Nokia E90 or E61i?
by Volker Weber
I know some of you guys want a verdict on which phone to get. As it turns out that is actually much easier than I thought. My expectation was that the E90 would simply outclass the E61i in every respect, but that is not the case. Although they share much of the same software, they feel completely different and you will have no problem deciding which one you like. Here are a few not so obvious differences:
- The E61i has a LED indicator, which flashes as new messages arrive. You can configure how long it should flash and for what type of messages (missed calls, sms, email). As an email junkie you want that feature. The E90 can only signal these conditions with a tone or vibrate. It you are out of the room, when a new message arrives, you won't notice when you return. The E90 will just sit there (or be stolen).
- The E90 finally has an automatic keyguard. It can be configured in Menu > Tools > Settings > General > Security > Phone and SIM card > Keypad autolock period. Almost as well hidden as an easter egg. On the E61i you can use a 3rd party utility to get the same thing.
- The E61i has access point groups. However, they are not really supported by any software. I thought they were a good idea, because you could tell the phone to look for your WLAN first and then use cellular when you are not in the office. Nokia probably took a lot of heat for not supporting them, so they are gone from the E90.
- The E90 has a builtin GPS receiver. However you won't initially be able to use it with many 3rd party applications which are hardwired for external GPS receivers. Google Maps Mobile currently does not know about the GPS.
- The E90 supports UMTS/HSDPA with up to 3.6 mbps, the E61 is a regular UMTS device (WCDMA 3GPP Release 99) with up to 384 kbps
- The E61i uses a proprietary POP connector, while the E90 switched to mini-USB. Too bad it cannot charge through this port. At least you can use a 2.5mm headset plug. Would be nice if Nokia took the extra step to provice a 3.5mm jack for regular headsets and charge via USB.
Then there is the obvious one: size. The E90 makes you think of the E61i as "the small one" which is kind of funny since it the largest "candy bar" phone out there. And it has two faces: one is a regular S60 phone with regular phone keypad and a 240x320 screen, the other one almost a subnotebook
with full keyboard and a 800x352 screen, which is just gorgeous if you want to surf the web. You don't need the mobile version of a website. The display will work with most sites just fine (click through for full size):
While the two faces make for a more capable device, it is also somewhat more complicated. If you have only have one free hand while standing in line with a bag in hand, you cannot really use the E90 to its full potential. You'd be much better off with an E61i style device then. Everything is just a little bit easier with the E61i, because there are less options. The camera is a case in point. It does not have all the bells and whistles of the E90 but you can snap a picture much quicker.
The decision gets much easier if you take the price into account: one E90 buys you two E61i. Finally, if you have an E61, stay where you are.
Comments
thank you for that conclusion-post! i am really happy with my e61i, a part from one thing: how to turn the camera-noise off?
Very useful information. Thank you very much. I have the E61 and thought about switching to the E61i or the E90. What I do now? I stay where I am :-))
Beats me why Nokia used the mini-USB on the E62 (US market only, I believe) and then went back to the POP connector on E61i.
I recently "upgraded" to Orange's SPV E650 (a re-badged HTC S710) and I really hate it (I don't like the keyboard, the OS and the lack of certain features)! So, I've been looking around at potential replacements and was seriously considering the Nokia E61i -until- I saw the E90.
However, after reading your post, I think I'm going to give the E61i the easy job of replacing the SPV E650!
Thanks for the cool comparison post Volker.
bugger.
I was looking forward to owning the E90. I knew I would be disappointed in *some* regard, but now I'm feeling that it would be a real uphill (against my gut feeling) to buy one.
I just really miss having a camera (on my E61) and 'upgrading' to the E61i is just not a big enough step!
hmm, more uncertainty....but thank you Volker (sort of!)
You hear about the E61i's non-Wifi, US-based cousin?
http://www.rcrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/FREE/70618012&SearchID=7328484785582
Looks like we (those who buy devices directly from the carriers in the US), in light of AT&T pulling the E62 from it's product catalog, could either be in line for an E61i or possibly a variant thereof. Hell, we might even see the E90 in the 'states*.
* - The US release will most likely be named the E91 (if prior naming conventions are an indication), which will have the same specs except for the carrier taking a butter-knife to the Wifi components...
As I learned when I looked at the BlackJack there are actually three things different with the US versions.
1. You have a long history of using different frequencies than the rest of the world. So your UMTS is different from anybody elses.
2. Your carriers don't like Wifi.
3. Your carriers don't like mobile phones used as wireless modems.
The E61 has the same autolock feature in the same location, and I consider it very useful as it prevents others from accessing the phone. There even is a "Remote lock by SMS" feature. It locks the phone on receiving a SMS with a user-defined message - very comforting when one has lost the phone and is not sure if it is locked (yet) or not. Perhaps these features have been removed from the i-version, for whatever reason?
Are you confusing Keypad autolock with Phone autolock?
