone jack. This may be standard on phones, but most headphones designed for portable audio require a 3.5mm jack. This limits the E71’s usefulness as a multimedia device. Nokia seems to have acknowledged this shortcoming and added a 3.5mm audio jack to the more consumer-oriented E63.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
The Nokia E71’s MicroUSB port is used only for data. On the bottom, you’ll find the power adapter jack.
My biggest complaint about most business smartphones is their abysmal battery life. When testing the AT&T Tilt, I was lucky to get more than 8-10 hours of battery life under average e-mail, IM, Web browsing activity. Sister site CNET lists the E71 as having up to 4.5 hours of talk time and up to 20 days of standby time. During my testing, I routinely got 2-3 days of battery life with average e-mail, IM, and Web browsing activity.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
On top of the E71, you’ll fine the red power button and speaker.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
On the E71’s back, you’ll find the camera and metal battery panel.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
The E71 has a 3.2 megapixel camera, built-in flash, and self-portrait mirror.
Overall, the thin, stylish E71 is one the best looking business-class smartphones on the market. It has a solid QWERTY keyboard, a nice display, decent camera (in bright light), and great battery life. But, Nokia’s failure to fully support Microsoft Exchange and the steep price tag will make the E71 a hopeless case for many business users.
Photo by: Bill Detwiler/CBS Interactive
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.
