From Nokia World 2010: Thoughts on the Nokia E7
By The Prodigal Fool, published on 14 September 2010
The Nokia E7 was the last – and in some ways the most impressive – new device to be announced today at Nokia World and – after the previously announced N8 and the new C6 and C7 – is the fourth and probably last Symbian 3 device we’ll see this year.
What’s impressive about it?
Well, first things first: just look at it. It has a gorgeous, mostly metal, body; it inherits the funky flip-up screen mechanism from the N97; and it has a proper hardware keyboard that is really impossible to fault. This thing is a master class in industrial design. It looks and feels stunning.
Switch it on, and things get even better. When that huge, 4 inch glass screen – equipped with the same Clear Black Display technology as on the C6 and C7 – comes to life, it’s a sight to behold. OK, you don’t get the ultra-high resolution that you do on an iPhone 4 but – honestly – we were hard pressed to notice a huge difference in practice.
The camera is an 8 megapixel unit which produced decent enough shots in our – very limited – tests in the exhibition hall. Having said that, we couldn’t help wondering why – in the midst of all their claims about offering choice to their “Nokia people” – our Finnish friends hadn’t offered us real choice and delivered a device with both a physical QWERTY keyboard and a killer, Carl Zeiss lens.
The keyboard – just in case we weren’t clear enough above – is wonderful. We think it’s the best Nokia has ever shipped. The keys – which have a comfortable, rubbery feel to them with solid, tactile feedback -and very well spaced.
So, is all well with the E7? Is it the flagship device Nokia so desperately needs?
We played around with it at length this afternoon and, beyond the amazing hardware, there’s a huge amount to like on the software front too. When Anssi Vanjoki told delegates this morning that they needed to “test-drive” Symbian 3 before making any judgements, he had a fair point. The combination of capacitive screens, UI enhancements in the software and upgrades in the specs of these machines mean that the new devices really are significantly nicer and more intuitive to use than previous Symbian phones. They may look the same but they certainly don’t feel the same to use.
Finally, you get things like proper HTML email, you get pinch to zoom, you get kinetic scrolling. And you get all this throughout the OS, as far as we could tell.
You also get a lot of Ovi services – Ovi Maps being the most obvious one – which are really maturing into useful products for daily life.
We also believe that Nokia / Symbian’s widget-based homescreen system offers a real differentiator compared to iOS. Why Apple hasn’t implemented this sort of system is beyond us but Nokia must be delighted that they haven’t.
The E7 has other iPhone-beating qualities too, such as the HDMI output, the USB mode (you can download pictures you’ve taken straight to a USB stick without needing a computer – very handy when you’re on holiday for example), and the Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound.
Unfortunately, there are still so many areas where attention to detail is lacking and irritations slip in. You see it mostly in the little aesthetic details, things which – truth be told – many people might not notice or care about. But we do. Example: look at the homescreen widgets for calendar or email. The fonts used are so large and blocky that you can’t make out enough detail. Look at the inconsistency of the UI throughout the system. Look at the still hideous social media client.
Perhaps most worryingly of all, two things we never wanted to see happen on a Nokia device again happened to us this afternoon: we got that continual cycle of prompting us to disconnect one of our apps as there were too many live connections (we don’t even know what this means) and we got a low memory alert.
So, there are no two ways about it, Symbian simply doesn’t cut it at the high-end anymore. Anyone who has used iOS or Android would be horrified to go back. Even to Symbian 3 with all of its significant improvements.
Here’s how we know this is true. As we were still in the throws of excitement about how gorgeous the E7 was, we chanced upon a N900 on display. We picked it up and reacquainted ourselves with it. Yes! This was the sort of fresh approach that we craved. Of course! This was the sort of elegant, powerful OS that we now demand on our top-end smartphone. MeeGo simply can’t come soon enough. If the E7 ran MeeGo, we’d be biting Nokia’s arm off for one.
Ultimately though, as beautiful as the hardware is and as much as we want Nokia to succeed, we just can’t get excited about the E7 nor recommend it to you.
In this price range, with truly innovative Android and iOS devices lurking in the shadows, we think Nokia needs to bring something much more polished and exciting to the table. And that means MeeGo.
N9, N9, where art thou, N9?
From Nokia World 2010: Thoughts on the Nokia E7
The Nokia E7 was the last – and in some ways the most impressive – new device to be announced today at Nokia World and – after the previously announced N8 and the new C6 and C7 – is the fourth and probably last Symbian 3 device we’ll see this year. What’s impressive about it? [...]
13 Responses to “From Nokia World 2010: Thoughts on the Nokia E7”
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Must confess that I didn’t get those errors with the N8s I tried today.
If those sorts of things are sorted in the final E7 firmware, then I’ll feel better. Better enough to fully recommend it? Sorry, no.
The problem is that the Symbian OS needs a fundamental rethink in terms of how it displays information, I think.
