It might seem a little weird for some that I’m pitting the E71 against the E52, both being made by the same company, belonging to the same series, and not being exactly similar in terms of shape and size. But if you’re a Nokia lover and in search for the perfect phone for your needs, you’d want to see handsets of the same series battling it out to win a spot on your desk or in your back pocket. Hence this review of the almighty E71 versus the charming E52.
If you’re not too happy with it, here’s a summary: I still prefer the E71; in fact I’m anticipating the E72 and I’m positive it will be my main handset for a long while. But…the E52 does boast some pretty awesome features and proves why the E72 will be a huge success. If this was enough for you then you’re free to go. If not, read on and find out why the E71 still beats the E52.
Operating System (Winner E52)
Both phones run the S60 3rd edition OS, only the E52 comes with Feature Pack 2. Besides the stability of this version and the maturity of the OS (the E52 hasn’t crashed on me once since I got it a couple of weeks ago), FP2 offers plenty of stuff that are, to me, somewhat an added-value and a bit useful, like full-screen caller ID, eye-candy theme effects, multitasking through the options menu anywhere plus the normal long press of the Home key, nearly-fullscreen wallpapers on the homescreen, the ability to group access points by category, and a rearranged menu, to name a few… That, however, is not what FP2 really brings to the table. For a more in-depth review of this feature pack, jump to this link and read Eldar’s explanation. We’re not here to evaluate FP2, but it’s worth mentioning that the silliest things it brings are enough to make the E52 a winner. The E71 runs on a very robust OS, the best I’ve seen on a Nokia to date, but this updated version which started with the N78 and which ships with the N86 and E52 – both of which I’ve tested within the past month – shows what a mature and reliable OS Symbian can be. So any Symbian haters, please, judge neither the S60 5th edition nor the S60 2nd or 3rd editions, but the S60 3rd edition with FP2 – coupled with a 600MHz (point that follows), and I’m sure you’ll be able to show some love and respect.
Processor (Winner E52)
Before I start praising the E52’s processor, I must say that the E71 was and still is one of the fastest and most responsive Nokias ever, especially after the latest Firmware update. Every time I plug it in and update the firmware, I’m surprised how speedy it gets. The E71 takes all the credit here; it is able to pull that off with a 369MHz processor just like any other Nokia of the same generation. And while the Nseries seemed to struggle with that particular processor speed, the Eseries seemed to be doing just fine. Again, I have to point out that the E71 runs smoothly, however the 600MHz processor on the E52 is a monster. Never have I witnessed such speedy performance on a Nokia before, and in simpler terms it never shows lags of any kind. For instance, the moment I fire off the Gravity application (an awesome twitter client – shall be covered in a different post) and choose to “go online”, the phone instantly prompts me what connection I’d like to use and connects. This all happens in a matter of seconds, actually in 1 second. Multitasking is another example where this speed kicks in; no matter how many applications I’m using, pressing the “home” button or going trough “options->show open apps” works flawlessly smooth. It’s almost as fast as cycling through windows on your PC. Overall, the processor has added great speed in performance and boot-up times. The thing that surprised me the most is how fast installing/uninstalling applications actually is. Themes are usually fast to uninstall in Symbian phones, but the speed at which the E52 uninstalls themes is ridiculous. Sometimes, it so speedy it even goes unnoticed.
Compared to any other Symbian device, I would have to say the E52 is the fastest (only second to the E55, some have reported). Head to head with the E71, the E52 wins but not by a great margin. Bottom line: E71 + 600MHz processor = amazing phone; E71 + 600MHz processor = E72; ==> E72 = amazing phone.
