Nokia E7 review

Nokia E7 review: Verdict

So much potential! So! Much! And yet… it's rather squandered by a sluggish OS and not a good enough processor to make the media capabilities shine.

For this money, we're not sure you wouldn't want to pick the HTC Incredible S or HTC Desire Z for a more intuitive UI or shell out the extra few pounds a month for a better browsing experience with the iPhone 4.

We liked

It has such a pretty four-inch screen with AMOLED display. The colours are sharp and the screen is usable in whatever light scenarios you can dream up. It has a great battery life for a smartphone, and the keyboard is the cherry-on-top making typing a breeze (with two hands, that is).

There are lots of great features, including the tethering, the HDMI port, the 720p filming capability, the attractive and balanced chassis, the four-inch capacitive touchscreen, the office apps and the QWERTY keyboard.

The outside of this handset is pretty much faultless and we'd be happy to slip the anodised aluminium beauty into our pockets any time.

We disliked

Symbian^3, you're not winning us over, we're afraid. You lag, mate. You make internet browsing more of a chore than it ought to be, especially with such a gorgeous screen to enjoy it on. You make the User Experience a bit… pants.

With a more responsive and intuitive OS, this phone could be a star in its category, but instead it limps behind the HTC Sense UI and is barely a step on from the Nokia N8.

It's also a real shame that the media is so unintuitive to use.

Verdict

It has a plethora of great features, many of which regular Nokia users will take in their stride. It's a pretty smartphone and the QWERTY keyboard is the tops.

But with better software to support the hardware specs, this handset could be a market leader, instead it's simply a little too expensive for its asking price, and forgettable overall.