Nokia E61i Review - Conclusion

Conclusion

It’s no wonder that Nokia is one of the most successful mobile phone companies on Earth.  They make solid devices that generally work well and are comfortable to use  from both a hardware and software perspective.  The E61i smartphone is a great example of Nokia’s prowess in designing and manufacturing handsets - while it may not the slickest, shiniest, or lightest smartphone available, it’s one of the most functional and useable devices you’ll find.  From its best-in-class QWERTY board to excellent WiFi implementation to built-in business tools and expandable S60 platform, the E61i does just about everything a business user could want, and it does all of it quite well.

The problem facing a US customer interested in the E61i is two-fold.  First, the E61i doesn’t support any 3G data networks here in the states.  While the combination of EDGE and WiFi isn’t all that bad (just ask any iPhone user), with a range of 3G-ready smartphones now on the market, choosing EDGE is a difficult thing to ask of a road warrior.  Second, the E61i isn’t supported by any US carriers, so you’re going to pay a pretty penny for it as compared to those contract subsidized offerings.

Still, if you like the feel of the S60 user interface, value the comfort of an excellent QWERTY board, and want an unlocked GSM device capable of traveling the world with you, the E61i is an excellent choice.  As AT&T rolls out their national high speed network, perhaps they’ll see fit to tap Nokia for a US-spec 3G upgrade to this solid smartphone. 

Again, thanks to Corey at Mobile Planet for providing the handset used for this review.

 

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