Keyboard (Winner E71)
I have previously mentioned on 961Nerd.com that the keypad of the E52 is amazing. Keys are humungous, with great tactile feedback and extra-clear letters. However, being a heavy texter/emailer, I find the full QWERTY a necessity. Boasting one of the best if not THE best QWERTY keyboard on a smartphone, the E71 has never failed to impress me. The rest of the keys (i.e. d-pad, one-touch buttons) are well placed although it’ll take you a couple of days to get used to the backspace button right above the used-to-be-red button-but-now-is-white hang-up button. While typing, I would accidentally hit the hang-up button, causing the message editor to exit and sending the current message to the drafts folder. I blame it on habit. Oh, and by the way, the E52 keypad is locked/unlocked using a combination of left soft key then right soft key instead of the old left soft key succeeded by star key. This has left many first-time users trying to get the hang of it to no avail. No big deal, habit kicks in once more. Getting it out of your system is, however, another story; after using the E52 for 2 weeks, every time I grab another phone I spend the first 10 seconds trying to unlock it and obviously I’m used to this “new” unlocking style instead of using the old one. Sigh.
Sound Quality (Winner E71)
I’ve long praised the loudspeaker quality on the E52, however when put to test against the E71, it suffers. An extra strong point the E71 has over the E52 is that the latter’s speaker is located at the back right next to the camera while the E71’s speaker is at the top which makes it easier to hear while the phone lies on your desk or is tucked away in your pocket. Don’t get me wrong, I still consider the E52’s speaker to be a good one, however music sounds clearer when played through the speaker of the E71… Sound quality on the E52 through headphones is amazing; the device performs like an Nseries handset, maybe better. But I wouldn’t say the E71 performs badly through headphones; it does offer great quality, so the loudspeaker puts the steel messenger on top.
Build Quality (Winner E71)
I could have gone for a draw here, both handsets being extra-solid and feeling great. The brushed aluminum on the E52 is super. The back cover was the thing that amazed people the most. Everyone who held the device couldn’t but notice how cool it felt especially the back side of it and all have commended on the great job Nokia did by designing it this way. The E71, however, is made of steel – stainless steel that is, and you can notice the difference when you dismantle it or remove both phones’ back cover; you’ll be amazed at how heavy the E71’s back cover is compared the E52’s. This is why the E52 only weighs 98g. The brushed aluminum pattern on the back has almost entirely eliminated the “fingerprint-magnet” disease and this is where the E52 beats the E71. But overall, the shiny metal, the heavy material used, and the feel of cold steel in the hand cannot be easily beaten. Aluminum vs. Steel? E71 FTW.
Camera (Winner E71)
Although the E52’s camera boasts the recently-popular panorama mode seen on the N86, it doesn’t bring much besides that to the table. Heck, it doesn’t even focus. Literally, you just point and shoot, and you don’t get good quality either. The camera on the back clearly says “3.2 MPIX” so I thought it must have been a typo; the “AF” was nowhere to be seen. Both phones sport a 3.2-meg camera and single LED flash but the E71 wins by a landslide. Not having the Auto-Focus function means there’s no macro mode on the E52 – something you’ll find real frustrating if you’re trying to shoot from a close range or trying to scan a document using the camera – something I do most of the time. The E71’s camera kept improving with every single FW update that had been done, so much that we all thought the final FW update had actually replaced the lens… Can’t wait to try the 5-meg camera on the E72 though not to be compared with the 5-meg sensors on the N82 or the N97, but I think it’ll do the trick. Bottom line: E52 camera is, well, barely a camera. E71’s camera FTW.
Battery Life (Draw)
It’s all over the net; the E52’s battery is amazing. Despite the fact that both phones ship with a 1500mAh battery, the E52’s battery is giving me a bit more juice compared to the E71. That’s probably because the handset has less keys and the camera’s not as powerful, or maybe because I’ve never blogged using the E52…but I can assure you that both handsets offer extended battery times, sometimes up to 5 days on a single charge. And I’m a heavy user: gravity, facebook, email, messaging, a couple of calls, and lots ‘o Wi-Fi… plus all the apps that get installed then uninstalled during the testing phase, well that’s gotta count for something, right?