I think that he does (confusion bw phone lock and keylock)
I recently bough the e61i to replace my e61. I am very pleased of it and might buy an e90 to complete my set :-)
Volker,
Thanks for the reviews. I have followed the Nokia "Communicator" series for a long time as well as Symbian; even back to the Psion / Epoc days.
Great article comparing the Psion Series 5 PDA and the Nokia E90:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/From_Psion_Series_5_to_Nokia_E90-the_Times_they_are_a-changin.php
As far as size and weight are concerned, I think one takes that as trade-off for the form factor.
Here's one other feature, that is so blindingly obvious it may often get overlooked. The dual personality:
When you want it to be a phone, it's a phone. Good old fashioned 12 digit keypad; plus send & end. No messing with embedded numeric keypads with the E90. And when you want it to be a computer, it's a computer.
In my opinion the E90 has pretty much everything. The only wish I guess would be the ability to go beyond 2 GB of storage. But as far all the other goodies, name it and it's pretty much in there.
Well, the Psion 3 would have been the better comparison. And the comparison does not bode so well for the E90, if you put the other two signature phones next to them: the Motorola 3200 International and the RAZR.
I agree with you on the dual personality, at least partially. The 9300(i) shows this dual personality much better. It's really just a phone on the outside. With large type on the small display. The E90 is a bit different, because it is not a simple phone, but rather a smartphone on the outside. The fonts and icons are tiny, and the menu is as confusing as on the inside.
I do agree that the E90 is kind of small for a subnotebook computer. :-)
@Henry,
I always thought that all those communicator users were incredible show offs because they always flipped the thing open.
.... having one for quite some time now I found that one simply does not use the outside stuff much, even for simple tasks.
The only things I use the external keyboard/display for is:
- Answering a call
- Looking at the time
- Typing in my security code
- Taking a Photo
However I almost all calls take are with the lid closed, and when making one I close the lid as soon as the other party answers.
Unless I need to look up something...
So I guess while the Communicators could be uses as a normal 12 digit phone, I rarely do so. But then maybe I just like to show off... ;-)
Best regards, Martin
Volker,
There have been reports elsewhere that the operation of the camera button is a little hit and miss. Is that what you have found?
As an initial observation, yes.
The difference between the E90 and other phones is, that you have to learn to use the camera. There is just too many mistakes you can make. With other phones you load the camera software, you hit the center button, it takes a picture. There is always a large shutter delay, so it is hard to take a snapshot, but it works. On the E90, there is no way you can take a snapshot. It has a dog slow AF which takes at least a second to get a fix. Often it engages the LED flash, which is way to weak to be usable. In many occasion I thought I had taken a picture, when in fact I did not.
The button you get used to. Just press the right and not the left side.
the shutter delay is also present on the e61i and all symbian smartphones i used before the e61i
it's a shame that the software / hardware is so "unreactive"
[gosh i really cant wait to have my e90....in France we need to wait for the Azerty models to be delivered to resellers ]
Gonzague, vowe, you are both right, I did confuse them. Missing autokeylock, I have started using autophonelock as autokeylock replacement. I do not find typing in my passphrase much more complicated than having to press two keys for unlocking a keylock (coming from a phone where locking and unlocking the keypad took just one keypress) and like the extra security.
(What I do find strange though is the lack of most basic features like copy/paste in number fields of contacts, an alarm clock that repeats daily, a countdown or timer, contact birthdays showing up in the calendar, or calendar entries that can be associated with contacts or phone numbers. As you have noted, access point groups support is meager, but all in all, its an excellent tool I do not want to miss.)
I just want a phone that isn't sluggish when you start filling it with apps, notes and contacts. (anyone know a way to keep this from happening?)
I traded my 9500 for an E61 because it was way too sluggish, now I filled the E61 a little bit and it is almost just as bad.. I keep swapping phones in the hope I will find something that doesn't make me wait 50 seconds just to open a contact or write a note.
It really makes us smartphone users look bad when we have to pull out a piece of paper to write down a phone number over the back of our super-powerfull devices...
Oh, and by the way, the Brazilian release of the E62 also has a mini usb instead of the dreaded pop port.
Louis, the most important part is to not run too many applications at the same time. The E61i has 20 MB of free RAM, which is plenty for messaging, calendar and contacts. But not enough for media like movies or mp3. The E90 on the other hand has 80 MB of free RAM and can take much more load.
Hi Volker, I realize this is not the forum for this, but it is a major point for me when I think about dishing out more cash for a device that might be not any better than the last. I really don't keep any apps running in parallel (its pretty hard with the e61 since apps often quit when you change screens). The slowness I describe used to happen with my 9500 as well, even if I didn't have anything running in the background. It is easy to tell with a communicator if anything is going on unseen even if it is hard with the E61. Do you know why this happens?
You are not running any apps in the background and your E61 still hangs for 50 seconds? No, I have no idea what is going on.
