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Nokia E63.
Essentially a cut-down version of the existing Nokia E71, the Nokia E63 is a 3G smartphone
with a QWERTY keyboard and WiFi, aimed slightly more at consumers than business people, and
with a significantly lower price tag.
Nokia are pitching the E63 at around €200 (approximately £160 / $240) before tax and
subsidy, compared with the current retail price of about €340 (£270 / $400) for the
E71.. but the E63 is almost identical in most major respects.
Some immediately obvious features that the E63 shares with the E71 are the QWERTY keyboard
and the 2.36 inch QVGA display. As with the E71, the E63 is a 3G phone with WiFi support,
microSD expandable memory, email and VPN support, a web browser, multimedia player, an FM radio
and the Symbian S60 operating system. Both the E71 and E63 feature dual home screens
so that work appointments can be kept separate from personal ones. Both handsets can use
Nokia's Ovi service, and this now has enhanced file sharing capabilities with the E63.
Some features from the E71 are missing - the Nokia E63 doesn't have HSDPA or GPS capabilities,
and the E63 only has a 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera compared to the 3.2 megapixel autofocus
sensor on the E71. On the other hand, the E61 has a more standard 3.5mm audio socket,
rather than the 2.5mm one on the E71. Both handsets have the same 1500 mAh battery giving
up to 4.5 hours talktime on 3G and a maximum of 20 days standby time.
Clearly, the E63 is a simpler phone than the E71, so it will be cheaper to make. But is
it really €140 cheaper to make than the E71? More like €40 than €140, we feel.
Either this means that the E71 is seriously overpriced, or the E63 offers very good value
for money. The E63 is certainly much cheaper than the equivalent BlackBerry model, so it
looks like the E63 is rather inexpensive.. especially when you consider that it is cheaper
than the Nokia 6500 Slide and Classic handsets.
Nokia say that the E61 should be available in the nest few weeks in ruby red and ultramarine
blue colour combinations.