I’m not saying it’s the end of the world. And I confess that the E7 is a tempting package. But, overall, it’s just nor worthy of the amazing flagship device that Nokia so desperately needs at this stage.
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[...] Display 24 bit colors, 3.5” AMOLED screen, the latest Clear Black Display technology to beat retina display and I am still trying to figure out that which kind of glasses it has, Gorilla? When you know that it got graphics processor having 2D/3D Graphics HW Accelerator with OpenVG1.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0 support, then sure there remains no reason not to be eager about its arrival. The resolution might be 360 x 640, but still the people out there posted very positive comments about comparison of this with Retinna display. [...]
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i noticed it too, when a lot of applications are at hand using the features of your smart phone and using the phone functions too errors occur.. needs to turn of the phone just to get you back online..
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Alex Kerr
14 September 2010
Your comparison to Android and iOS would be fair if it weren’t for the gaping holes and problems with those two alternatives. Android is hideously power inefficient in comparison to the supremely well engineered Symbian, meaning Android has no place in low end phones, and in terms of bang for your buck, requires a much higher processor spec and thus greater cost, to get similar power and user experience. And even then things like multitasking just work SO much better on Symbian.
It’s also a case of missing features, with Symbian alternatives simply unable to compete. iOS is little more than a Fisher Price toy in comparison, a simplicity that is great for some people, but if you want more power at a much cheaper price, Symbian’s the only way to go. Android has always struck me as a (very) poor man’s Symbian, and I just can’t see the point to it frankly, other than to keep cheapo Asian manufacturers in business.
Also it’s worth noting that with Symbian being in all new NSeries phones (which make up only 12% currently of Nokia’s smartphone sales) and Symbian currently selling well over 100 million/year and growing, and a 350+ million userbase out there, it ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.
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Alex Kerr
14 September 2010
Correction:
> Also it’s worth noting that with Symbian being in all new NON NSeries phones -
Alex,
Your comments are a little short on detail. I’d love to hear some concrete example.
For instance, you compare iOS to a Fisher Price toy (which may have been fair comment of iPhone 1) but can you name a few things that Symbian can do that you can’t do with an iPhone 4? I can’t think of many that I would actually use in daily life.
Also, you make a lot of – very valid – points about Android not being suitable for low-end devices. I tend to agree (even though I think that will change in the not too distant future), but we’re talking about Nokia’s flagship business device here. So, I don’t think those points apply. At this price range, people don’t care about whats under the hood, they just want a top of the range experience. Android and iOS deliver that. I’m just not convinced Symbian does anymore.
Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to rubbish Symbian or the E7 – I like them both. I would just like to see Nokia polish their jewel a little more – and more often.
Oh, and dismiss HTC as a “cheapo Asian manufacturer” at your peril. They’re a significant force and they’re only getting better…
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Juan
16 September 2010
So you “universally” don´t recommend the E7, so if I want a hardware keyboard I must buy an iPhone because of symbian, or if I want a TRUE global unlocked smartphone (just remember WCDMA Pentaband) I must buy an Android 900/2100 phone because of symbian.
The list where E7/N8 are far better choices than iPhone or Android ODMs is huge (and viceversa), what I really expect to read from an intelligent and not biased guy is: “IT´S NOT FOR ME, BUT ACCORDING TO YOUR NEED COULD BE A GOOD CHOICE”
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Juan, dear boy, I don’t think I’m very intelligent and I’m certainly not unbiased.
I have very peculiar taste and opinions, many of which make me completely irrational. One of them is that I can’t stand ugly UIs or poor use of screen real-estate or inconsistent design. In short, I want my gadgets – hardware AND software – to look beautiful, like they were designed by someone with some real aesthetic sensibilities.
And my point, much like my brain, is simple: Symbian just doesn’t have the visual and usability polish that iOS and Android has. That’s why, at this price-point, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Nokia needs to raise its game. They know it and are beavering away on MeeGo. Good for them. When the fruits of that labour finally see the light of day, I suspect we’ll have a true flagship on our hands which I can recommend. I certainly hope so anyway.
In the meantime, despite its many, many qualities, I’m afraid the E7 doesn’t quite cut it.
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Juan
16 September 2010
You Fool, dear boy, so for you is beauty over function, this speak a lot about you.
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We’re in total agreement then. And thank you for the compliment.
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The devil is in the detail: Nokia E7 delayed « The Prodigal Guide
14 December 2010
[...] In our view, there were two stars at Nokia World back in September: the first was departing executive Anssi Vanjoki. The second? Espoo’s new flagship communicator, the E7. [...]
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[...] losing the plot when it comes to software but their hardware is still second to none. Indeed, when we reported from Nokia World on the E7 earlier this year, we told you that It has a gorgeous, mostly metal, body; it inherits the funky [...]
JFH
14 September 2010
Did you get the same errors when working with the N8? If not, then its fair to say that production versions of the E7 will not exhibit this behavior. What is your verdict if those two things did not happen?