Extras (Winner E52)
My favorite addition to the E52 is the 3.5mm audio jack. Finally! Nokia got it right. No more adapters, no more weird headphones, I can use my own or any other output available. N-Gage is surely a nice touch, even the most serious businessman can be allowed some fun every now and then, and what’s better than Nokia’s own next-gen gaming service? Now hear me out here dear Finnish company: N-Gage, you gotta include that in all your handsets; big, small, screenless… I don’t care. All I know is it’s a service just like Maps and Ovi, and every Nokia owner should be allowed to use it. That’ll give you more edge over others. Ok now you know the plan, you can thank me later. Go on, make it happen.
Feature Pack 2 is definitely a clincher. The processor too. Noise cancelling is great, I’ve been told I sounded very clear during calls and that’s something to consider if you make calls in noisy environments, or if you’re office happens to be inside a bus. Nokia Messaging comes pre-installed, the QuickOffice suite supports full editing for free, and Adobe Reader LE 1.5 comes with a free license as well (the last two are also featured on the E71). Font Magnifier is a new addition, it lets you use smaller/bigger fonts, shows you a preview of your choice and in case you agree prompts you to reboot. Once it’s on again, the phone has a new font size!
Another cool addition is Music Search which allows you to say the name of a song or artist so the phone can show you the matching media that’s on its memory, similar to the “say and play” feature on the 5320XM. It wasn’t the most accurate feature when I tested it on the E52, but it managed to give me a couple of good results. Once the “Music Search” icon is clicked, the phone prompts you to say the name of a song, artists, album or playlist before searching and posting a couple of results on the screen. By selecting each of the results, you can hear the song play and then can click and choose the one you intend to listen to. Also the Home Media app is there, and just like on the Nseries, this one lets you stream music and content from a main source in your network or exchange music between handsets provided all are on the same network. The image gallery has the Nseries look and feel going, it shows the pictures in a rotating menu, something I find more interesting than the E71’s lame list layout.
Also the E52 charges off USB so no need for a wire-spaghetti around the mains in the office or at home. A simple USB cable linked to your PC/laptop can do the trick for you. The panorama mode in the camera menu comes in handy sometimes but it’s a shame the camera can’t focus at all, which results in some really bad image resolutions.
Summary
To sum things up, here’s a brief comparison between the two handsets, on a pros and cons basis:
Nokia E71 pros:
- Great keyboard
- Good camera
- Clear sound
- Amazing battery life
- Solid build
- Fast performance
Nokia E52 pros:
- Good keypad
- Good screen
- Amazing battery life
- 3.5mm audio jack
- N-Gage support
- Faster performance (processor)
- Light but strong build
Nokia E71 cons:
- 2.5mm audio jack
- Fingerprint magnet
Nokia E52 Cons:
- Memory card under back cover
- Camera, camera, camera
- Smallish internal memory (60MB)
Verdict
The E52 gives us a clear view of what the E72 will be like: a powerful speedy handset and a great all-rounder. In my opinion, the E52 will be a great success because it’s a lightweight handset that’s capable of coping with anything your throw at it, except for a bucket of water perhaps. I haven’t tested that, yet.
For businessmen who use lots of voice communication, the E52 comes to the rescue, and thanks to noise cancellation and extended battery life it’s the perfect companion for moderate texters. However, if you want all that (except noise cancellation) and a great solution for texting/emailing, then you have to aim for the E71. Quite frankly, this device still amazes me. I’ve been using it for over a year now – since June 23rd, 2008 – courtesy of the Nokia Levant team who were kind enough to let me in on an early prototype, and I haven’t changed my mind ever since. So if you’re fond of email, you like to chat a lot, are active on twitter, and would like to enjoy the convenience of multitasking, I can bet you this amazing device will not disappoint you. It’s amazing seeing a 1-year old device still being able to compete with a newly released one, and even coming on top. Nevertheless, if you don’t have a thing for full keyboards, then I advise you not to look further than the E52 right now. Symbian OS demonstrates sheer power on the E52, and besides the N86, I can’t quite think of any other powerful S60 3rd edition handset on the market.
I’ll be glad to answer any questions that you have. If you have any requests, please feel free to post a comment and I’ll try to answer as soon as possible.
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