A few thoughts about the Nokia E75

I had an opportunity to use the Nokia E75 a couple weeks ago. It has taken me a while to sit down and let you know what I think about the E75. I prepared a short video review which I have embedded below. I apologise for the terrible audio volume, I seem to have had the wrong microphone recording audio! You may want to don a pair of headphones and crank up the volume to watch this video.

The E75 is, in some ways, similar to its predecessor, the E71 in that both are designed to be business messaging devices. That being said the E75 is also touted as a great device for your leisure time too. While its functionality does tend to support both your personal and business needs, the device’s design lends itself far more to business use.

The obvious innovation with this device (at least as an Eseries device) is the slide out keyboard which I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand the larger keyboard makes typing more comfortable and on the other hand the flat keys made it a little more difficult for me to type accurately. That may just be me and my biggish fingers but I kept hitting surrounding keys by mistake. There are a couple other features the E75 has which make this a device worth considering if you are keen on an Eseries device. The E75 has a narrower form factor and the more conventional alphanumeric keypad on the front of the phone for people more accustomed to this form factor rather than the E71’s (and several other members of the Eseries line) qwerty keyboard. It runs a newer version of the S60 3rd edition software and comes with Nokia Messaging which is a huge improvement over the usual Nokia email client you find on Nokia’s smartphones (even the flagship N97, for some reason).

These improvements do improve your experience of the device although I was happy to return to my E71 with its admittedly smaller and yet easier to use keyboard. I found the E75 a little bulky after my E71. The E75 is about double the width and it is heavier. While it can be easy to forget you have an E71 in your pocket (it is slim and relatively light), you will definitely feel an E75 in your pocket. I do prefer the E75’s software version over my E71’s but when it comes down to it, I’d stick with the E71 (or perhaps hold out for an E72) if I were given a choice between the two devices. This is really one of those times you have to play with both devices and pick the one you personally prefer. Neither device is inherently better than the other (and no, I won’t even attempt a comparison with the iPhone or even the N97, both of which are in a class of their own).

The E75 will get the job done (and, in the process, help you get yours done). It is a solid device with a decent set of software features you will expect to find in an Eseries device. If you are in the market for a business device that is not a Blackberry then perhaps you should consider this one.